"(OPENING MUSIC)

MIKE HALLERAN:
The B.C. Wildlife Federation, in cooperation with the communications branch of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, presents Westland: a series of programs discussing natural resources conservation and land use in British Columbia. 

MIKE HALLERAN:
There have been a lot of films that talk about forest fire prevention, or about fighting fires. This film talks about lighting fires. 
Some fires are lighted to dispose of logging debris and to prepare foresight for the next crop of trees. Some fires are lighted by hand with diesel fuel drip torches. Some fires are lighted to improve grazing land and to enhance important wildlife winder ranges. 
Fire causes immediate and dramatic changes in the environment. Some of these changes may be quite desirable, completely in keeping with human or social objectives. Or they may be just the opposite. 
The first and most obvious change is a colour change. Red and orange in the burning, or the long column of smoke to mark the place. For a brief period, the landscape is blackened and stark in the aftermath. But, like the fire itself, this stage is only temporary. Within a short time, new colours appear, sometimes mouldy-hued, but mostly green. 

ROSS TOZER:
I'm Ross Tozer. I'm a professional forester with the B.C. Ministry of Forest.

RAY DEMARCHI: 
I'm Ray Demarchi. I'm a wildlife biologist with the Fishing Wildlife branch of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment. 

ROSS TOZER:
For a long time, most people have believed that all forest and range fires are bad. But, historically, fire has had a natural presence in the environment, just like wind or rainfall. We know that excessive amounts of either can be ruinous. But prescribed fire, that fire which we apply on purpose, is in a special category. We can apply it when we want and withhold it when we don't want it. Wildfires must be controlled as always, but foresters and other resource managers are learning that prescribed fire can be a useful tool in the management of many public resources. 

RAY DEMARCHI: 
We know that fire has been altering the forest and range environment for thousands of years. In fact, for as long as there have been forest and grasslands fires have been occurring there. Quite naturally, fire has impacts on wildlife population. But contrary to what many people might believe, these impacts are not always negative. In fact, fire can provide real benefits to many species of wildlife. 

MIKE HALLERAN:
Some forest plants are quite literally born of fire. B.C.'s Lodgepole pine for instance _sometimes incorrectly referred to as Jack pine_ is an important commercial species and one which often flourishes in the wake of a major fire. A large forest fire burnt thought this site several decades ago. The new forest is now well established and is almost one hundred per cent Lodgepole pine.

ROSS TOZER:
Some tree species have built-in safeguards that allow them to survive contact with fire, a pretty firm indication of the historic presence of fire in the environment. This is a Yellow pine tree _sometimes known as a Ponderosa pine_ you'll notice that the limbs are long ways from the ground. That's because past fires have pruned the lower limbs of this particular tree. Also, the bark on the Yellow pine is very thick, as you can see, providing good insolation to the tree's life support system inside. Usually, one can find fire scars in this big Yellow pine, indicating they've been repeatedly exposed to fire in the past and still survived. 
But one of the most important lessons in fire management is that virtually each forest site and each species will respond to fire in a different manner. If a cedar, spruce, or other thin-barked species had been exposed to fire, they probably would not have survived. 
 
MIKE HALLERAN:
Another tree with good fire-resistant capability is the western large. Many old burns in the B.C. interior contain large veterans, survivors of some past forest fire. Some are dead spikes _snow, wind and decay, having stripped them of bark and limbs. These often-become habitat for woodpeckers and cabinet-nesting birds. But it seems a few always survive a fire _though perhaps only barely alive_ and they tower above the regenerating forest. The new trees may be large also, having been reseeded by these living relics in their own image. 

RAY DEMARCHI: 
Trees are not the only plant species that have evolved through repeated contact with fire. Actually, we've only been excluding fire from B.C.'s forests and rangelands for something like 75 years. For thousands of years before that, many plant species were being conditioned by repeated exposure to fire. 
Much of this slope is covered with Yellow Stem Ceanothus _commonly called snow brush or buck brush_ a vital forest plant for elk and deer in Western North America. When you look closely, you can see that these plants have been heavily browsed or eaten down by the wildlife. It so happens that the seeds of Ceanothus will lie dormant in the soil, and they won't germinate unless they're exposed to fire temperatures. A situation that gives rise the term fire-dependent. 

