Last updated: August 14, 2024
Place
Fire Through Time
Quick Facts
Location:
Camas Rd, 0.5 miles east of intersection with North Fork Rd
Amenities
4 listed
Audio Description, Parking - Auto, Trailhead, Wheelchair Accessible
Do you have a history with fire? Glacier National Park does. Until the late 1970s, the park had one strategy for dealing with fire: suppression. Firefighters strove to put out all fires, no matter the cause or location. As fire managers learned more about forest ecology, they understood that some fire is necessary for the health of the forest. Without regular fires, fuels build up and forests become more volatile. Today, fire managers often use fire as a tool and, under the correct conditions, may allow fire to play its natural role in the ecosystem.
Large fires in 1910 set the tone for fire management. The U.S. Forest Service saw fire as the enemy and adopted suppression as the rule. The National Park Service followed their example. By the 1930s, Glacier had become very good at suppression. The New Deal provided additional funds and labor to the NPS in the 1930s, and suppression efforts were more successful than ever.
In the next few decades, a more scientific approach to fire developed. Reports discussed the crucial role fire played in maintaining healthy forest ecosystems, and policies began to adjust. A new science-based directive for fire management began guiding the National Park Service in 1977. The policy allowed parks to use fire as a management tool, at their discretion.
A major fire year across the West, 1988 tested the new NPS management policies. Fire policy in the 1990s prioritized public and firefighter safety, while emphasizing fire’s importance. Our fire management history has been in turns emotional, scientific, and a balance of the two. Policies tend to change faster than the public perspective though, and emotional responses to fire still remain.
Large fires in 1910 set the tone for fire management. The U.S. Forest Service saw fire as the enemy and adopted suppression as the rule. The National Park Service followed their example. By the 1930s, Glacier had become very good at suppression. The New Deal provided additional funds and labor to the NPS in the 1930s, and suppression efforts were more successful than ever.
In the next few decades, a more scientific approach to fire developed. Reports discussed the crucial role fire played in maintaining healthy forest ecosystems, and policies began to adjust. A new science-based directive for fire management began guiding the National Park Service in 1977. The policy allowed parks to use fire as a management tool, at their discretion.
A major fire year across the West, 1988 tested the new NPS management policies. Fire policy in the 1990s prioritized public and firefighter safety, while emphasizing fire’s importance. Our fire management history has been in turns emotional, scientific, and a balance of the two. Policies tend to change faster than the public perspective though, and emotional responses to fire still remain.