are already wrecked by massive fires every year. So setting any fire on purpose doesn't

每年已經被大規模的火災破壞了。是以，故意放火併不

exactly sound like a good idea. But these people here pouring fire on the ground. They're

聽起來確實是個好主意。但是這些人在這裡向地面上澆火。他們是

actually saving these forests from those devastating out of control fires we see on the news, because

實際上是在拯救這些森林，使其免遭我們在新聞中看到的那些毀滅性的失控大火，因為

over time we've learned that forest management isn't always about saving trees. Sometimes

隨著時間的推移，我們已經瞭解到，森林管理並不總是為了拯救樹木。有時

it's about burning them. Indigenous communities studied the effects of natural periodic fires

這是關於燃燒它們。土著社區研究了自然定期火災的影響

and they've been practicing controlled fires for centuries. Before colonizers learnt from

而且他們已經實行了幾個世紀的可控火災。在殖民者們學會了

these communities, forests were managed in ways that were ultimately harmful and made

在這些社區，森林的管理方式最終是有害的，並使得

the fire problem even worse. While many indigenous communities embraced fire as part of the forest.

火災問題更加嚴重。雖然許多原住民社區將火災作為森林的一部分來接受。

US government took a different approach. After a massive fire, known as the Big burn of 1910

美國政府採取了不同的方法。在一場被稱為1910年大燃燒的大火之後

destroyed huge swaths of land in and around Northern Idaho. The US Forest Service launched

摧毀了愛達荷州北部及其周圍的大片土地。美國林業局啟動了

an aggressive fire suppression campaign. That campaign has lasted and persistent in many

一個積極的滅火運動。這場運動在許多地方持續不斷地進行著，並且堅持不懈地進行著。

forms over the decades and has basically removed natural fire from the landscape. And since

幾十年來，自然火的形式基本上已經從景觀中消失。而且由於

then, we've learned about the many benefits of natural fires and forests so this campaign

然後，我們已經瞭解到自然火災和森林的許多好處，所以這次活動

was straight up a huge problem. Before this whole fire is bad movement, fires were super common

是一個巨大的問題。在這整個火災是壞事的運動之前，火災是超級常見的。

and can be categorized in three ways: low, moderate and high severity. Most natural fire

並可分為三種情況：低度、中度和高度嚴重。大多數自然火災

was low and moderate, with occasional high severity fire that created gaps in forest which was actually

低度和中度火災，偶爾發生的高烈度火災在森林中造成的空隙實際上是

good. Fires created patchy forests with a diversity of conditions. We got open meadows and sections

很好。火災造成了具有多樣性條件的成片森林。我們有開闊的草地和部分

with large fire resistant trees. Following that period with European settlements, there

有大型防火樹種。在歐洲人定居的那個時期之後，有

was a large scale logging of the forest. So much of the old growth forest was cut down

是對森林進行大規模的採伐。如此多的古老森林被砍伐

in big swaths. For over 400 years though, loggers had chopped down thousands of acres of trees until

在大面積的情況下。400多年來，伐木者砍伐了成千上萬英畝的樹木，直到

the 1970s when Forest Service lands were marked for preservation. What the Forest Service

20世紀70年代，當林務局的土地被標記為保護對象時。林業局的工作

inherited in many cases was very unhealthy forest full of lots of young trees, overcrowded,

在許多情況下，繼承的是非常不健康的森林，充滿了許多年輕的樹木，過於擁擠。

very dense conditions. Those conditions have played themselves out and resulted in large

非常密集的條件。這些條件已經發揮了自己的作用，並導致了大量的

severity wildfires of the kind of witnessing in recent years. When you picture a healthy forest,

近年來目睹的那種嚴重的野火。當你想象一個健康的森林。

you might think of something that looks like this, a bunch of very similar looking trees

你可能會想到像這樣的東西，一群看起來非常相似的樹

all bunched together, but this isn't quite right. Healthy trees need much more space

都擠在一起，但這並不完全正確。健康的樹木需要更大的空間

than this. Before the forest was cut down and then fire suppressed we typically had somewhere

比這。在森林被砍伐，然後被滅火之前，我們通常有地方

between 30 and 50 very large trees per acre today and what we have is tree densities that

今天，每英畝有30到50棵大樹，而我們現在的樹木密度是

are more like 300, 500, and even 800 trees per acre. Amid so much competition the trees that

