FIRE EFFECTS GUIDE - National Wildfire Coordinating Group

discussions of fire effects on fuels, soils, watershed, plants, and wildlife
are artificial, because fire effects are an integration of the responses of
all of these components to fire. Despite the fact that fire effects occur
holistically, ecosystem components are discussed individually as a
means of organizing the information. Chapters describe basic principles
and processes that regulate fire effects, including fire behavior and
characteristics, fuels, air quality, soils and watershed, plants, wildlife,
and cultural values. Considerations for management of fire effects on
these resources, and a discussion of appropriate techniques for
monitoring fire effects, are contained in each of these chapters.
Monitoring is included in this Handbook because techniques that
accurately describe long-term trends in plant community condition, for
example, are not adequate to detect significant and sudden changes
caused by burning. Because an understanding of prefire and postfire
grazing management, data analysis, and documentation and evaluation
procedures is critical to sound management and monitoring of fire
effects, chapters on each of these topics are also included. Resource
management is goal oriented. The first chapter in this Guide is a
discussion of goals and objectives and how they fit into planning for the
use and management of fire.
This page was last modified 06/20/01
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