It’s been a cruel spring across the state of Texas, where fire activity since November has encompassed in excess of 2.3 million acres — roughly the size of the New York City metropolitan area. Or for you westerners, that’s from Denver bang up to the Front Range. It’s scary huge.

Although most of the major outbreaks have been contained — including Big Bend’s Davis Mountains and Possum Kingdom State Park — seven fires spanning a half million acres continue to rage and red flag warnings are in place across much of West Texas.

And of course since this is Texas, there are also politics at work, even as the fire threat looms. Ironically the state’s would-be secessionist governor, Rick Perry, lashed out at the Obama administration’s refusal to provide more emergency disaster relief to fight the fires — administration officials claim they’ve provided what aid is needed and will continue to monitor the state’s needs.

The good news is that in the western part of the state outside El Paso, one of the best climbing areas in the country, Hueco Tanks, has remained unscathed, as has nearby Franklin Mountain State Park, a burgeoning playground for mountain bikers. But El Paso, too, is under severe threat of wildfires, and with 95 percent of the state experiencing D-1 drought conditions and nearly two-thirds at D-4 (extreme) and D-5 (exceptional), outdoor enthusiasts should remain hyper-vigilant.

The root cause of the fire danger? Not enough fire.

That is, experts identify minor wildfire suppression as a major cause of so much scorched earth. Many plants in fire-affected environments require fire to germinate. That means fire suppression can lead to the build-up of flammable debris, which often results in less frequent but much larger and destructive wildfires.

Another factor is poor land management. Fires are a symptom of long-term changes in the state’s landscape: North Texas has shifted from grasslands to junipers. West Texas ranch land, left ungrazed for conservation, is now highly flammable. In East Texas, large tracts have been sold by timber and paper companies and then divvied-up among smaller owners who fail to manage the land in ways that reduce the risk of wildfires.

Previous generations of landowners appreciated the value of controlled burning to restore pastures and restrict the growth of fire-prone trees. Without low-intensity fires, trees can take over. Tree canopies then create a kind of monoculture, which reduces diversity and displaces wildlife. Which is what happened at Possum Kingdom State Park, a great mountain biking and hiking oasis outside Dallas, where fires consumed 126,000 acres and destroyed 167 homes.

The park’s dense junipers contain volatile oils that can make them virtually explode when ignited, and much like California’s vast growth of chaparral, another oily ecosystem that continues to fuel seasonal wildfires, Texas’ junipers act like forests of ready-to-be-lit matchsticks that must be burned regularly to prevent giant infernos. Ironically, Possum Kingdom had been scheduled for prescribed fire to reduce juniper domination and renew the habitat, but budget constraints postponed it long enough for nature to take the lead.

After the burn was contained, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission noted that it was likely that the park’s ecological health had been “helped more than hurt by the wildfire,” which removed much of the dense growth that crowded out native vegetation. The fire also opened up access to pre-existing hiking trails in the park’s western uplands area as well as scenic overlooks along the roads.

“We probably doubled our trail system,” says Possum Kingdom superintendent Rocky Holland.

Park visitors won’t have to wait long to experience the change firsthand. “At Possum Kingdom they’re already seeing some new growth,” says Texas Forest Service’s Steve Lightfoot. Park officials expect to see grasses and wildflowers by the end of summer.

That’s a nice benefit of all the destruction, but with Texas — as well as much of New Mexico and Arizona — experiencing extreme drought and low humidity, it’s clear that far more frequent controlled burns are going to be necessary or the blazes of this spring are only going to be a harbinger of more terrifying fires to come.

This environmental coverage made possible in part by support from Patagonia. For information on Patagonia and its environmental efforts, visit www.patagonia.com.

Tagged as: fire, forests, wilderness