How does Wildfire Affect the Old-growth Forest?
Over the course of the millennia, the redwood forest ecosystem has evolved mechanisms to cope with, or even benefit from, natural disturbances like floods, wind storms, or fires. The natural fire regime of reoccurring low-intensity ground fires does not harm most large trees, and does not favor the development of large catastrophic crown fires that would threaten human lives or structures. Instead it reduces the risk of a catastrophic crown fire by removing the small trees and shrubs that would fuel such a fire. To reduce fire hazard, controlled burns that mimic the natural fire regime have been used successfully in the old-growth forests of Big Basin Redwoods State Park for many years.