MIKE HALLERAN:
Some grasslands are also fire-dependant. The transition zone or the edge between the grassland and a forest may appear to be quite static but, actually, it is just quite the opposite. Where the forest and the grassland confront each other, there is constant competition to see which of these plant communities will dominate. Before the White Man started fighting fires, grasslands were maintained by the periodic actions of wildfires or by native Indians who used to set fires on purpose to create range for wildlife and, later, for their horses. On those sites from which fire has been excluded for a long time, the Coniferous _or ever-green trees_ become dominant, and the grassland begins to disappear. The grass plants are often the first species to appear after a fire, and so we call them pioneers. But other plants, shrubs, and finally the ever-greens follow in logical succession. 
So, the process of regrowth that follows a major fire is simply called ""plant succession."" Thus, the exclusion of fire, works the detriment of many grass plants but the advantage of forest plants like Douglas fir or Lodgepole pine. So, that condition in which coniferous trees are seen creeping in to occupy a grassland is a perfectly natural and very common occurrence. It is happening continuously in many parts of BC, including the Chilcotin, the Okanagan and Thomson Valleys and the East Kootenays. 
Applied at the right time of year, fire can work as a thinning agent to reduce the number of coniferous trees on a given site. A springtime burn took place here, nearly all the trees were touched by the fire, but only a few were killed. Thus, the site has been protected as a multiple use-value for forestry, grazing and wildlife because it was burnt.
In recent times, forest, range and wildlife managers have cooperated on a planning process designed to help balance human demands with natural productivity. Some ranges are now in better condition that they have been in decades. The process is called ""Coordinated Resource Management Planning,"" and it involves natural resource agencies in both federal and provincial governments. 
Ranging is not nearly as large an industry as forestry. But nevertheless, it provides important social benefits. Managing the rangeland of the province is one of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Forest. That means that livestock grazing lands must be maintained in good condition and those which have suffered from overgrazing or other abuses should be allowed to recover. 

RAY DEMARCHI: 
Those agencies responsible for managing forests, grazing land and wildlife all face the same problem: human demands for all three resources are rising steadily. When an open grassland or shrub site is taken over by forest succession, however natural that process may be, the practice of forestry stands again since the size of the forest increases. But this is obviously a negative event for grazing, livestock and wildlife since the invasion of forest plants lessens the value of the site for those other objectives. 

ROSS TOZER:
Among the agencies which manage forest, range and wildlife _as well as among the resource-uses they represent_ there is continuous debate over the matter of forest succession. It is obvious that intensive management and delicate negotiation will continue to be required in the future in order to maintain ecological diversity, to restore and maintain fire-dependent wildlife habitat, livestock grazing areas and commercial forest. 

RAY DEMARCHI: 
The coordinated resource management planning process and other similar programs have helped resolve this problem by bringing together all resource agencies and resource users. But we still got a long way to go. In the East Kootenays, for example, our best estimate showed that the combined numbers of elk, deer and Bighorn sheep are about half of what they were in the 1950s. And the number of cows on crown range are down by about the same percentage. 

ROSS TOZER:
But, as we attempt to satisfy human demands for more timber, more wildlife and more grazing land, we must be careful not to exceed the natural productivity of the site. So, when it comes to prescribed fire, the decision to burn or not to burn must be based both on social and ecological criteria. Before any fire is applied, we must consider the ecological conditions of the site, as well as the social or human objectives we are tempting to satisfy. 

MIKE HALLERAN:
The need to guard against wildfire is as great as ever. But the need to apply more intensive management is also increasing. Among professional resource managers there is now almost total agreement that if we are going to practice good forest management _or silver culture_ if we are going to maintain good winter ranges for wildlife, if we want to control forest succession on the grasslands, then we will have to have more fire. 
This is a classic winter range for deer and elk. The problem is that the browse plants are over mature and new growth is at a minimum. Some plants have completely died out, but wildlife depend on this side in the wintertime. The easiest and cheapest way to rejuvenate it is to burn off the old plants so new growth can take their place. So, despite the fact that it may be contrary to the traditional 'bambi' concept of fire control, fire is deliberately applied to benefit the elk and the deer. These burns are applied according to a definite prescription, a set of management objectives that take into account those all-important social and ecological criteria we spoke of. At one time, a sight like this would likely have been classed as not-satisfactorily restocked, since it contains so few conifers trees. That kind of classification in changing in recognition that the site has high value for wildlife winter range. It is better dedicated to that purpose, and the pure forest management effort can be concentrated elsewhere, where it will produce more favourable results. 
When larger areas require burning, more advance forms of technology are required. This helicopter is being fitted with a fire-lighter machine which operates on a fascinating chemical and mechanical principle. Light plastic balls, similar to pin pong balls, are placed in the top of the machine and spit out at regular intervals. The balls contain potassium permanganate, a chemical which burst into flame when mixed with glycol, much like common antifreeze. The machine injects glycol into the balls just before they are dropped from the helicopter. Shortly after they hit the ground, they burst into flame, burning for about a minute. This system demands delicate, even meticulous flying skills. But a large area can be burnt in a matter of minutes. The site being burnt here is used as winter habitat by mountain sheep, deer and elk. The burning is being done in light Spring, after the animals have left the winter range for high country. By the time they return to this setting in winter, the plants will have been rejuvenated by the fire and will abate an entire season of new growth.
The day after the fire, the landscape was blackened and stark. The fire was highly successful, from both a social and an ecological point of view. The old dead plants were mostly consumed by the fire. In a matter of weeks, the transition is spectacular. The signs of new growth are everywhere, black and green. Spring flowers such as this delicate Shooting Star are in abundance. This is Spreading phlox, the Sunflower, the Cat's Ear, and the Pasque flower. These animals are California Bighorn sheep. They are native to some grassland environments in Central and Southern B.C. This band is located at the junction of the Fraser and Chilcotin Rivers, where Bighorn have existed for centuries. They also have a dependency on fire since they require, as habitat, ecological conditions which only fire can provide, open grasslands uninvaded by conifer stands. 
But it must be emphasized that random burning is not the answer. Each burn must be applied according to exacting prescriptions, and those social and ecological criteria must always be stressed and understood. 

