Wildfire

Generally, uncontrolled fire in woodland often started by lightning strikes but sometimes as the result of carelessness. With extensive urbanization of woodlands in the United States, especially in California and Colorado forest fires often involve destruction of suburban homes.

Forest fires are a natural part of the ecosystem of a forest. Suppression of fires, long the policy of the US Forest Service has resulted in the buildup of fuel resulting in some very large severe fires such as the fire in Yellowstone National Park. Urbanization can also result in fuel buildup and devastating fires such as those in Los Alamos, New Mexico and on the front range of Colorado in 2002.

Slash which is discarded small, rotten, mis-shappen or otherwise undesirable wood discarded during loggin historically has provided the fuel for huge devestating fires such as the fires in Michigan in the 19th century.

Further Reading

• Year of the Fires, The Story of the Great Fires of 1910, Stephen J. Pyne, Viking Penguin, 2001, 320 pages, ISBN: 0670899909