The Great Fires:

Indian Burning and Catastrophic Forest Fire Patterns

of the Oregon Coast Range, 1491-1951

 

Bob Zybach

2003

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 

ABSTRACT
 

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION: HYPOTHESIS AND SETTING [WORD.doc: 52 pp.]

 

CHAPTER 2. METHODOLOGY

 

CHAPTER 3. INDIAN BURNING PATTERNS, 1491-1848

 

CHAPTER 4. CATASTROPHIC FOREST FIRE PATTERNS, 1491-1951

 

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSIONS

 

CHAPTER 6. RECOMMENDATIONS

 

REFERENCES

Texts
Maps

APPENDICES

 

FIGURES

 

MAPS

 

TABLES

 

 

********************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

CHAPTER 1.  INTRODUCTION: HYPOTHESIS AND SETTING

A. Hypothesis

 

B. Physical and Political Setting

1) Geological history

2) Topography

3) Rivers and counties

C. Climate and Weather

1) Rainfall

2) Temperature and humidity

3) Lightning

4) Wind patterns

D. Vegetation and Fuel Patterns

 

E. Summary

 

CHAPTER 2.  METHODOLOGY

A. Research Boundaries and Focal Points

1) North: Tsp. 4, Clatsop County

2) East: Soap Creek Valley

3) West: Alseya Valley

4) South: Coos Bay Quadrangle

B. Sources of Information

1) Names on the landscape

2) Persistent vegetation patterns

3) Literature

4) Living memory

5) Aerial photographs

6) Historical maps and surveys

7) GIS layers

8) Other

C. Landscape Scales:

1) Regional
2) Basin
3) Local

D. Summary

 

 

CHAPTER 3. INDIAN BURNING PATTERNS, 1491-1848

A.  Historical Indian Nations: Background

1) North: Chinookan, Athapaskan, and Salish
2) East: Kalapuyan
3) West: Salish, Yakonan, and Siuslawan
4) South: Kusan, Athapaskan, and Kalapuyan

B.  Type of Burning Practices

1) Firewood
2) Patches
3) Broadcast

C.  Native Foods and Fire

1) Plants
2) Animals

D.  Cultural Landscape Patterns

1) North: firewood and flood
2) East: oak savannah
3) West: lawns, corridors, and mosaics
4) South: mixed

CHAPTER 4. CATASTROPHIC FOREST FIRE PATTERNS, 1491-1951

A.  Catastrophic Fires: Background

1) Mystery of the 16th Century
2) Millicoma Fire, ca. 1775
3) Yaquina Fire, ca. 1849
4) Nestucca Fire, ca. 1853
5) Coos Fire, 1868
6) Tillamook Fire, 1933

B.  Catastrophic Fire Years

1) 1491-1825: precontact evidence
2) 1826-1848: early historical accounts
3) 1849-1910: the Great Fires
4) 1911-1951: fire suppression policies

C.  Catastrophic Fire Patterns

1) North: Columbia River old-growth
2) East: cultural legacy
3) West: 6-year jinx
4) South: mixed

D. Discussion and Summary

1) 16th century hypothesis
2) Indian burning and catastrophic fire pattern comparisons

 

CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

A.  Available Information

B.  Indian Burning Patterns

C.  Native Food Plants

D.  Prevalence of Old-growth

E.  Comparison of Indian Burning and Catastrophic Fire Patterns

F.  Value of Study
 

CHAPTER 6. RECOMMENDATIONS:

A.Additional Research

1) Carrying capacity and precontact human populations
2) Indian burning practices and wildlife habitat
3) Fire history and forest management

4) Geology and soils

B. Reintroduction of Indian-type Burning Practices

1) Aesthetics
2) Cultural landscapes
3) Fire control
4) Site preparation
5) Traditional crops
6) Weed and pest control
7) Wildlife habitat

REFERENCES

APPENDICES

 

Appendix A. Oregon Coast Range plants and animals, ca. 1750.

 

Appendix B. Oregon Coast Range landmark names, 1788 to 1951.

 

Appendix C. "The Big Fire": William Smith Interview, 1910.

 

Appendix D. Alseya Valley to Alsea Valley, 1853-1915: GLO background and index

FIGURES

 
Fig. 2.01 Grassy bald on Marys Peak, 1885.
Fig. 2.02 Sources of living memory, 1929.
Fig. 2.03 Aerial photo of Alsea, Benton Co., Oregon, 1948.

Fig. 2.04 Tsp. 14 S., Rng. 7 W. annotated GLO field notes, 1856.

Fig 2.05 Alsea North Fork ridgeline trail network, ca. 1800-2003.

Fig. 3.01 Native people of the Oregon Coast Range.
Fig. 3.02 Large wood products, Oregon Coast Range, 1788-1860.
Fig. 3.03 Sauvies Island seasonal flood, pre-1941 dike completion.
Fig. 3.04 Willamette Valley, 1845-1888.

Fig. 3.05 Soap Creek Valley, 1914-1989.
Fig. 3.06 Alsea Valley prairie relicts, 2003.

Fig. 3.07 Coos Bay, 1885.

Fig. 4.01 Precontact Douglas-fir and white oak old-growth, 1841-2003.
Fig. 4.02 Logging of Clatskanie River basin, 1895.
Fig. 4.03 Millicoma Fire reforestation, ca. 1946.
Fig. 4.04 Yaquina Burn, Toledo, Lincoln Co., Oregon, 1885.
Fig. 4.05 Yaquina and Nestucca burns, ca. 1902.
Fig. 4.06 Coos Burn, Elk Lake slide, 1894.
Fig. 4.07 Tillamook Fire mushroom cloud, 1933.
Fig. 4.08 Tillamook Burn snags, ca. 1935.

