Habitat Stewardship
Since 1984, RMEF and its partners conserved or enhanced 9.2 million acres of wildlife habitat.
Specific to fire-related treatments, RMEF helped complete approximately 1,500 lifetime projects across 1.6 million acres of habitat in 23 states.
What recent research tells us
Fire Suppression - What is it and why did it happen?
Devastating fires like Wisconsin’s 1871 Peshtigo Fire, the deadliest in American history that claimed at least 1,200 lives, and the Great Fire of 1910, which scorched almost three million acres in Idaho, Montana and Washington over three days, helped cement fire suppression. By 1935, the U.S. Forest Service implemented its “10 a.m. Policy,” with a goal of stomping out all wildfires by 10 a.m. following the morning of their discovery. And in 1944, Smokey Bear made his debut with what’s become the longest-running public service campaign in U.S. history. It initially ingrained the message that any fire is a bad fire.
When Fire is Bad
Hot-burning, high-intensity or catastrophic wildfires can destroy plants, root systems and the dead plant material like twigs, leaves, bark and needles that sit atop the ground protecting the soil beneath from erosion. High intensity fires can also trigger the proliferation of noxious or invasive plants or weeds and ruin water quality in streams and rivers. Additionally, they cause the soil to repel water which again leads to soil erosion, especially during severe rainstorms and heavy snow runoff, flooding and the decimation of water quality.
When Fire is Good
Prescribed or controlled burns seek to replicate the results wildfires have traditionally brought forth, but in a measured and calculated fashion. Ignited by highly trained fire managers under specific conditions, they are a way to reap fire’s natural benefits while eliminating much of the uncertainty, risk and cost.
Prescribed fire acts to refresh the system by returning nutrients to the soil, stimulating plant growth and restoring forest health and resiliency. It safely reduces hazardous fuel build-ups while helping to control pests, diseases and invasive species. It improves habitat for everything from butterflies to bull elk. Regarding elk, fires help jumpstart grasses, forbs and browse which improves the health of the herd.
RMEF is committed to reducing the impact catastrophic fires have on our wildlife populations by funding active forest management and restoration work on priority big game landscapes.
No Fire = Poor Forest Health
Without flames, forest health nosedives. Elk and other wildlife pay the price for decades of fire suppression in the form of less forage and unfriendly habitat. Thick, mixed pine forests and conifers invade aspens stands and huge swaths of sagebrush-steppe habitat. Those overly dense tree stands create canopies that block the sun from allowing its rays to reach the forest floor below. As a result, native grasses and vegetation, so vital for elk, give in to invasive growth.
Keeping fire off the landscape leads to the growth of smaller trees and shrubs that serve as ladder fuels up into the tops of older trees. Additionally, downed and decadent material litters forest floors which chokes out native forage while also lingering as potential fuel for wildfires.
Wildfire Restoration Helps Wildlife and Landscapes
Forest managers and scientists agree that executing active forest management techniques such as prescribed burns, thinning and other treatments enhance habitat for elk and other wildlife while also improving overall forest health.
Slowing Catastrophic Wildfires
Active management projects aren’t intended to all prevent wildfires. These projects allow natural fire to occur in a way that reduces the risk of catastrophic, earth-scorching fire while also preventing structure losses. This allows habitat to regenerate as nature intended.
In 2021, the Bootleg Fire scorched more than 413,000 acres of forestland in southern Oregon. Flames jumped from treetop to treetop as the fire tore across the landscape. However, fire activity slowed and dropped to the ground after hitting an area that previously received thinning operations. That allowed firefighters an opportunity to get on the ground and turn the fire away from a research station.
In 2017, the Boyds Fire burned an estimated 4,700 acres of timber and grass understory in northeast Washington. It threatened homes, businesses and power lines that provide electricity to nearby residents. But the flames slowed after hitting forestland previously treated with prescribed burn and thinning projects, allowing firefighters to make a successful stand.
Most Recent ProjectsPutting Dollars on the Ground
Since 2021, RMEF and its partners contributed nearly $11 million for 52 wildfire rehabilitation efforts in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. RMEF volunteers also assisted in several of the projects.
Healthy forests produce healthy elk. Post catastrophic wildfire treatments directly enhance big game habitat and health of the herds through improved body fat, pregnancy and calf survival.
Restoring Elk CountryLick Mountain, Arkansas, Prescribed Burn
In late 2023 and into 2024, RMEF teamed up with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to improve habitat and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire on the Gene Rush Wildlife Management Area about 90 miles east of Fayetteville. RMEF had worked with landowners to conserve the 314-acre Lick Mountain tract in northeast Arkansas in 2006, and 12 years later, the property became part of the Gene Rush WMA and opened to public access.
Over time, the land became overgrown with woody encroachment, overstocked forested areas and invasive plant species, leading to closed canopies, erosion issues and low-quality forage. RMEF worked with Arkansas Game and Fish to implement dormant-season burning across 120 acres, which removed heavy fuel loads and triggered the growth of native grasses and vegetation that benefit elk, whitetail deer, wild turkeys and many other species.
How you can help do more
When you join or donate to RMEF, you provide critical funding to ensure that RMEF can continue to be good stewards of the land long into the future.