Scars of Fire, Roots of Resilience

Guest post by Clemson student Olivia Griffin

Sustainability in the West is more than conserving land. Sustainability is about balancing the needs of communities and ecosystems. Sustainable management requires science, and collaboration of management of these lands through agencies such as the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation(DNRC), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Natural resource sustainability depends on working with the history of the land all while supporting those who rely on it.

We were able to go to an unthinned unburned plot to take data on the different plant IDs in these places. The trees in these areas had large fire scars on their bark and some even showed multiple fires that they have previously burned. These scars can reveal the frequency and intensity of past fires. Through understanding what this means, ecologists are then able to decide the most effective way to sustain the landscapes. Fire is natural and for the most part an essential for many ecosystems. In recent decades, there has been more of a fire suppression leading to largely overgrown forests and severe wildfires burning tens of thousands of acres. In today's ecosystem, sustainability means we need to reintroduce fire through controlled burns and thinning the grasses and trees. These landscapes have shown resilience and the land's past and working with natural processes of the ecology.

Noah and Dustin from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation work to help the community manage and conserve Montana's natural resources such as land, water, forests, and minerals. They also help in playing a key role in wildfire protection and promoting sustainable resource use. Dustin talked about the wildfire side of the department and said how the community has the largest impact on the protection of the land. Wildfires and controlled burns are used to help manage vegetation and reduce the risk of wildfires. The more often there are prescribed burns or wildfires, the less likely large spreads of fire through the canopies of the pines. Grass fires can spread quicker leading to the spread of fire to shrubs and ultimately trees. Trees burn slower than grasses, but have more intense heat leading to large ecological damage. Noah talked about how his team helps to masticate the trees and thin the ponderosa pines that have taken over the landscapes. Through this process it is able to better sustain the native grasses and grazing land for the large cattle operations in Montana. 

We were able to get to speak to a vet at Terry and LeVonne's ranch vaccinating against brucellosis. Brucellosis used to be a widespread concern in cattle, leading to mandatory vaccination requirements. Brucellosis is a disease that can be spread through coming in contact with elk. This vaccine is required for interstate travel of cattle or cattle being sent to slaughter and is required to be state regulated. This vaccine helps with the stability of herd management because when there is an outbreak in the herd, it can lead to having to send them all to slaughter. These regulations placed on cattle productions help to bridge the gap between ranchers and conservationists. Sustainability means more than conserving resources. Sustainability is about sustaining livelihoods along with traditions, communities, and the overall ecosystem. The Western landscape has been formed by the conflict between development of land and conservation of the resources. Those tensions remain, due to climate change and shifting policies. Getting to see the teamwork between Levonne, Terry, and all those that support their cattle company has really helped to show how it takes communities and working together to be successful.

Managing wildfires and supporting healthy cattle herds, both rely on each other. The future of the rural Montana landscape depends on cooperation among people such as ranchers and ecologists' respecting both tradition and innovation of conserving this land. Sustainability is about resilience of the land, people, and the connections held between all those involved.