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Wildland Fire Science at Northern
It is a hot topic, and Northern New Mexico College is the place to learn all about it. The College is small and, for some, it might seem remotely located. But it is conveniently located if you want to study fire science.
Northern has two campuses where students may pursue studies in environmental science and natural resources. The Española campus is situated in the Rio Grande Valley not far from the city of Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument, both of which were seriously threatened by the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, and, among others, the Cerro Grande fire in 2000, which burned 45,000 acres and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to Los Alamos National Laboratories and Los Alamos itself. Natural Resource Science and Management is taught at the Española campus, and includes some components of fire ecology.
The El Rito campus sits adjacent to the Kit Carson National Forest. The lush El Rito Valley is framed by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Jemez Mountains. This is a landscape and ecosystem which provide an ideal laboratory for studying wildfires. Northern’s El Rito campus houses the Wildfire Science Academy, a program which has grown significantly within the 2011-2012 academic year.
New Growth, Bigger Fires
Perhaps the interest in wildfire science has exploded because of the increasing occurrence and intensity of large forest fires. The history of fires can be traced back thousands of years in what is now the United States—particularly here in the Southwest. Using charcoal deposits and tree rings, researchers have dated fires as far back as nine thousand years. In general, wildfires decreased in frequency after the late 1800s. This decrease was due primarily to fire suppression efforts and livestock grazing.
Marked changes in fire behavior are more evident in recent decades. Since 1990, the world has experienced increasingly catastrophic fires, virulently destructive to habitat both wild and human. There are many interlocking causes for the increase in fire intensity. It is true that more homes are encroaching on the urban-wilderness interface. But it is also the case that we are facing warming global temperatures, resulting in more frequent droughts and warmer winter periods. In 2000 the region experienced a record drought, and 2002 was one of the driest years on record. Sixty years of effective firefighting is another important factor; these newer fires have plenty of fuel.
A Tipping Point
Dr. James Biggs, Director of Environmental Science at Northern, chronicles a list of New Mexico fires since the mid-nineties, beginning with the Dome Fire of 1996, followed by the Oso Complex Fires of 1998, the Cerro Grande Fire of 2000, and others. The Cerro Grande Fire marks a tipping point that many fire ecologists and managers suggest ushered in a new era of fire behavior: a steady increase in the strength and size of wildland fires in the Jemez region and throughout Northern New Mexico. The Viveash Fire burned around the same time as the Cerro Grande Fire, but was located across the Rio Grande valley, in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
“The fires have gotten more catastrophic in the last few decades,” says George Devis, who also teaches Wildland Fire Science at Northern. “When I started fighting fires in the 70s the largest fire was 10,000 acres.”
“Drier conditions, increased temperatures, and reduced snowpack have been key drivers in the changes in the fire regimes that we have been observing over the past couple of decades,” explains Dr. Biggs.
The recent Las Conchas Fire, also located precariously close to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, was the largest fire in New Mexico history and spread to forty thousand acres in less than twenty four hours. This fire also created what is known as a fire “vortex,” which is, essentially, a tornado made of fire. Before it was over, the fire had consumed more than four times that area. Las Conchas also destroyed forested areas sacred to the Santa Clara Pueblo as it burned 17,000 acres of Pueblo lands. This is in contrast to the 7,000 acres consumed by the Cerro Grande Fire within the Pueblo over a decade ago.
Learning for the Future
Looking ahead to the swiftly approaching 2012 fire season, fire science experts would seem to have a formidable task. Whatever progress might have been made because of late snowfall could be negated by warm temperatures and windy spring conditions. In this region there are measures in effect, and those include controlled burning, the regional tradition of wood harvesting, and recommended precautions aimed at preventing human-caused wildfires. Even so, there is always more to learn about the environmental conditions and landscapes that play host to wildfires in the Jemez Mountains and the surrounding region. The Wildfire Science Program at Northern New Mexico College provides a solid vantage point from which to study this important discipline.
Story by Lisa Powell and Dr. James Biggs
Gallery photo on home page: Wikemedia Commons/Las Conchas Fire/John Fowler from Placitas, NM
Photos this page, from top: Louisa Martinez/losalamosnm.us; vallecaldera.com (from the International Space Station)