No large BWCA burns since 1936 already eliminated early postfire communities.

Evidence

Indeed, over most of the area the really early postfire successions are already missing because there have been no large burns since 1936, save the Little Sioux Fire of 1971. But these changes are not yet permanent, because the root systems and seed sources of the pioneer species are still present and capable of resurgence if fires recur. Permanent fire exclusion is another matter, however. For if fire could be kept out of the system indefinitely, such characteristic species as jack pine, aspen, red pine, white pine, blueberry, pincherry, and many more might be virtually lost from the system. — Miron L. Heinselman, Fire in the Virgin Forests of the…, 413

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Restoring the natural regime means burning roughly 4,200 Canoe Area acres yearly — Miron L. Heinselman, Fire in the Virgin Forests of the…, 466; BWCA management excluded fire despite its dominant ecological role — Miron L. Heinselman, Fire in the Virgin Forests of the…, 25; The landscape mosaic remains fire-created even after sixty years of suppression. — Miron L. Heinselman, Fire in the Virgin Forests of the…, 159 (+7 more)

Related

• The BWCA still has a roughly 60-year window before fire exclusion makes restoration impossible. (similarity 0.90)
• The entire BWCA ecosystem was fire-dependent (similarity 0.88)
• BWCA management excluded fire despite its dominant ecological role (similarity 0.87)
• The landscape mosaic remains fire-created even after sixty years of suppression. (similarity 0.86)
• Restoring the natural regime means burning roughly 4,200 Canoe Area acres yearly (similarity 0.86)
• Virtually every BWCA virgin forest stand burned since 1595. (similarity 0.85)
• Virtually every BWCA forest stand regenerated after fire since 1595 (similarity 0.85)
• Natural fire rotation in the BWCA was about 100 years (similarity 0.85)
• Landscape-level diversity in the BWCA depends on a fire-made mosaic of successional stages. (similarity 0.84)
• Fire is an intrinsic ecosystem component, not an unnatural disturbance, in the Canoe Area. (similarity 0.84)
• The Canoe Area burned and regenerated on about a 100-year rotation. (similarity 0.84)
• Fire suppression restructures the whole ecosystem and reduces overall wildlife diversity (similarity 0.84)
• Five fire years created nearly three-quarters of today’s forest stands. (similarity 0.84)
• Man-controlled burning can still yield a natural ecosystem (similarity 0.83)
• Historic burns of 100,000 acres can no longer be allowed in the Canoe Area (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• Natural fire rotation in the BWCA was about 100 years #complicates (0.80) — Miron L. Heinselman, Fire in the Virgin Forests of the…, 2
• Landscape-level diversity in the BWCA depends on a fire-made mosaic of successional stages. #complicates (0.80) — Miron L. Heinselman, Fire in the Virgin Forests of the…, 411
• The entire BWCA ecosystem was fire-dependent #complicates (0.75) — Miron L. Heinselman, Fire in the Virgin Forests of the…, 1