Books

Item Description

The Forest of Fires

By Erik Ohlsen
Illustrations by Myriad Colorz

Using vibrant illustrations and fun educational rhyming, this children’s book about forests and fires explores relationships between forests, humans, and fire.

Fire Ecologies

Many forest and grassland ecosystems have evolved over thousands of years to become dependent on fire to maintain healthy functioning. We call these environments “fire ecologies.” In a fire ecology, biodiversity, disease resistance, plant growth, and tree structure may all be managed by periodic fires.

Many indigenous communities have understood the important role of fire, utilizing it for thousands of years in stewarding their environments. This cooperation with fire led to robust and healthy ecosystems filled with biodiversity.

Modern day human settlements (especially in developed nations) have taken a different stance to fire. The perception is that forests and fires are too dangerous for the built-up communities. Therefore, all fires have been suppressed at an alarming rate. This has resulted in an imbalance to the environment. Diseased plants and trees have been left to grow and die, becoming “fuel load.”

Unhealthy Fires

A forest or grassland that has a buildup of fuel load cannot experience a healthy fire. A fire that burns under these conditions is likely to become catastrophic. The fire will consume all the fuel load, which in turn can lead the fire into the tree canopy. Once a fire enters the canopy it can potentially burn nearly everything in its path. In order to protect our communities, wildlife, and wild lands, it is imperative to prevent fires from burning in these conditions.

Healthy Fires

Fortunately, traditional knowledge about using healthy fires for stewarding landscapes still exists today. Prescribed burning is a process by which, during the wetter seasons, small low-intensity fires are intentionally set. They are managed to ensure the fire doesn’t get out of control. These fires rid the forest of dead and diseased trees. They clean up forest understory plants and debris, allowing more light to reach the forest floor. This in turn enables a larger diversity of plants to regrow. Prescribed burns enhances the immunological functioning of the environment. They remove fuel load, reducing the threat of catastrophic wild land fires in those areas.

If we truly want to live in fire-safe communities then we need to quickly and drastically shift our management practices of forest ecosystems so that once again forests can grow and thrive with biological diversity and ecological resilience.

Item Special Note

Pick up/shipping information:

At auction close, item will be available for pick up in Sebastopol, CA on the designated pick up days or it can be mailed at the winning bidder’s expense.  The shipping cost of this item will be $5.00 plus the cost of insurance.  Winning bidder is responsible for all fees.  

If more than one item is won, we will combine shipping. Items are shipped via Priority Mail Flat Rate Shipping with the United States Postal Service. If the items do not fit into a Flat Rate box, the best shipping option will be chosen by the auction shipping team. For books, we will our best to package them to fit Media Mail requirements. Insurance will be added to the shipping costs. Winning bidder is responsible for all fees.

For planning, note that the pick-up days are  Friday, March 31, 2017 from 2:00-5:00pm and Saturday, April 1, 2017 from 10:00am-12:00 noon at SunRidge School in Sebastopol, California. All information and details about pick up times and location will be given in the auction closing email.

SunRidge School is not responsible for items lost or damaged during shipping and/or mailing.

ng