Smoke emitted from the burning of a large downed tree on Alden Island, 2007.
Fire is a natural disturbance that has played a major role in shaping the landscape and ecosystems of Voyageurs National Park. Fire is essential to the health and diversity of Voyageurs National Park. The ecosystems of Voyageurs depend on fire to return areas to earlier successional stages, provide a variety of food sources and habitat for wildlife, increase forest and vegetation productivity, and reduce disease and insect infestation. In some cases, fire is essential for the presence of certain ecosystems, in particular, pine forests.
Wildland fires burn when environmental conditions, such as high temperatures and low relative humidity, are present and there is ignition from lightning or an escaped campfire. Fuels may be fine, such as twigs and needles, or heavy, such as logs, branches, and whole trees that have blown down in a storm. Fuels may also be living, such as an understory layer of shrubs, small trees, or grasses.
In the last century, fire suppression and logging activities have changed vegetation patterns from those seen when the voyageurs encountered these lands. Forest communities that adapted to fire, such as jack pine, red pine, and white pine forests, have decreased, while other communities, such as spruce/fir/aspen, which persist without fire, have increased.
Suppression of wildfires in the last century has also lead to a high accumulation of fuels and a subsequent increase in the risk of extreme fire behavior. Though high intensity fires are common and necessary in some ecosystems, they are not beneficial to others systems, and can pose a threat to lives and property. Fire managers at Voyageurs National Park seek to strike a balance between restoring and maintaining natural processes associated with fire and protecting human life and property. You can learn more about fire in Voyageur’s National Park by reading about Fire Ecology, Fire Management and Fire Prevention.
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