Having thinned forests for years I have found you are not always met by people who are happy with what your are doing. They see you cutting down trees and assume you are doing the forest harm for the sole benefit of humans, but thinning is not only necessary for the protection of homes from wildfire but also for the forest health as a hole. The current state of our forest are densely over grown compared to the forests make up 575 779 2688 years ago. Changes in human management practices and the quick suppression of small ground fires has drastically affected our forests. Pre colonial forests were often occupied during the summers as people spread our to hunt, farm or forage, they cut small timber that was easy to use for firewood or building, keeping the forest thinner. With industrialization it became easier process large trees to create firewood and building materials and the use of smaller wood became unprofitable. Without people harvesting these smaller trees the forest became more dense. When wildfire did occur in the less dense forests of the past it was more likely to stay as a small ground fire burning minimal acreage and few mature trees this kept the forest clean and fuels to a minimum.
Forests and Fire
We now see larger more devastating fires kill big swaths of forest, this can leave them susceptible to take over by invasive species when regrowth occurs. Non native species can over take native species after fires have completely wiped out all vegetation with no existing competition vigorous growing non native species can over take slower growing native ones. They also may have a lack of pests to control their populations unlike the native species giving them another advantage in the race to regrow after fire. This can leave local ecosystems permanently altered and affect the ability of native animals to survive under these new conditions. Through proper thinning we can help recreate the more fire resilient forest structure seen in the past and reduce the chances of large scale destructive fires and the subsequent loss of territory by native species.
"most MPB(Mountain Pine Beatle)-attacked trees seemed to be located where tree density exceeded 200 trees/ac"
OLSEN, W.K., J.M. SCHMID, AND S.A. MATA. 1996. Stand characteristics associated with mountain pine beetle infestations in ponderosa pine. For. Sci. 42:310 –327.
Pests:
Dense forest can create huge population booms of pest be it bugs or disease, with tight spacing it becomes much easier for pest to travel from tree to tree. With a good food supply and ability to spread quickly pest can quickly devastate larger areas. Thinning can help reduce conditions conducive to rapid population booms in pests.
So next time you see contractors thinning be sure to thank them for not only protecting homes with their services but for creating a more resilient forest.