RAY DEMARCHI: 
While there is no longer any doubt that prescribed fire provides benefits for some species of wildlife, it must be kept in mind that the requirements of all species are not the same. We know that elk, moose and deer can benefit from habitats that have been treated with fire, but they also require dense forest for cover. Other species _such as Woodland caribou, some species of fur-bears and many species of birds_ do not require burnt areas as habitat. In plain terms, it can be stated that some animals benefit from fire, and others don't. 

ROSS TOZER: 
It is true that more consideration is being given to wildlife and grazing values. But, without question, the enormous job of maintaining the wood supply for the B. C. forest industry will always remain a priority with the Forest Service. 

MIKE HALLERAN:
One of the many problems in the forest-management challenge concerns the vast areas of overstocked coniferous forest sites. Overcrowding prevents these trees from reaching a useful size. Although these Yellow pines are alive, they are all but dormant. They are 4 to 6 inches in diameter but are close to 60 years old. So, the stand was thinned with the use of power-chain saws, the practice is known to every gardener: reduce competition, so the selected trees have room to grow. But as this clutter of dead trees were left on the ground, it would soon become a dangerous fire hazard as well as a breeding ground for insects which could attack the surviving trees. 
Modern technology has taken a lot of the guesswork out of determining fire hazard. This instrument measures percentage of moisture when its two sensing points are touched to a given surface. 
The debris from this thinning exercise was left to cure for an entire year. Then, when the moisture conditions were just right, it was set on fire. Again, a drip torch is the tool used. A crew of forest service personnel, led by people with a good knowledge of fire fighting and fire behaviour, moves though the four-foot-high layer of dead and dying material. The fire is lighted on a line with selected advance through the debris. The timing of such a fire is absolutely critical. Social factors _such as safety through the surrounding forest and the human habitation_ must always be considered. Ecological factors _such as weather, the timing of new Spring grow, even the time of day_ are equally important. 
One hundred per cent positive results cannot be guaranteed. The fire creates its own environment once it gets going. Lower limbs and the (INAUDIBLE) are seen to catch fire. But remember, these are Yellow pine, a species with historic contact with fire. Still, some of the crows are consumed. This is the greatest worry, for the crow is that portion of the tree which is vital for producing the necessary chemistry for growth. 
After the fire, the immediate prospects do not look too encouraging. Did we say black and green? But on closer examination, it is seen that the crows are alive. This is new green growth which has occurred since the prescribed burn. These trees will make it. They have been virtually fire-proof by the prescribed burn. The site has been opened to allow sunlight to reach the forest floor. The trees have room to grow. The small amount of debris that remains is no obstacle to wildlife or cattle, and the fire hazard has all but been removed. 
This adjoining site was burnt two years ago. The trees are thriving, benefiting from the fire and the thinning program, and on the ground, in the spaces between the trees, prime grazing plants such as Bluebunch wheatgrass are well established. 
We've been spending quite a bit of time talking about interior forest sites with their varied environments which are used for wildlife, domestic grazing as well as forestry. But in the rainforest of the lower coast and the interior wet-belt quite different conditions apply. Prescribed fire can also provide important benefits in this kind of setting. 
After a wet-belt site has been logged, the debris left behind must be burned to reduce fire hazard, to prevent outbreak of insects and to prepare the site for the next crop of trees. Here, a helicopter-born drip torch, lays backfire at the top of a big clear-cut. In subsequent passes, the pilot places strips of fires on the lower reaches of the clear-cut. A rising heat column _or convection_ draws the fire upward in the controlled firestorm. 
The practice of using fire in this kind of setting is also taken straight from nature. Over the centuries, dead or dormant forests have been periodically swept by wildfire. It is nature's way of ending one stage of plant succession and starting the process anew. The clear-cut logging method followed by prescribed fire and tree-planting is thereby not nearly so unnatural an event as its detractors would like to believe. In addition, failure to dispose of debris after logging creates a dangerous fire hazard as the debris becomes tinder dry. With respect to these conditions, forest managers have been known to use a sober cliché: “you can light them now or fight them later. “ 
A full year has passed since this site was burnt, and the tree planters have now moved into the clear-cut.  The tiny seedlings are dwarfed by the small shrubs at first, but the passage of a few years makes a great difference to a young forest. By the time the new trees are 10 to 15 feet high _often no more than a decade_ the once clear-cut and burnt oversight has become a forest again. Even at this stage, the management effort has not ended. For decades to come, this forest must be carefully tended and protected from wildfire to be logged again in its turn. 
On some clear-cuts, where the fireweed reveals its own dependence on fire, Mother Nature often provides a welcome bonus. The Huckleberry _as black bears and other berry pickers are quick to learn_ is found most abundantly in those areas recently burnt. 
This is a dead forest of Lodgepole pine. An insect called the Mountain pine beetle was responsible for this condition. Its presence is Lodgepole pine forests is highly destructive, but perfectly natural and outbreaks like this can be found in many parts of B.C. This one _about 200,000 acres in size_ is in the Flathead River Valley in the East Kootenays region. Other outbreaks in the province are even larger. The beetles didn't stop at the international boundary either. They kill trees in Montana or British Columbia, showing no favouritism whatever. The Forest Service has opened up great firebreaks as a safety measure, where the dead forest has now become an awesome fire hazard. 
The plain truth is that Mother Nature does not operate according to human social criteria, but according to strict ecological standards alone. We kept fire from this forest to save it for commercial forestry, but the beetles got there first. Salvage logging and other techniques are being applied to stem the beetles advance. Where the outbreaks are still quite small, affected trees are being felled, bucked and burnt. This is a slow, expensive process involving a great deal of hand labour, and there is no guarantee of success. But such methods are being undertaken in an effort to try and check the spread of the beetle and prevent a disastrous forest fire from sweeping the vast areas of beetle-killed pine. But the beetles are winning, and the risk of a great firestorm grows with each passing year. 

