Lack of Post-fire Salvage Logging Shortens the Wildfire Return Interval and Makes Re-burn more Intense

Late last month I worked on a fire that re-burned very intensely on a site that previously burned in 2018. . This is the shortest interval and most intense re-burn I have experienced.

The fire occurred in the Southern Interior. When I was given the location I relaxed a bit. The site had burned at moderate to high intensity in 2018 and I had worked on it then.

As I approached I realized my assumption was wrong.

Aerial view of unexpectedly intense fire activity. Photo courtesy BC Wildfire

The site hadn’t had any salvage harvest post 2018 fire. I am not sure why. Most of the standing Lodge-pole pine had been killed by the original fire. Lodge-pole pine has low resistance to decay and after five years of standing dead is very prone to blowdown. Most of the dead trees had come down forming a deep, continuous mat of deadfall. There was a high volume of grass ingress but the blowdown prevented the cattle from grazing it. There was very dense five to six year old healthy Pl regen growing through the grass and blowdown.

This created a very intense 2025 wildfire that damaged a brand new fence line (+/-$20,000/km), killed the five year old pine regen and set the soils back almost to a post glacial state.

This site burned in 2018. This severe damage is due to very intense fire behaviour in the 2025 re-burn.

Post fire salvage logging decisions have to be site specific but people should be aware of the negetive implications of not harvesting burnt trees.

I am convinced that not logging this site after the 2018 fire shortened the wildfire return interval and made the 2025 fire more intense and damaging.

Doug