Plant species. which have survived fires for tens of thousands of years may n~t only have selected .survival mechanisms, but also inherent flammable properties that contnbute to the perpetuatiOn _of fire-dependent plant communities. This concept goes beyond the commonly accepted fire chmate-fuel moisture basis of wildland fire occurrence. Plant communities m~y be ignite~ accidental!y .or ;an~omly, but the character of burning is not random. The followmg .h!'pothes1s treats th1s mterachon between fire and the ecosystem : Fire-dependent plant. commumhes burn more readily than non-fire-dependent communities because natural selectiOn. has favored .development of characteristics that make them more flammable. The hypothesis was expenmentally derived following laboratory combustion tests with litter of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus obliqua L'Herit), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.), and tropical hardwood leaves.

The colonization of Eurasia by early humans is a key event after their spread out of Africa, but the nature, timing and ecological context of the earliest human occupation of northwest Europe is uncertain and has been the subject of intense debate. The southern Caucasus was occupied about 1.8 million years (Myr) ago, whereas human remains from Atapuerca-TD6, Spain (more than 780 kyr ago) and Ceprano, Italy (about 800 kyr ago) show that early Homo had dispersed to the Mediterranean hinterland before the Brunhes-Matuyama magnetic polarity reversal (780 kyr ago). Until now, the earliest uncontested artefacts from northern Europe were much younger, suggesting that humans were unable to colonize northern latitudes until about 500 kyr ago. Here we report flint artefacts from the Cromer Forest-bed Formation at Pakefield (52 degrees N), Suffolk, UK, from an interglacial sequence yielding a diverse range of plant and animal fossils. Event and lithostratigraphy, palaeomagnetism, amino acid geochronology and biostratigraphy indicate that the artefacts date to the early part of the Brunhes Chron (about 700 kyr ago) and thus represent the earliest unequivocal evidence for human presence north of the Alps.

One objective of wilderness and parkland fire-ecology research is to describe the relationships between fire and unmanaged ecosystems, so that strategies can be determined that will provide a more nearly natural incidence of fire. More than 50 yr of efforts directed toward exclusion of wildland fires in the Northern Rocky Mountains (western Montana and northern Idaho) have resulted in a definite and observable impact on the forest ecosystems in this region. Fire-ecology investigations in Glacier National Park and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness have helped to reveal the nature of this impact and to provide a better understanding of the natural role of fire within these coniferous ecosystems. Such areas provide a unique opportunity to study and test approaches designed to perpetuate unmodified ecosystems. However, we still don't understand all of the long-term consequences of fire control in those forest communities that have evolved fire-dependent characteristics.

This file was created by scanning the printed publication. Text errors identified by the software have been corrected; however, some errors may remain. A management strategy to restore forest health at lower elevations will require that the seral ponderosa pine and western larch stands be managed for much lower tree densities and a more open coniferous understory than have been the case. A combination of silvicultural partial cutting and prescribed fire on a large scale will be needed to produce the desired future condition of healthy, open, and parklike forests. We have attempted to exclude fire from fire-dependent ecosystems with disastrous results. Now we must take bold steps in restoring forest health to the Blue Mountains through an integrated strategy of silvicultural and fire prescriptions. Authors Cover PhotosKeywords: Forest health, ecosystem functions, fire, Blue Mountains.The Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington are composed of a complex mix of ecosystems, habitats, landforms, and economies. Several consecutive years of drought, epidemic insect infestations, and catastrophic fire are threatening the natural resources and the social and economic systems within the Blue Mountains. The general health of the forests is not good and may be worsening. A primary factor leading to the current deteriorated condition has been the exclusion of fire. Past timber management practices also have contributed.This publication is part of a series on forest health in the Blue Mountains. The goal of this series is to provide a discussion of forest health issues from various science perspectives. The series will include discussions on several aspects: insects and disease; economic and social issues; fire; fish, riparian areas, and water quality; ecology and range, wildlife; and a summary of forest health public forums held throughout the Blue MountainsThe Blue Mountains Natural Resources Institute has been the focal point for much of the discussion regarding the science issues associated with forest health. This organization, which includes over 60 partners, has broad representation and a strong interest in restoring health to the forests and communities of the Blue Mountains area. The Institute has fostered publication of these papers as one more step in the long process of restoring health to east-side forested landscapes Thomas M. Quigley Abstract Preface

Abstract. Threats to people and property in the wildland-urban interface have taken on global proportions. It is becoming increasingly rare to have a wildland fire incident that does not involve people and their homes. In addition to Australia and North America, people have died in interface fires in Europe, Africa, and Asia, including 212 people who died in the devastating forest fires in northeastern China in May 1987. The prevailing interface model is one that attempts to evacuate people away from fire areas to get them out of harm's way. This traditional approach in the U.S. has been preferred by law enforcement agencies and fire services. The problem with this model is that evacuation warnings are often late to non-existent, leading to the deaths of interface residents entrapped by fires on highways as they try to escape.