Fire and Heritage Resources Information

 

From A Bare Bones Guide to Fire Effects on Cultural Resources, by Kate Winthrop, July 2004: 

Fire effects to cultural resources, and the appropriate ways to manage for these effects, are context dependent. Fire itself is dependent on a suite of variables which change across the landscape; fire in grassland is likely to produce different effects to cultural materials than fire through a forest with heavy duff. Different types of archaeological materials, such as varieties of toolstone or types of ceramics may react differently in similar fire-related circumstances. This guide offers technical information which cultural resource specialists can use to craft locally and regionally appropriate strategies for protecting cultural resources within the context of fire.  To read more, click here: Guide to Fire Effects on Cultural Resources .

For a link to the Rainbow Series of reports on the effects of wildland fire on ecosystems, click here: Rainbow Series.

 

Resources for Cultural Fire Personnel

Extensive Bibliography

The National Park Service has archived numerous reports addressing fire effects and cultural resources. The BLM has partnered with the Park Service to make the Bibliography of these reports and electronic copies of non-copyrighted material available to cultural resource professionals.

Brent Buenger's dissertation on fire effects to cultural resources


Effects of retardant on historic resources

Mesa Verde National Park Historical Architect, Don Corbeil offers an outstanding presentation on the effects of retardant on historic resources in his report :" Investigating Fire Suppression Impacts on Historic Resources Lessons learned from the Long Mesa Fire of 2002".


American Indian use of fire in ecosystems - Bibliography

Gerald W. Williams, Ph.D., former National Historian for the USDA Forest Service has put together a rather large bibliography (107 pages) on the American Indian use of fire in ecosystems. Dr. Williams reports that "The bibliography has an introduction, about 95 pages of references (some annotated),followed by a list of every tribe/band that I could find that has documentation regarding ire in ecosystems. Very compelling evidence that most of the forests and prairies were regularly burned for thousands of years by the Indians."

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