Forest Fires Treatment - Lab Report Example

The Yellowstone fires of 1988 were largely influenced by weather conditions including wind speed, lack of precipitation and wind direction. Forest fuels at that time grew progressively drier, additionally; the early summer thunderstorms gave lightning without sufficient rain.

The fire that was initially assumed to be easily containable began in June of 1988 with Storm Creek Fire, Red Fire and Fan Fire all manifesting. June of the same year become more challenging as Mink & Clover fires and Lava fire began. By August of 1988, a lot of damage had occurred with other fires starting within the same park. Most notable was the fire of August 20, 1988, "Black Saturday" a day that a huge amount of land was burned, and many witnessed dense smoke ever. This was a month that many other roads became impassable due to the intensity of the fire. Despite suppression efforts, the 1988 fires ultimately seized only with the coming of the mid-September snowfall. What then followed was the full evacuation of citizens who leave around the park and forest reforestation efforts.

There are various actions taken by the forest managers key among them the implementation of a new fire management plan for Yellowstone in 1992. The implemented plan helped address future related fire concerns including detailed guidelines for managing or handling natural fires and the provision of more resources towards fire management. The other action has been more surveillance to manage future fire incidences quickly. The final management action has been in line with more ecological awareness to ensure a polluted-free environment. One can argue that these initiatives have been fruitful since no major fire has emerged in the area.