The case for prescribed fire

As forest research shows, the Rocky Mountain region’s natural history reveals a pattern of fire occurrence extending from time immemorial, meaning before human memory, with drastic curtailment in the early 1900s when wildfires began to be suppressed.

The landscapes we see today are very different than pre-1900 as a result of fire suppression. They are much more susceptible to large severe wildfires. Lightning ignites thousands of wildfires each year. Indigenous people used fire to increase forage for themselves and wildlife. Early European settlers viewed fire as destructive but had limited ability to stop it. The technological advancement following two world wars, combined with heightened government support, allowed firefighters to extinguish wildfires with the goals of preventing damage to and loss of private property, timber, and life. 

However, as wildfires were suppressed, forest encroachment and increased tree density occurred across the Rocky Mountain region. As a result of thicker, denser forests, trees became less vigorous and more susceptible to insect infestation, creating more fuel for wildfire when it inevitably occurs. 

Kimberley Davis, a research ecologist at the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station, recently published a paper in collaboration with the University of Montana and The Nature Conservancy that reviewed results of 40 studies of forest treatments across 11 western states. Treatments include thinning, by machinery or by hand (chainsaw), or combined treatments of thinning and prescribed fire and pile burning. The research found that treated areas reduced wildfire severity compared to untreated areas. 

More importantly, researchers observed how wildfire severity changed between the type of treatment. Davis stated, “There was overwhelming evidence that reducing tree density and returning low severity fire to dry mixed conifer forests reduces the severity of subsequent wildfires.” Their findings suggest that the most effective treatment, thinning and prescribed fire, achieved nearly a 75% reduction in future wildfire severity. 

The Montana Prescribed Fire Council is a statewide organization comprised of people who advocate for the safe, effective, and ecologically appropriate use of prescribed fire in Montana. The Prescribed Fire Council originates from the Montana Forest Action Plan which includes a statewide assessment of forest conditions, identifies priority areas for focused treatment, and recommends goals and strategies to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk to communities, improve wildlife habitat, protect watersheds and more. 

Founded in summer 2024, the Prescribed Fire Council works to achieve Forest Action Plan goals to improve social understanding and public acceptance of the role and importance of fire and its safe application, support state legislation that increases training and awareness for private landowners and improves the legal landscape they face when using prescribed fire, and evaluate agreement mechanisms and instruments that can facilitate and support prescribed fire across ownerships with landowners, agencies and partners. 

These are challenging tasks but restoring our collective relationship and use of fire is essential. The risk of inaction outweighs all else. Otherwise, we will continue to experience extreme wildfires and forest degradation at great cost to Montanans. 

Tim Love and Cory Cheguis are co-chairs of the Montana Prescribed Fire Council