The Heyday for Fire Towers

The Heyday for Fire Towers. . The Heyday for Fire Towers , The 1960s were the heyday for fire towers in the Cherokee National Forest. The Oswald Dome Fire Tower was one of 17 towers used to spot fires. Built in 1935, it originally stood 79’ 6” high and was located on Bean Mountain, about 10.5 miles from where you are standing today., Fire towers were staffed by one of more Lookouts who were armed with binoculars and radios. They also used an alidade or azimuth reader (fire finder) to determine the location of fires. The alidade was made of an area map mounted on a circular metal disk that had degree notations along its circumference. By “triangulating” with two or three towermen in adjacent locations, the smoke could be pinpointed on a map., Fire Shapes the Landscape , Here in the southeastern U.S. there were few fires until Euro-American settlement began in the 1800s. Settlers began clearing and burning the land to provide more area for cultivation and grazing. , These fires were not considered “hot” because they burned slow and low to the ground. Some plant species (such as shortleaf pine and hickory) were adapted to living in this type of fire regime, while others (such as red maple, rhododendron, and black gum) were not. The “fire intolerant” species were displaced by “fire tolerant” species, thereby changing the landscape., The Pendulum Swings , At the dawn of the 20th century, Americans were slowly becoming aware of the enormous danger of large scale wildfires. In 1935, following calamitous fires in the Lake States, New York, Maine, and across the West (where nearly 2,000 people died and millions of acres were burned) the Forest Service enacted a fire suppression policy often referred to as the 10:00 a.m. rule. It directed Rangers to extinguish all fires by 10:00 a.m. the morning following detection, regardless of the fire’s characteristics or location., After many decades of fire suppression, some forest ecosystems changed significantly. In areas where fire was suppressed and forest thinning did not occur, trees became extremely dense, creating competition for sunlight and water. Because insects and disease thrive on trees that are stressed under these conditions, dead trees began to accumulate., Reducing the Fire Risk , One of the ways that foresters can lessen the chances for large catastrophic fire is by using planned (prescribed) fire to reduce dead and down trees and branches. Restoring fire in a fire-adapted ecosystem is conducted under specific weather and fuel conditions. This is part of the “prescription” managers use the “treat” the forest., After a prescribed burn, vegetation is thinned out and surface fuels are reduced. If wildfire does strike, chances are it will not burn as hot or as long. The remaining trees have more room to grow and less competition for water and sunlight. This, in turn creates healthier timber and wildlife habitat, and a more sustainable forest., A Prescription for Forest Health , Fire has always played an active role in shaping landscapes. Some wildlife and tree species depend on fire for sustainability. Throughout the country, prescribed fire is used to benefit forests in many ways. It can:, . Reduce fuel loads so that future wildfires are not as damaging. , . Increase soil productivity by releasing and recycling nutrients. , . Generate new growth and greater diversity of plant and animal habitats. , . Increase browse for wildlife., Restarting the Forest Clock , Fire can restart the clock in the forest. Vegetation is often recycled from advanced stages (a mature forest) to early stages (grass and shrubs). Without periodic fire plants and animals requiring nutrients and vegetation from other parts of the cycle disappear. Where fire is part of the ecosystem, vegetative and wildlife diversity is promoted. In addition, heavy fuel accumulations that can ultimately lead to catastrophic wildfire are eliminated., The Forest Service goal is to protect people, wildlife, and other resources from wildfire and to promote a healthy forest., Fire Detection Moves to the Road and Skies , Fire towers were an important resource used by the Forest Service throughout the national forest system. They provided locations where lookouts could see several miles in a 360 degree view., As equipment and technology became more sophisticated, detecting fires from spotter planes began being used more. By the late 1980s, regular tower staffing in the Cherokee National Forest was discontinued., The Oswald Dome Fire Tower was disassembled and removed from its original location in 2003. A segment of the tower structure and its cab were restored and relocated to this site in 2004.