LIVING BY FIRE

To view forest research presentations by Paul Hessburg: 

Misted creeks and broken mountaintop peaks: Oregon is a home I never knew I had. A forest of dreams and deserts of sky, now she burns as the embers dance close by. We ask ourselves, is it normal that I need to fill a house with air purifiers because the land is angry? We may ask ourselves, Why? Remarkably, the land of the Pacific Northwest has been transformed in a mere 100 years. We have not been so understanding of our natural world; is it too late to listen to her calls of anguish? We may blame the white settlers for disregarding the native stewardship or the accelerating climate; the reasons why seem endless.

Yet, we still have time to learn the ways of a once healthy and productive ancient forest and provider. A simple idea that I ponder: Our connection with the land has been lost, being replaced with material objects and distractions. This is no one’s fault but curiosity and the will of mankind. Yet it is time we again learn the ways of our tree ancestors, for they have been the warm blanket on a cold night – readers of the soil and teachers of the wandering mind. With more than 1 million acres burned and thousands of people dislocated these past few weeks alone, I feel it is safe to say we have a major problem on our hands. Paul Hessburg, a research scientist for the U.S. Forest Service, has spent the previous decade working on models displaying how the forests looked hundreds of years ago, creating some remarkable bird’s-eye views and visual perspective. He has a series of informative online lectures available containing these images.

The forests in Hessburg’s models show a very different landscape than we see today. Prior to the 1930s, the forests were a healthy balance of meadows and tree stands, especially in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. A majority of meadows are previous burn patches, which provide for a strong elk and deer population who then help sustain other aspects of the ecosystem. I was able to contact Hessburg and he provided some pictures of a forested area in the 1930s and a more recent picture to show contrast. As more people began to truly settle in Oregon and throughout the West, the ecosystem regulators were suppressed – namely, fire – out of fear. James D. Rittenhouse & Reino Sarlan 1933 (top) Vs. John F. Marshal 09/09/2015 (bottom) comparison picture of the south side of Mt. Hood. Fuel, referring to dried-up branches, foliage and tinder laying congested and ready for ignition, is persistently relevant in the conversation of climate change.

Fire suppression is the mother of a forest too obese (dense) to sustainably maintain effective burns. It is a simple fact, then, that any mediocre burn will become a big burn. Indigenous tribes knew how to converse with the land. Through prescribed burns, they thinned out thick areas and promoted grazing in others. This strategy not only kept the wild big game coming, but the hot, dry seasons presented much less intense fire threats. We are on the cusp of what may be a devastating depletion of our natural areas and resources.

Changes and action must come swiftly. One bright spot: in far eastern Oregon, Malheur National Forest officials have been implementing prescribed burns and have conducted plans to pick out dead trees or trees infested by wood- eating beetles, another sign of a habitat in distress. As of Sept. 24, the Malheur forest area remained on high alert but had no reported burns. Officials closed access to the public to ensure the safety of its highly susceptible land.

The land lives in fear of the people, as the people have learned to live in fear of fire. It is a series of small actions that relay into bigger events. I challenge any reader to ask yourself how the land and environment affects you. What is your relationship to the soil under your feet or the air you breathe? Major steps to sustainability come with small strides of understanding your own personal connection with the Earth you sleep upon. It is not Earth who is to adjust to our kind, for we are the ones who must adapt to live upon these grand but unforgiving lands.