Wildfire Management and Invasive Species
Wildfires can be destructive, but they also have important ecological benefits in a healthy forest. For example, some tree species, like Lodgepole pine, have cones that are only released with heat of a wildfire.¹
So, if wildfires play an important role in the maintenance of healthy forests, what makes them burn out of control? Invasive species are partly to blame. One of the benefits of wildfire is to clear the build up of dead plants, choking out new growth and inhibiting access to the soils. Invasive plants can exacerbate fires by creating abnormal increases in that buildup on the forest floor. These species tend to burn hotter and cause more frequent fires.
When invasive plants invade less fire-prone ecosystems, the native species inhabiting those areas have not co-evolved with fire like jack pines, but rather species like cedar are quite susceptible to fires and can take years to regenerate again after fire disturbance.
Prescribed fire is one tool used by forest managers to reduce the intensity of wildfires by reducing the buildup of fuels. Other wildfire management activities to mitigate against the risk of extreme wildfire include thinning and the creation of fuel breaks. It is important that these activities don’t result in the accidental introduction or spread of invasive species.² Once established, invasive plants can be extremely difficult and costly to manage.
To learn more about invasive species management to reduce wildfire risk, visit “Prescribed Fire and Invasive Plants” and the Invasive Species Council of BC.
