Fire on the Edge

Fire on the Edge. Where the Prairie Meets the Forest. , You are Standing in the Middle of a Community Meeting! , This area is the meeting place of three distinct plant communities ~ the ponderosa pine woodland, the mixed grass prairie, and the Cascade warm springs ecosystem. Their boundaries constantly shift due to fire, grazing, and weather events. , The Fire Factor , During the last century, wildfires have become less frequent and more intense in this area, and pine trees have crept out onto the prairie. The reduction in wildfires has resulted from: , . Fire suppression efforts beginning in the early 1900s , . Livestock grazing that removed grasses that spread fires , . Road and fence construction that broke up the spread of fire , The Flagpole Fire of 2000 Shifted Boundaries , In August 2000, lightning started a wildfire about 3 miles southeast of here that eventually consumed 7,386 acres. As a result, the pine community will shift again, this time in favor of the prairie. Already, grasses and small shrubs are migrating into areas that were occupied by ponderosa pine and Rocky Mountain juniper. , The forest and prairie will continue their dance with each other over time, changing places, shifting positions, and responding to the dynamics of nature.