Wildfires 2017

This has been a summer of fires. Not only has there been several wildfires nearby, but I have lived with 2 wildland firefighters and worked for someone who fought fires in his younger days. I have been learning a lot about wildfires and how they are managed. I learned more as I followed the progression of one fire in particular and asked questions as new things came up. I first heard about the Brian Head fire on the day it started as I sat down to eat dinner at a local restaurant.  I watched the news report and wondered about how this might affect my work this summer. If I was still working on the Dixie National Forest, like I did last summer, certainly our plans would have been effected. The Brian Head fire burned nearly 72,000 acres. Many of the areas burned or severely threatened were places where we performed fish population surveys last summer. However, I am currently working on the Fishlake National Forest and the fire did little more than occupy our minds. Although our time and resources were not pulled towards our neighboring forest, we did spend one day visiting another fire in our forest boundary. The Choke Cherry fire, located on the south end of the Beaver District, burned 211 acres. A fire retardant drop designated to protect power-lines, happened to fall over a portion of Pine Creek. Our fisheries crew visited the drop site to investigate the damages caused by the retardant in the stream and those caused by the fire itself. Firefighters reported seeing dead fish along the stream, but there was no record of this being a fish bearing stream. We were unsuccessful in finding any evidence of fish during this visit. The ash and debris in the creek made it difficult to look for fish, so it remains undetermined what the population was like prior to the fire.

Smoke from the Brian Head Fire

In learning about fire crews and fire management, I have tried imagining myself fighting wildfires. In thinking about the positive aspects of the job it seems like a worthwhile endeavor, yet the negative aspects creep up and overwhelm all desire to be involved with firefighting. It is not the job for me, but I respect those who do it. Their efforts to save our public lands and private property is greatly appreciated.