更像是每英畝300、500甚至800棵樹。在如此多的競爭中，這些樹木

can't get the resources they need die and fall over turning into ground fuel. So today's forests have

無法獲得它們所需的資源，就會死亡和倒下，變成地面燃料。所以今天的森林有

way too much of this ground fuel. So when a fire sparks it can burn through more than three feet of fuel

這種地面燃料的數量太多。是以，當火苗燃起時，它可以燒掉超過三英尺的燃料

on the forest floor, which can then quickly escalate into a high intensity fire and high

在森林底層，然後可以迅速升級為高強度的火災和高

intensity fire ruins forests. The trees need a much longer time to go back and soil quality

激烈的火災毀壞了森林。樹木需要更長的時間來恢復，土壤品質

is just wrecked. Huge fires this size are also dangerous for humans burning homes and

就是被破壞了。這種規模的大火對人類來說也是危險的，燃燒的房屋和

causing evacuations. They also produce disease causing smoke and contaminated water sources.

導致疏散。它們還產生了導致疾病的煙霧和汙染的水源。

So we need not too much fire not too little fire but just the right amount. The Sierra Nevada

是以，我們需要的不是太多的火，不是太少的火，而是恰到好處的火。內華達山脈

as a whole is a fire adapted forest. It needs good fire. But when we look back at

作為一個整體是一個適應火的森林。它需要良好的火。但是，當我們回顧一下

the scientific literature, reconstructing some of the deep history of these forests,

科學文獻，重建了這些森林的一些深層歷史。

what we learned is that most of the fires were what were classified as low or moderate

我們瞭解到的情況是，大多數火災都被歸類為低度或中度火災。

severity wildfires. There was actually a very low percentage of wildfires that were in that

嚴重的野火。實際上，有一個非常低的比例的野火，是在該

high severity class prior to the clear cutting and the fire suppression that we talked about.

在我們談到的清掃和滅火之前，高嚴重度等級。

The Big Burn of 1910 caused a campaign that literally extinguished all kinds of helpful

1910年的大燃燒造成了一場運動，從字面上看，熄滅了所有種類的幫助

low intensity fires. But now experts are working to put those low intensity fires back into

低強度的火災。但現在專家們正在努力將這些低強度的火災重新納入

the forest. Enter the Nature Conservancy, the US Forest Service, and their partners who

森林。大自然保護協會、美國林務局和他們的合作伙伴進入了這個領域。

have been working to restore the natural state of these forests. through what's known as

一直在努力恢復這些森林的自然狀態。

prescribed burns or controlled fires. So we went to check out one of these prescribed fires

規定燒傷或控制火災。是以，我們去檢查了其中一個規定的火災

in the French Meadows area of the Sierra Nevada. The goal of the prescribed fire first and

在內華達山脈的French Meadows地區。規定火災的目標首先是和

foremost is to reintroduce beneficial fire to landscape and we want to simulate a low intensity fire.

最重要的是在景觀中重新引入有益的火，我們想模擬一個低強度的火。

To meet that objective, there's a prescription that is planned ahead of time that our firefighters and our

為了實現這一目標，有一個提前計劃的處方，我們的消防員和我們的

fuels officers have to meet. Literally a prescription to help the forest heal. Ideally all forests

燃料官員必須滿足。從字面上看，這是一個幫助森林癒合的處方。理想情況下，所有的森林

that need it would get this treatment but in this case, the Forest Service chose the

但在這種情況下，林務局選擇的是，需要它的人將得到這種待遇。

Fresh Meadows area to protect the local reservoir and water source from a major fire. In addition

Fresh Meadows地區，以保護當地的水庫和水源免受大火的影響。此外

to choosing a good location, a lot goes into making sure that conditions are perfect to

除了選擇一個好的地點外，還要確保條件完美，以滿足人們的需要。

burn off that ground fuel but not let the fire get out of control. One of the ways that

燃燒掉地面的燃料，但不要讓火勢失去控制。其中一個方法是

we can measure if we're in ideal conditions to initiate ignitions on a prescribed

我們可以衡量我們是否處於理想的條件下，在規定的時間內啟動點火。

fire is through the fuel moisture of the sticks out here in the forest, the fuel moisture, how

火災是通過森林中樹枝的燃料水分，燃料水分，如何

much actual water is in these, how easily they can snap and break. Let us know if they're

