Why Historical Human Influences Are Important
We have written numerous times on Antropogenic Fire Theory. That theory expresses the conclusion that human beings played a vital role in shaping our landscapes (vegetation and wildlife populations) during the entire Holocene.
Why is that important? For two principal reasons.
First, recognition and study of the historical impact of human beings provides a better scientific description of the pathways that led to forests (including old-growth forests), prairies, meadows, berry fields, wetlands, and virtually every ecosystem type extant upon our continent (and other continents as well).
Old theories that exclude human influence are filled with anomalies. They do not adequately explain ecosystem development nor current conditions. The presumption that “Mother Nature” alone was responsible is too simplistic to account for what we see on the landscape.
Second, a better understanding of the actual ecosystem development pathways should inform current management. We cannot depend on out-moded theories of “natural balance” and a hands-off approach to provide desirable ecosystem conditions. Management based on incorrect theories leads to disaster.
Our forests, prairies, meadows, etc. arose under conditions of frequent, regular, seasonal anthropogenic fire. Those traditional practices have been abandoned. As a result, fuels have built up and catastrophic fires have altered ecosystems across vast tracts and entire landscapes. Those fires have not only destroyed heritage ecosystems, they have inflicted “externalities” such as air pollution, water pollution, public endangerment, public health degradation, agricultural losses, home destruction, tax and budget strains, etc.
We need better land management based on more accurate environmental science, science that recognizes the actual historical influences of humanity.
We have discussed these concepts previously. The W.I.S.E. Colloquium: History of Western Landscapes [here] is devoted to that field of study. In addition, the following is a (partial) selection of those discussions:
A Human-Friendly Landscape, December 15th, 2005 [here]
“Uncle Bob” Thomason – The Greatest Artist in History, December 18th, 2005 [here]
Anthropogenic Fire: An Introduction to the Ramifications, December 27th, 2005 [here]
What the AFT Experts Say, December 31st, 2005 [here]
What the AFT Experts Say, Part 2, January 4th, 2006 [here]
California Burning, January 9th, 2006 [here]
The Genesis of Open, Park-like Forests, Part 3, January 16th, 2006 [here]
Vast Tracts, January 17th, 2006 [here]
Fire Refugia Forests, January 18th, 2006 [here]
Historical Forest Development Pathways, February 25th, 2006 [here]
The Best Forest Research Paper of 2005, March 22nd, 2006 [here]
Back to the Rim, Part 2: Suffusing the Oeuvre, July 24th, 2006 [here]
Connolly on Anthropogenic Fire, September 25th, 2006 [here]
Whither the Pleistocene Megafauna?, October 5th, 2006 [here]
The Best Forest Science Book of the 21st Century, So Far, December 21st, 2006 [here]
Zybach On Alseya, January 5th, 2007 [here]
Paiute Forestry and the Paiute Forests, March 30th, 2007 [here]
Historical Forest Development Pathways, April 4th, 2007 [here]
Mann on Tsenacomoco, May 20th, 2007 [here]
Omer Stewart’s Forgotten Fires, June 9th, 2007 [here]
Henry T. Lewis on Omer Stewart, June 19th, 2007 [here]
Lewis on Stewart with Pyne, June 25th, 2007 [here]
Bonnicksen and Stewart, July 10th, 2007 [here]
Anderson on Stewart, July 23rd, 2007 [here]
Paiutes and Stewart, July 26th, 2007 [here]
Swept Under the Rug, July 31st, 2007 [here]
The GW Burn, September 6th, 2007 [here]
Nature Misses Us, September 20th, 2007 [here]
Parking Out Camp Baldwin, January 1st, 2008 [here]
Restoring Old-Growth Forests, May 27th, 2008 [here]
The Mystery of the Older Cohort, July 8th, 2008 [here]
Shall the USFS Allow Fires to Incinerate Our National Forests?, July 28th, 2008 [here]
The Gordon Meadows Project, August 21st, 2008 [here]
Pyne On the Tragedy of Whoofoos, August 29th, 2008 [here]
Restoration Forestry, October 29th, 2008 [here]