RAY DEMARCHI: 
The question of prescribed fire is just about the same as all encountered in all aspects of land use. Namely, a management solution which may be ideal for one purpose may be just the opposite for something else. 

ROSS TOZER: 
The forester and the Forest Service must try to meet public demands for more wood. This means that we have to be very careful in how we manage the forest resource in order to maintain a wood supply. 

RAY DEMARCHI: 
The Wildlife Biologist and the Fishing Wildlife Branch, we have clients too. People use wildlife, they hunt them, they like to look at them, they want to know they are being cared for. 

ROSS TOZER: 
The province of B.C. is vast in area, but much of it is inaccessible or above timberline. The really productive growing sites are surprisingly few in number. 

RAY DEMARCHI: 
And the human demands for more wood, more range and more wildlife, these keep increasing all the time. 

ROSS TOZER: 
The Ministry of Forest is committed by law to a program of multiple-use on forest lands. This doesn't mean that we feel that we can satisfy the sum of all demands, but they are a reality, and we must consider them. It does mean that we must manage more intensively in the future and use those management techniques, fire included, that will enable us to do the job without harming the productivity of the land. 

RAY DEMARCHI: 
The fundamental resource management question remains: what are we gonna use the land for? For wood? For livestock? For wildlife? For other human objectives? Or for some combination of them all? There are no simple answers, and as public pressures on the land base increase, the need for flexible and innovative management programs will become more vital to us all. 

MIKE HALLERAN:
What about those wildlife habitats that we burnt? In the dead of winter, we went back, and the critters were there. The hunting season had ended, and the snow had pushed them down from the high country onto the winter ranges we had burnt. There is a more broad-minded approach on all sides to the question of fire management today. The fundamentalist positions and the old biases of the past are changing. 
Next week, a discussion on the protection of fish and wildlife habitat in B.C. 
I'm Mike Halleran for Westland. 
Good night. "Produced by British Columbia Ministry of Forests; British Columbia Ministry of Environment Fish and Wildlife Branch; Written and Directed by: Mike Halleran; Photographed by: Dave Geddes, Bob Asgeirsson, Terry Halleran; Film Editor: Danny Tanaka