It was 1889 and John Horton, Stehekin's first white settler, barely saved his cabin from the valley's last major wildfire. In Horton's time and for years after, wildfire was seen only as a destroyer, a waster of timber and a threat to homes and lives. Common sense seemed to say, "Put out all fires!" and for many years this was the only fire management tool in the Stehekin Valley. Before total fire suppression, each acre of Stehekin's forest burned every 25 to 100 years.

Today we see the consequences of stopping all Stehekin fires. On the positive side: no homes or lives have ever been lost to wildfire in the valley. On the negative side: the forest has over a century's accumulation of woody debris that could fuel a fire to match what Horton witnessed in 1889. Disease, dwarf mistletoe, root rot and bark beetles find a friendly home in tree stands grown dense because no fire has been allowed to thin them. We have lost much of the forest John Horton would recognize, one dominated by widely spaced ponderosa pines and a diversity of understory plants providing homes for a great variety of wildlife.

How do we balance keeping Stehekin safe from fire with respecting the forest's need to occasionally burn? Two tools, prescribed fire and manual thinning, are helping answer that question. To learn more about these practices and Stehekin's fire history ask for the information bulletin Fire: Finding its Place in Stehekin Valley at the Golden West Visitor Center or ask a ranger.