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Author(s):
Robert E. Keane, Kevin C. Ryan, Thomas T. Veblen, Craig D. Allen, Jesse A. Logan, Brad C. Hawkes
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Insects & Disease
Fire & Bark Beetles
Fire History
Fire & Wildlife
Invertebrates
Mountain pine beetles
Recovery after fire
Resilience
Ecosystem(s):
Subalpine wet spruce-fir forest, Subalpine dry spruce-fir forest, Montane wet mixed-conifer forest, Montane dry mixed-conifer forest, Ponderosa pine woodland/savanna, Juniper woodland, Lower montane/foothills/valley grassland

NRFSN number: 11187
FRAMES RCS number: 5923
Record updated:

The health of many Rocky Mountain ecosystems is in decline because of the policy of excluding fire in the management of these ecosystems. Fire exclusion has actually made it more difficult to fight fires, and this poses greater risks to the people who fight fires and for those who live in and around Rocky Mountain forests and rangelands. This paper discusses the extent of fire exclusion in the Rocky Mountains, then details the diverse and cascading effects of suppressing fires in the Rocky Mountain landscape by spatial scale, ecosystem characteristic, and vegetation type. Also discussed are the varied effects of fire exclusion on some important, keystone ecosystems and human concerns.

Citation

Keane, Robert E.; Ryan, Kevin C.; Veblen, Thomas T.; Allen, Craig D.; Logan, Jessie; Hawkes, Brad. 2002. Cascading effects of fire exclusion in Rocky Mountain ecosystems: a literature review. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-91. Fort Collins, CO: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 24 p.