GEOS 220 Preventing Southwest <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> are a rising problem within the Southwest and will continue to become more ferocious while spreading across an increasing amount of acres of land if nothing is done to help the fight to prevent the smoldering of the environment due to fires. Every year fires burn millions of acres of land while costing billions of dollars to fight (Summary 2002). Fires have always been a problem in the Southwest, but fires are becoming more severe while damaging more land than ever. Fires are worse today then they have been for over thirty years due to an increase in fuel load, and will continue to thrive if actions are not done to prevent them (Timber 1996). This fuel load causes the forest to burn quicker while covering more acres at a time. The forests have become explosion-zones due to suppression, grazing, and lack of controlled government burning (Talking 1996). The government recognizes such fires as a problem, but seems to only act upon the issue while the fire is currently burning. Federal agencies spend millions of dollars to fight burning fires, but fail to do enough to prevent such fires from occurring (Erickson 1995). <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> have increased in frequency and intensity during the past years due to the unhealthy conditions of the Southwest forests brought upon by human impacts. <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> devastate more acres of land than they did in the past, and seem to persist to hit record highs continually as years pass (Fig 1). <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> use to occur naturally, but since humans have eliminated these natural fires, the land is unable to renew itself resulting in more fuel load. Fires used to burn every three to seven years which thinned out trees while creating a grassy environment and leaving thick trees barely harmed (Aleshire 1995). Instead of helping the forest, controlling these fires have left the forests in worse conditions than they naturally would have Good 1 been in. Since humans have eliminated natural light-burning fire cycles, forests are growing too densely leaving dead trees to increase in numbers creating more severe fires (Burn 1994). The decrease of natural <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> overtime has created an environment prone to fires due to the change of vegetation. Forest used to be lit on fire due to lightning, these fires helped the forest thrive and regenerate into a healthy state. Forests used to be fairly open areas with spaced out massive trees with some small ground cover bushes. These fires have now been suppressed by the government and are contained before they can spread across the forest. After years of fire suppression, an unnatural accumulation of fuels has built up which fires would have naturally burned (Kreutz 1995). The increase of fuel load has lead to bigger more intense fires which effect the environment differently than the past natural fires. <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> kill vegetation that used to soak up rainwater, leaving smaller trees and areas which may not reforest (Erickson 1995). Controlled fires within the Southwest would lower the force of natural fires by lowering the fuel load while thinning out the forest to make natural <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> less intense. Using these fires, we can slowly reverse the damage which was caused by human impact and allow nature to once again take its place by reintroducing the renewal of trees and grasslands. Prescribed fires reduces the amount of brush and dead wood, leaving the forest thinned out and less likely to create such a violent out break of fires (Erickson 1998). Not only can these fires be controlled and carefully watched to reduce the chances of an out break, the weather and season of when these fires are started can also be regulated. Prescribed fires allow professionals to choose the appropriate weather and temperature to keep the fire within designated limits to consume brush and ground fuel to maintain a healthy forest (Babbitt 1995). Controlled fires would allow us to determine when and where fires will take place, while reducing the chances of other dangerous fires through the reduction of fuel load. Good 2 Though prescribed fires are effective, these fires cost millions of dollars to prevent <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> while having some consequences. In 1994, 868 million dollars was spent to fight <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> (Kreutz 1995). Controlled fires come with a hefty price tag, leaving some skeptics wondering if these fires are worth the price. The cost to fight <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> includes prescribed burning which costs two hundred and fifty dollars per acre of land (Forest 1994). Not only are these fires expensive to carry out, many residents of the surrounding areas have fears and complaints. People complain about the smoke due to intentional fires (Sheppard 1998). Along with smoke, some worry about the fire becoming out of control, spreading onto near by lands and homes. These are reasonable concerns, but if these fires are controlled correctly the chances of this occurring is unlikely. The forests are going to burn either way, smoke and the elimination of homes in inevitable. It is our choice if we are going to allow these fires to erupt into raging fires, or control these fires to benefit the environment as well as the residents to the best of our ability. Fires will always be a problem in the Southwest but we can help prevent them from developing into such fierce and massive fires by thinning out the forest through controlled burning. Acres will be lost and forests will be destroyed but at least we can try to do as much as we possibly can to limit the impact these fires could produce. Without a plan of action to reduce these fires, our forests are doomed to become destroyed. Controlled fires help to reduce fuel load while renewing forests to their natural tendencies. These controlled fires are a way of reversing damage which has been caused throughout the years, while reducing the severity of fires to come. Every action creates pros and cons, but in the case of prescribed fires it seems the benefits of these fires out weigh the chances of negative outcomes. Good 3 Figure 1. Acres burned in Arizona and New Mexico between the 1900s through present day. A dramatic increase of acres burned is shown starting after the 1970s. Good 4 References Citied Aleshire, Peter. &quot;A sane timber resolution lies in reach.&quot; The Arizona Daily Star. 20 November. 1995. 5 November. 2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/951120-tree-ring-lab.html Babbitt, Bruce. &quot;Return Fire to Its Place in the West.&quot; Fire Management Notes. 1995. 5 November. 2006. 2006 &lt;http://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/~sheppard/swland/returnfire.pdf&gt;. &quot;Burn and let burn&quot; The Arizona Daily Star. 13 July. 1994. 5 November. 2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/940713-tree-ring-lab.html Erickson, Jim. &quot;Disastrous fire leaves legacy of risky residue: Erosion and fuel buildup follow Rattlesnake blaze.&quot; The Arizona Daily Star. 16 July. 1995. 5 Nov. 2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/950716-tree-ring-lab.html Erickson, Jim. &quot;Forest Service plans to set fire by Summerhaven.&quot; The Arizona Daily Star. 30 March. 1998. 5 Nov. 2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/980330-tree-ring-lab.html &quot;Forest fire prevention cost put in billions&quot; The Arizona Daily Star. 5 October. 1994. 5 November. 2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/941005-tree-ring-lab.html Kreutz, Douglas. &quot;Rash of '94 <a href="/keyword/forest-fires/" >forest fires</a> blamed, in part, on blaze policies of past.&quot; The Arizona Daily Star. 6 April. 1995. 20 Nov. 2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/950406-tree-ring-lab.html Sheppard, Paul. &quot;The forests must burn.&quot; The Arizona Daily Star. 1 June. 1998. 5 November. 2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/980601-tree-ring-lab.html &quot;Summary of the Rodeo-Chediski Fire, Arizona.&quot; The Wilderness Society 2002. 5 November 2006. &lt;http://www.wilderness.org/Library/Documents/WildfireSummary_RodeoChediski.cfm&gt; . &quot;Talking Fire.&quot; The Arizona Daily Star. 23 May. 1996. 5 November. 2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/960523-tree-ring-lab.html &quot;Timber industry seeks to ease logging rules&quot; The Arizona Daily Star. 29 August. 1996. 5 November. 2006 http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/960829-tree-ring-lab.html Good 5