這些東西里有多少實際的水，它們有多容易被折斷。讓我們知道他們是否是

ready to burn to meet our objectives. You want there to be some moisture so the fire won't burn too

準備燃燒以達到我們的目標。你希望有一些水分，這樣火就不會燒得太旺。

hot, but not so much that it doesn't spread at all. So the firefighters have to both start

熱，但不至於讓它完全不擴散。是以，消防員必須既要啟動

the fire and keep it from spreading out of control. We always first try to use roads

阻止火勢蔓延，使其不受控制。我們總是首先嚐試使用道路

or ridge lines or rocky outcroppings and if necessary, firefighters will prep an area

或山脊線或岩石露頭，如果有必要，消防員將準備一個區域

they'll actually build containment liners like the line behind me with removing all

他們實際上會建立像我身後那條線一樣的隔離襯墊，並將所有的東西都移除。

the hazardous fuels all the burnable material to stop that progression of the fire. There

危險燃料的所有可燃材料，以阻止火勢的發展。在那裡

are all kinds of benefits to these prescribed fires burning off that excess ground fuel

這些規定的火燒掉多餘的地面燃料有各種各樣的好處。

protecting communities and water sources from high intensity fires and just upping the overall

保護社區和水源不受高強度火災的影響，只是提高了整體的

forest health by restoring nutrients to the soil and bringing carbon from those excess

通過恢復土壤中的養分，並從這些過剩的養分中帶來碳，從而促進森林健康。

trees back into the soil. But not everyone is a fan of lighting fires intentionally especially

樹木回到土壤中。但不是每個人都喜歡故意點火，特別是

after all those fire. nearby communities also worry that these Burns will decrease air quality.

附近的社區也擔心，這些燒傷會降低空氣質量。

Smoke is an ever present part of prescribed fire planning in advance of doing a prescribed

煙霧是處方火計劃中永遠存在的一部分，在做處方火之前

fire. There are professionals to actually model the different environmental conditions

火災。有專業人員來實際模擬不同的環境條件

that will help lift the smoke up and disperse it out and away from populated areas. I will

這將有助於提升煙霧，並將其分散出去，遠離人口密集地區。我將

say this in a large high intensity wildfire, the amount of smoke is magnitudes greater

在一個大型高強度的野火中，煙霧的數量要大得多。

than if we kind of nickel and dime our way through the smaller prescribed fire Each prescribed

比起我們以五分錢和一角錢的方式通過較小的規定火種，每一個規定火種都有其特殊性。

fire has a measurable amount of smoke that is far less smoke input and carbon released into

火災有可測量的煙霧量，但煙霧的輸入和碳的釋放量遠遠低於火場。

the atmosphere than those high intensity fires. And again, more prescribed fire now equals

比起那些高強度的火災來，大氣層更容易受到影響。而且，現在更多的規定火災等於

less high intensity wildfire later. One more time. More prescribed fire now equals fewer

以後少了高強度的野火。再來一次。現在更多的規定火災等於更少的

high intensity fires later. In this world where the climate crisis is very much a reality.

高強度的火災以後。在這個氣候危機非常現實的世界裡。

We have more frequent and more devastating wildfires. Even though setting forest fires

我們有更頻繁和更具破壞性的野火。儘管燃放森林火災

might not be intuitive, prescribed burns have worked for millennia and are still one of

可能不是很直觀，但規定的燒傷已經工作了幾千年，並且仍然是一種有效的方法。

the best solutions for managing our forests well into the future. So this portion

在未來管理我們的森林的最佳解決方案。是以，這一部分

of his watershed is now going to be more resilient to drought, disease, beetle infestation, and

他的流域現在將對乾旱、疾病、甲蟲侵襲和其他問題有更強的抵抗力。

what's important maybe it's gonna be more resilient to high intensity wildfire that's

重要的是，也許它對高強度的野火會有更強的抵抗力，這是

the wildfires that we see in the news. My name is Niba of NotesByNiba and this has been

我們在新聞中看到的野火。我的名字是NotesByNiba的Niba，這一直是我的夢想。

Seeker's Impact of Everything. Let us know if there's an episode topic you want us to

尋求者對一切的影響。如果您有任何想讓我們做的事情，請告訴我們。

cover and we'll see you next time. Thanks for watching.

蓋，我們下次再會。感謝您的觀看。