The study of how often fires have occurred in a given geographical area. (Pacific Biodiversity Institute/Fire Research And Management Exchange System)

[Fire-scarred cross section from a ponderosa pine. Photo by Peter M. Brown.]

Historical data are increasingly seen as critical information for contemporary management of National Forests, National Parks, and other public lands. Fire history research provides opportunities for understanding the natural range of variability in fire frequency, severity, extent, and spatial complexity, as well as the role of fire in ecosystems and the feedbacks that link fire, climate, vegetation, and management decisions. Fire history data provide managers with both models of long-term ecosystem behavior with which to assess degree and nature of departure in current conditions, and direction and justification for ecological restoration efforts, fuels treatments, and other resource management projects.