Woodlands are some of the most important communities in the United States. They are rich with wildlife, and we see them as places worth preserving. For over 70 years, Smokey the Bear has been telling us “Only YOU can prevent forest fires!” but the United States has had an active role in fighting and preventing forest fires for far longer. We began fighting wildfires in a systematic way around the turn of the 20th century; historic photographs show people building fire lines and shoveling dirt over smoldering spots in our woodlands. In the past 30 years, however, there have been increased discussions about the automatic response of immediately quelling all wildfires; some ecologists argue that some wildfires are helpful and should be allowed to burn. After all, change from storms, fires, and floods is part of the natural cycle of an ecosystem.
Your task is to learn about wildfires and decide for yourself what the best response should be.
Search the Internet for information about fire ecology to help develop an informed opinion about how we should respond to wildfires on wildlands. Topics to research include fire-adapted ecosystems, wildfire suppression, the cost of fighting wildfires, and prescribed fires. You may visit as many websites as you need, but you must visit at least four different websites for your research. Answer the following questions to evaluate whether each of the websites you visit is a reliable information source:
Who are the authors of the information given in this article or on this webpage?
Do the authors give supporting evidence for their claims?
Do they give sources for their evidence? Are these reliable sources?
Do you detect any strong biases for or against fighting wildfires? Explain.
Summarize the position of this source regarding how we should respond to wildfires or what could be done to prevent wildfires.
Based on your answers to the above questions, is this a reliable source of information? Explain.
Based on the information you obtained from the websites that you deemed to be reliable information sources, write an essay that addresses the following two questions. Provide evidence from your sources in support of your position.
Should all wildfires on wildlands be fought immediately?
What, if anything, should be done in an area to prevent or lessen a possible wildland wildfire?
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