You can learn more about fires at Yellowstone National Park at http://www.nps.gov/yell/technical/fire/ecology.htm (National Park Service).

Smokey Bear has a Web site about preventing forest fires at http://www.smokeybear.com/ (U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service).

Wildfires
http://www.fema.gov/kids/brenner.htm
(Federal Emergency Management Agency)

Wildfire Facts
http://www.idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season3/wildfires/facts.html
(Idaho Bureau of Land Management)

Books recommended by SearchIt!Science:

Summer of Fire: Yellowstone 1988 — Patricia Lauber Published by Orchard Books/Scholastic, 1991. During the hot, dry summer of 1988, intense fires, some hot enough to make boulders explode, raged across Yellowstone National Park. Park officials feared much of the park would be destroyed. In the months that followed the fires, they discovered that the burned forests were full of life. The charred wood provided nests for insects. During the fire, lodgepole pine trees released seeds that attracted small birds and other animals. The blaze drew from twigs and pine needles vital plant nutrients that helped the regrowth. The brown, burnt meadows became green as new plants grew.

Wildfires — Seymour Simon Published by William Morrow/HarperCollins, 1996. Seymour Simon combines incredible photography with a clearly written text. This book reminds us that wildfires provide a service for all of us, one that is often overlooked by many people. Some trees, like sequoias, only release their seeds during a time of fire. Other trees and shrubs grow back stronger and healthier than before a fire. Some animals and insects benefit from fire, too. Hawks and coyotes, for example, find prey more easily in the sparse undergrowth, while fire beetles mate and lay their eggs in charred logs. Fires are so important to the cycle of nature that some firefighters even set small fires to clear out dead trees and vegetation. These intentional fires prevent too much undergrowth from accumulating and providing kindling for larger, more dangerous fires. Park officials also let naturally caused fires burn in forests. When the fires endanger people's lives or threaten to destroy buildings, however, efforts are made to contain the blazes. For example, in 1988, firefighters gathered to battle the massive fire in Yellowstone National Park. Next time you are in Yellowstone, see how the park is recovering from these blazes! Wildfires are an awesome power that help to maintain the cycle of nature.

Fire in Their Eyes: Wildfires and the People Who Fight Them — Karen Magnuson Beil Published by Harcourt, 1999. If a forest fire has been burning for months, what can be done to put it out? Firefighters must face flames that "scorch, burn, and destroy everything at temperatures of up to twenty-six hundred degrees Fahrenheit." Everything from bulldozing trees, using helicopters, and even parachuting from hundreds of feet off the ground is tried in order to contain these fires. Go inside Training Camp and see how men and women are taught to be firefighters. Learn the personal stories of the crews as they battle fires across the country. Dynamic color photographs and detailed text give you a glimpse into this bold world.

ecosystem: An ecological community made up of plants, animals, and microorganisms together with their environment. A pond or a rain forest are each examples of complex ecosystems.

succession: The gradual replacement of one type of ecological community by another, involving a series of changes especially in the dominant vegetation. For example, if a meadow is left unmowed, its grasses might be replaced first by fast-growing bushes and conifers, which after some years might be replaced in turn by slower-growing hardwoods.

Copyright © 2002, 2003 Houghton-Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Used with permission.