The Great Yellowstone Fires of 1988 and the Controversy About the Treatment of Wildfires in the United States
The Great Yellowstone Fires of 1988 and the controversy about the treatment of wildfires in the United States
Contents
Introduction
1. The Great Yellowstone Fires of 1988
1.1. What caused the fires of 1988?
1.2. Development of the Fires
1.3. Fighting the Fires
1.4. Results of the Fires
2. Fire Management in Yellowstone
2.1. Fire Management before the Fires of 1988
2.2. Fire Management after the Fires of 1988
3. Fire Ecology
4. Prescribed Fire vs. Fire Suppression
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography
Introduction
1988 has been a shocking year for thousands of Americans. It was the year of a disastrously huge fire. Everywhere you looked you found burned trees. Tons of ash was lying on top of everything and the after effects can still be seen today in Yellowstone National Park.[1] What had happened? Why were the people in charge not able to prevent this devastation? Moreover, why are there some people that keep on saying that wildfire is something good?
1. The Great Yellowstone Fires of 1988
1.1. What caused the Fires of 1988?
All started out pretty normal. The spring of 1988 was wet until June where not hundred and eighty-one percent of the normal rainfall came down to earth like in May, but only twenty percent (the years before it had been an average of about sixty percent at the same time of the year). It was the driest summer in 112
Contents
Introduction
1. The Great Yellowstone Fires of 1988
1.1. What caused the fires of 1988?
1.2. Development of the Fires
1.3. Fighting the Fires
1.4. Results of the Fires
2. Fire Management in Yellowstone
2.1. Fire Management before the Fires of 1988
2.2. Fire Management after the Fires of 1988
3. Fire Ecology
4. Prescribed Fire vs. Fire Suppression
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography
Introduction
1988 has been a shocking year for thousands of Americans. It was the year of a disastrously huge fire. Everywhere you looked you found burned trees. Tons of ash was lying on top of everything and the after effects can still be seen today in Yellowstone National Park.[1] What had happened? Why were the people in charge not able to prevent this devastation? Moreover, why are there some people that keep on saying that wildfire is something good?
1. The Great Yellowstone Fires of 1988
1.1. What caused the Fires of 1988?
All started out pretty normal. The spring of 1988 was wet until June where not hundred and eighty-one percent of the normal rainfall came down to earth like in May, but only twenty percent (the years before it had been an average of about sixty percent at the same time of the year). It was the driest summer in 112