THE YELLOWSTONE FIRES OF 1988

Leah Fischer

Brandie Schulz

Kyle Kimball

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

FEATURES OF THE PARK

GEYSERS AND HOT SPRINGS

TOURISM

• Over 3 million people visit the park each year, making it one of the most visited national parks in America.

THE FIRES OF 1988

• In June of 1988 the first fires naturally started by lightning strikes were allowed to naturally burn because they seemed small and insignificant.

• However, by mid July a smokey haze covered most of the park, and fire crews began fighting all natural fires, but they were already out of control.

• 9500 firefighters were deployed, $120 million dollars were spent, and just under 800,000 acres were burned.

BACKGROUND OF FIRE

• The “Big Blowup” of 1910.

• Burned over 3 million acres of land, several small towns, and 85 people died.

• The U.S. Government declared any fire as a bad fire that needed to be extinguished immediately. By 1944 they had introduced Smokey the Bear.

SMOKEY THE BEAR

CHANGES IN POLICY

• By 1974 the policy had changed from fire control to fire management.

• In 1976 Yellowstone National Park began a policy allowing naturally caused fires to burn unless they threatened developed areas.

FIREFIGHTING TECHNIQUES

• Crews would normally work for 2 to 3 weeks, be sent home, and then return once or even twice more. The normal workday was as long as 14 hours. Assignments included digging fire lines, watering down buildings, clearing undergrowth near structures, and installing water pumps

• Firefighters created 655 miles of fire line by hand and 137 miles with mechanized equipment such as bulldozers. Most of the bulldozer work was done on the North Fork fire. Some other fires were too remote or in too steep terrain for the safe operation of heavy equipment.

• About 120 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were used to combat the inferno. Aircraft logged over 18,000 hours of flight time and dropped 1.4 million gallons of fire retardant and 10 million gallons of water on the fires.

• More than 100 fire engines were assigned to the fire. Structural fire engines were used in building complexes, where a number are stationed permanently as in urban settings. Smaller wildland fire engines suitable for movement over rough terrain were deployed throughout the park.

FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT

Habitat• Less plants to absorb water results in

fuller streams and rivers that benefits other plants and animals.

• Fire clears the land of heavy brush allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor resulting in the growth of new grasses, herbs and shrubs.

• Dead trees provide homes for bluebirds and woodpeckers

Soil

• Charcoal converts ammonia to nitrates.

• Plants & healthy bacteria need nitrogen for growth.

• Wildflowers and grasslands flourished in the first few years after the fires.

Kills Disease & Insects• More trees die every year from

insect infestation and disease.• The fungus pitch canker and

bark beetles inhibit the delivery of nutrients to the roots and needles.

• Both are killed with fire

Trees & Plants

• Some plant and trees are fire dependent.

• Giant Sequoia and Lodgepole pines are just two of the species that require fire to reproduce.

• The intense heat opens their pinecones and releases their seeds.

• Fire also reduces the number of evasive plants.

Cleans the Forest Floor

• Fire burns the dead foliage that accumulates on the forest floor.

• When smaller fires burn the forest debris, there is not as much fuel for the next fire.

• Large amounts of debris contribute to hotter more devastating fires.