On May 29, 2011 the largest fire in Arizona started in the eastern part of the state. The fire became larger and grew towards the Arizona & New Mexico state lines. Towns such as Greer, Alpine and Nutrioso had residents being evacuated, people living in fear. The fire eventually spread into parts of New Mexico, along with Arizona. The fire lasted until June 20th, 2011 and burned a total of 519,319 acres in Arizona and around 15,000 acres in New Mexico surpassing any record in the state of Arizona.
Being in Arizona and New Mexico, the desert ecosystem was primarily affected along with forest regions. The fire ate up huge portions of the ponderosa forests. These type of forests are prime climates for fires due to the low humidity, consistent winds and dry seasons.
Three organisms that were affected by this fire:
Ponderosa trees: The most obvious scar left by this fire is the lack of trees that can be seen. Not only does this affect the beauty of the forest but the ecosystem within it. The shade, food and soil enrichment these trees provide are now all changed.
Wildflowers: Although those of us from Arizona may not think of wildflowers as much of anything, they serve a purpose too. They too provide food and shelter to various insects and other species of the forest. Without these flowers, the effects on others will be vast.
Birds/Wildlife: Without rich soil, trees, and wildflowers, it is hard to sustain life in the forest. The birds will have no place to make shelter and now place to gather food. Wildlife will be unable to reproduce and will have no choice but to find another ecosystem.
As of now, there is not a lot of recovery happening in the region. As we learned earlier in the chapter, a fire can also be a chance for the ecosystem/wildlife to start over and change pre-existing patterns. It is however, too soon for a lot of recovery. As of now, crews are starting to move out dead standing tree. They are also seeding and mulching the soil, this will help the soil to recover and will the first step towards a much larger effort of recovery.
The long term predictions for the burn area remain positive but will need government bills and funds to make them happen. There are local communities coming together to help find housing for local residents and funding to help restore their local wildlife. Officials remain positive about the chance to form healthier forests in the long-term.
Websites Used:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wallow-fire-largest-arizona-history/story?id=13766077#.TryA6eaodkU
http://www.inquisitr.com/111741/arizona-wallow-fire-rages-out-of-control/
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/06/14/20110614arizona-fires-wallow-fire-largest-arizona-fire.html
http://www.azcentral.com/news/wildfires/wallow/wallow-fire-timeline.php
http://www.esa.org/esablog/research/ecological-wild-cards-of-arizona%E2%80%99s-wallow-wildfire/
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/08/03/20110803arizona-wallow-fire-recovery-work.html
I do not know if my comment posted, so I am giving it again. It was a very devastating indeed. I wonder if the reseeding and mulching is standard after all wildfires or if the area the fire was in would take too long to recover? I also wondered if the reseeding was to keep invasive species from moving in. I could not help but envision pine cones releasing their seed at the time of the fire.
ReplyDeleteDiana