Controlled Burning in Yellowstone National

Controlled Burning in Yellowstone National Park: Literature Review

Wildland Fire in Yellowstone. (June 28, 2007). Retrieved June 11, 2008 from the National Park Service Web site: http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/wildlandfire.htm

This 2007 article issued by the National Park Service details the history of the Wildland Fire of 1988, one of the largest fires of this century. According to the article, the unseasonably dry weather contributed to the spreading of the fire, which was caused both by controlled burn fires and uncontrolled fires. Although the article provides some reference to scholarship regarding controlled burning, it is primarily a history of the major fire, including a brief history of controlled burns in the area. The article's content is not only relevant to the topic because of the brief history of the controlled burns outlined, but also because it contains a significantly strong rebuttal to one argument those against controlled burning might wage -- that the Wildland fire was caused by controlled burns only. According to this article, only thirty-eight of the fifty fires that burned in the area were allowed to burn. Although the Wildland fire could be used by those against controlled burning to suggest that this type of natural burning is damaging to nature, this article provides factual evidence that controlled burning might not be at fault for the fire. Because the article is a report by a government agency, the National Parks Service, its authority and balance cannot be easily disputed. The article's quality of writing is impeccable and the amount of factual information is desirable. Also, finding an article about a past event with such a current date is no easy task. The recent date ensures that the article's scientific information is in agreement with modern standards.

Greater Yellowstone Clean Air Partnership. (November 2005). Greater Yellowstone

Area Air Quality Assessment Update. Retrieved June 11, 2008 from the National Park Service Website at http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/GYA_AirQuality_Nov_2005.pdf.

In this research report, the National Park Service details the effects of prescribed fire and wildfire smoke. The report provides information relevant to the topic, especially the conclusion that "wildfire smoke is the most dramatic air quality impact and prescribed fire is the predominant Forest Service and Park Service emission producing management activity in the GYA" (9). The contents of the report, however, do not deal solely with controlled burns. Though the report is useful for its recent research on the air born effects of controlled burn, it is not a major source of research on the topic. The writing is understandable and concise and the source is irrefutable.

Turner, Monica G., Hargrove, William W., Gardner Robert H., and Romme,

William H. (1994). Effects of fire on landscape heterogeneity in Yellowstone

National Park, Wyoming. Journal of Vegetation Science, 5 (5), 731-742.

This article is rather scientific in language and report, and though is a bit dense for the non-scientist, contributes relevantly to the topic by describing certain scientific aftereffects of burning in Yellowstone National Park. The researchers used a map of "burn severity" from the great fires of 1998 in order to determine the heterogeneity of growth that resulted from moderate and severe burns. The researchers sought to analyze the relationship between heterogeneity and fire size. The research is significant to controlled burning because it will allow forest managers to determine strategic locations for planting certain types of plant species after fires. After instituting a controlled burn, forest managers can determine what areas are ripe for vegetation and which are not. Because this article contains one of the many effects of burning, its inclusion in the cannon of literature is important.

Houston, Douglas B. (1971). Ecosystems of National Parks. Science. 127 (3984), 648-

Though Douglas B. Houston's article is older than some, its topic is one that does not necessarily require a modern time stamp. Additionally, this article that discusses national park maintenance was written before the great fire in Yellowstone National Park. For those writing about controlled burning, this gives a unique example of the opinions of maintenance and the ecosystem before the fire, which allows the researcher to make comparisons between the pre and post-fire opinion. Other relevant information in the article is a detailed discussion of the parks' ecosystems, and a conclusion that the destructive activities of humans are especially dangerous for the park. In addition, the article points out the difference between national park maintenance and maintenance of other types of land, such as agricultural land. As the author of the article is a representative of the National Park Service and the article has been cited numerous times in other scholarly works, the author's credibility is established.

Romme, William H. And Knight, Dennis H. (1982). Landscape Diversity: The Concept Applied to Yellowstone Park. BioScience. 32 (8), 664-670.

In this article, the authors discuss changes in landscape patterns, and how these changes affect natural features including "wildlife abundance, nutrient flow, and lake productivity" (664). Though this may not seem relevant to controlled burning at first, landscape patterns are intrinsically important to the ecosystem of any national park. Landscape patterns also have a direct impact on plant diversity and what kinds of plants thrive in certain areas. This article will be an important research for those who believe it is important to discuss planting and planning after the controlled or prescribed burn. Additionally, the article describes prescribed burning and some of its effects, including effects on nutrition and plant and animal life. Finally, the article is easy to read and chalk full of facts, numbers, and information about the park. As a reference, therefore, it is useful if only for fact-finding purposes.