Abstract
Free-burning fire has been a constant ecological presence on the American landscape, the expression of which has changed as new climates, peoples and land uses have become predominant (Pyne 2010). It is an important ecological mechanism that shapes the distributions of species, maintains the structure and function of fire-prone communities, and is a significant evolutionary force (Bond and Keeley 2005).
Parent Publication
Citation
Potter, Kevin M. 2013. Large-Scale Patterns of Forest Fire Occurrence in the Conterminous United States and Alaska, 2010. In: Potter, Kevin M.; Conkling, Barbara L., eds. 2013. Forest health monitoring: national status, trends, and analysis 2011. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-GTR-185. Asheville, NC: USDA- Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 29-40.