The entire state of Utah remains under some level of drought designationโpart of a decades-long megadrought affecting the Western United States. Hotter, drier weather along with decades of fuel buildup from fire suppression have led to more megafires.
Wildfires can be alarming and destructive; however, new BYU research finds preventing fires can potentially be worse. The work is published in the journal Fire.
“The Smokey the Bear fire suppression campaign has actually been problematic,” said Sam St. Clair, a BYU plant and wildlife professor. “We should be encouraging more fires in forests that are fire-adapted.”
St. Clair is the principal investigator on the first study to show positive impacts of megafires (fires greater than 100,000 acres) across different forest types. Megafires can help some forest communities thriveโespecially in areas where chronic browsing by elk, deer, and livestock has hindered tree regeneration, a widespread issue that often leads to forest regeneration failure.
