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SANTA FE, N.M. -- A wildfire has burned through more than 255,000acres in the Gila National Forest, eclipsing last summer's LasConchas fire as the largest blaze in New Mexico history. Two years of drought and winds of up to 50 miles an hour havecreated perfect conditions for the fire, which began as twoseparate lightning-sparked blazes but merged May 23. As of thismorning, the fire was "very active" and exhibiting "extremebehavior," including some flaring into treetops, the interagencySouthwest Coordination Center said. But the Gila blaze -- known as the Whitewater-Baldy fire -- isbehaving much differently from last year's huge wildfire, officialssay. The current fire, they say, is burning at a lower intensity,with 20 percent burning at high intensity so far. "The intensity of it is lower than it was originally, but it's alsowind-driven," said Lee Bentley, a fire information officer for theForest Service. "We had some very high fire licks." The lower intensity of the fire may be due to Gila NationalForest's unusual fire-management regime. Until recently, forest managers typically fought to contain anyfire that burned in national forests. But for decades, Gilamanagers have taken advantage of the forest's remote location andmassive wilderness areas to practice "wildland fire use" --allowing lightning-ignited fires to burn as nature intended, withclose monitoring by experts. The policy is becoming more common onForest Service lands. The behavior of the Gila fire contrasts to the way the Las Conchasfire moved across the landscape last June and July. That fire spread quickly because of high winds, but it burned sohot in some areas that it incinerated almost all of the trees onthe landscape, replacing what was once ponderosa pine habitat witha barren, blackened "moonscape," Craig Allen, a research ecologistwith the U.S. Geological Survey, said during a presentation onclimate change and drought here last March ( Land Letter , March 1). Fire ecologists won't know for sure how much of an influenceprevious burns on the Gila have had on the fire until it dies outand they can head into the forest to take measurements. The Whitewater-Baldy fire reinforces the Southwest's dubiousdistinction as home to some of the largest fires in the country inrecent memory. Others include the 469,000-acre Rodeo-Chediski firein Arizona in 2002 and last summer's 538,000-acre Wallow fire onthe Arizona-New Mexico border and the 156,000-acre Las Conchasfire. As average temperatures in the region have risen, forests acrossthe Southwest have become drier, Allen said. Drought conditions,along with fuel buildups from a century of fire suppressionbeginning around 1900, have led to an increase in severe fires inrecent years. The region's trees -- piñon pines and juniper at lowerelevations; ponderosa pines at mid-elevations; and aspen, spruceand fir higher upslope -- have not seen such tremendous droughtstress since the 13th century, he added. During the last century, when forest managers snuffed out almostall fires on public lands -- before forest scientists understoodthe importance of fire to many forest types -- some of theSouthwest's forests saw fewer fires than they had at any time inthe past 9,000 years, according to Allen's research, which usestree rings to reconstruct historic climate conditions. Concerns about species, runoff The Whitewater-Baldy fire was spreading to the Southwest thismorning. Yesterday the Forest Service was forced to close the GilaCliff Dwellings, an Ancient Puebloan site, because of hazardoussmoke conditions. But there was good news for the few residents ofthe old ghost town, Mogollon: They were allowed to return to theirhomes after being evacuated a few days ago. The area's rugged terrain, characterized by steep canyons and rockyridges, has hindered firefighters' ability to battle the blaze,Forest Service officials said. About 1,200 firefighters are tryingto hem in the blaze, but it is about 18 percent contained, Bentleysaid. Forest managers are already beginning to worry about whatconditions will be like in the aftermath of the massive blaze. Their greatest concern: post-fire flooding, which could flush ashand debris into waterways, including those inhabited by native Gilatrout. Debris flows in the aftermath of the Las Conchas fire causedconsiderable damage to rivers and streams, eroding huge chunks ofstream bank and choking waterways ( Land Letter , Aug. 4, 2011). About 10,000 acres burned severely enough to blacken or consumealmost all vegetation and sear the soil enough to hinder itsability to absorb rainfall. While the current conflagration is notburning nearly as hot, runoff and erosion could still send largeamounts of sediment into waterways, officials said. Meanwhile, wildlife managers are wondering how the fire will affectthreatened and endangered species in the forest, which containssome of the best intact habitat in the Southwest. The Fish and Wildlife Service has been monitoring two packs ofMexican wolves with 5-week-old pups whose territory lies near theperimeter of the fire, and though they were in the path of the firea few days ago, the blaze has shifted direction and they no longerappear to be at risk, said Tom Buckley, a spokesman for the agency. "Right now, we're not seeing any imminent danger to any packs," hesaid, adding that a lone wolf is within the fire line, but heappears to be alive and well. "We assume he's OK, but we don't haveany confirmation at this point." During last summer's Wallow fire, Mexican wolves, including severalpups, were also able to avoid the fire. But the long-term effect on the wolves' habitat is unknown. TheMexican wolf population numbers around 50 animals, so any harmcould have a pronounced effect on the recovery effort, said BryanBird, public lands program director for WildEarth Guardians. "They're in such small numbers, everything that happens to them canhave an impact," he said. "I think they'll be fine in short run,but in long run, will dens be useful to them, or will they beburned up and hot?" But native wildlife has evolved with fire, which is a natural partof Southwestern forests, and overall species here know how tosurvive a conflagration, he added. When a fire moves through anarea, native species, such as northern goshawks, Mexican wolves andmule deer, will often get out of harm's way. Birds fly away, largemammals move to adjacent habitat, and small rodents and reptilesburrow underground. According to the Arizona Department of Fish andGame, burrowing just 6 inches below ground can protect animals froma fire burning as hot as 3,000 degrees Farenheit above ground. In fact, recent research suggests that at least a few species, suchas the Mexican spotted owl, appear to be able to reinhabit even themost severely burned areas. Want to read more stories like this? E&E is the leading source for comprehensive, daily coverage ofenvironmental and energy politics and policy. Click here to start a free trial to E&E -- the best way to track policyand markets. Back to Public index page. Advertisement. I am an expert from diamond-sawblade.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Wood Circular Saw Blades Manufacturer , China TCT Circular Saw Blades, Diamond Scroll Saw Blade,and more.
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