What is fire regime?
How often do wildfires occur in a particular ecosystem?  How severe do the fires tend to be?  The answers to these and related questions determine fire regime.

Shenandoah’s Fires
Shenandoah National Park’s wildfires are not as frequent or as intense as those that often make the news.  The most common type of fire is like the one featured above, with low flames moving across the forest floor.  Under the right conditions, however, fires can burn hotter and faster.  Fuels, topography and weather are the three key elements that make the difference.

Sources
Lightning has, does and will provide the heat to start fires in the park.  Humans have also ignited fires, from prehistoric times to the present.  By nature, by mistake and on purpose, fire helps to shape Shenandoah. 

Sights
Fire is one of the tools the National Park Service uses to care for Shenandoah.  For example, the Big Meadow is kept open by a combination of careful use of herbicides, mowing and prescribed burning.

For information about the 2008 Blackrock Prescribed Burn in Shenandoah click here. 

The NPS Fire and Aviation Management Website includes information about and photos of specific fires. To visit their webpage about the 2009 burn to manage Big Meadows in Shenandoah click here.

For their page on the 2008 Blackrock fire click here.

Related Information
Websites that provide helpful information about fire ecology are:

National Park Service Fire and Aviation Website

National Wildfire Coordinating Group – Fire Ecology Website Index

Listing of these websites does not and is not intended to imply endorsement by the National Park Service of commercial services or products associated with the sites.