Some Ecological Implications of Forest Fire Control in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Seven areas that were burned in Yellowstone National Park in 1966, 1960, 1954, 1942, 1910, 1856, and about 1665 were studied from 1965 through 1967 in order to document the trends of biotic succession in the development of lodgepole pine communities. Results indicate that there was an increase in the numbers of plant, bird, and mammal species during the first 25 years followed by a decrease in the older communities. The data indicate that elimination of forest fires will limit ecological diversity within the Park by reducing or eliminating certain plants and animals that are present only in the successional communities present before closure of the forest canopy.