 

Fig. D.01 Aerial photo of Grass Mountain balds and trails, 1966.
Fig. D.02 Aerial photo of Prairie Peak prairies and trails, 1967.

 

 

MAPS

 

Map 1.01 Location of the Oregon Coast Range study area.
Map 1.02 Topography of the Oregon Coast Range.
Map 1.03 Rivers and counties of the Oregon Coast Range.
Map 1.04 Precipitation of the Oregon Coast Range, 1961-1990.
Map 1.05 Lightning storms in Oregon, 1925-1931.
Map 1.06 Lightning strikes in Oregon, 1992-1996.
Map 1.07 Lightning fires in Oregon, 1925-1931.
Map 1.08 Wind patterns of the Oregon Coast Range, 1850-2003.
Map 1.09 Native vegetation patterns of the Oregon Coast Range.

Map 2.01 Oregon Coast Range study index.
Map 2.02 Tsp. 14 S., Rng. 8 W. GLO subdivision and DLC survey index.
Map 2.03 Clackamas Indian village and burial ground, 1856.
Map 2.04 Tsp. 14 S., Rng. 8 W., Sec. 22 timber cruise, 1915.
Map 2.05 Oregon State Forester's 1914 Fire Map.
Map 2.06 USGS Coos Bay 30 min. quadrangle map, 1895-1896.
Map 2.07 1895-1896 USGS Coos Bay Quad GIS map.
Map 2.08 1900 USDI Forests of Oregon GIS map.
Map 2.09 1914 ODF Forest Fire GIS map.
Map 2.10 1936 PNW Forest Type GIS map.
Map 2.11 Tsp. 14 S., Rng. 8 W., "Indian Trail to Tidewater"segment, 1856.
Map 2.12 Alseya Valley towns, trails, and campgrounds, ca. 1800-1850.
Map 2.13 "Alseya Valley" land use patterns ca. 1850 GIS map.
Map 2.14 Tsp. 14 S., Rng. 8 W., Sec. 14 timber cruise map, 1915.
Map 2.15 Alsea Valley forest fire patterns, ca. 1850-1936.
Map 2.16 Alsea Valley section-scale comparisons, ca. 1850-1936.

Map 3.01 Oregon Coast Range tribes and nations, ca. 1770.
Map 3.02 Northern Coast Range landscape patterns, ca. 1800.
Map 3.03 Soap Creek Valley, ca. 1826 GIS map.
Map 3.04 Soap Creek Valley, ca. 1850 GIS map.
Map 3.05 Eastern Coast Range landscape patterns, ca. 1800.
Map 3.06 Western Coast Range landscape patterns, ca. 1800.
Map 3.07 Southern Coast Range landscape patterns, ca. 1800.

Map 4.01 Historic Oregon Coast Range forest fires, 1750-1933.
Map 4.02 Tsp. 4 N., Rng. 8 W., Sec. 35 timber cruise map, 1913.
Map 4.03 Clatsop County Tsp. 4 fire patterns, 1868-1936.
Map 4.04 Northern Oregon Coast Range forest fire patterns, 1720-1936.
Map 4.05 Clatsop County logging patterns, 1900-1940.
Map 4.06 Columbia County logging patterns, 1900-1940.
Map 4.07 Soap Creek Valley cultural forest age classes, 1650-1992.
Map 4.08 Eastern Oregon Coast Range forest fire patterns, 1720-1936.
Map 4.09 Western Oregon Coast Range forest fire patterns, 1720-1936.
Map 4.10 Siletz River basin forest fire patterns, 1849-1966.
Map 4.11 Alsea Valley forest fire patterns, 1900-1936.
Map 4.12 Alsi tribe foot, horse, and canoe trails, 1826-1853.
Map 4.13 Alsea River basin forest fire patterns, 1849-1936.
Map 4.14 Coos Bay forest fire patterns, 1895-1936.
Map 4.15 Southern Oregon Coast Range forest fire patterns, 1720-1936.

 

Map 6.01 Land ownership patterns of the Oregon Coast Range, 2003.
Map 6.02 Historical Alsea landscapes vs. federal old-growth reserves.

 

Map D.01 Alsea Valley original land surveys index.
Map D.02 Tsp. 14 S., Rng. 8 W., GLO Donation Land Claim (DLC) surveys, 1856.
Map D.03 Tsp. 15 S., Rng. 8 W., GLO survey error with corrections, 1893-1941.
Map D.04 Grass Mountain balds and trails, 1966.
Map D.05 Prairie Peak prairies and trails, 1966.

 

Map E.01 USDI BLM "Teensma" fire history maps, 1850-1940.
Map E.02 Teensma mosaic patterns: Alsea Valley, 1850-1940.
Map E.03 Pacific Ocean coastal strip comparisons, 1850-1940.

 

 

TABLES

 

Table 1.01 Oregon Coast Range seasonal climate, 1961-1990.

 

Table 2.01 Early journalists of the Oregon Coast Range, 1788-1849.

Table 2.02 Original GLO surveyors of Alseya Valley, 1853-1897.

Table 2.03 Sources and descriptions of GIS layers used for this study.

Table 2.04 Conversion of 1936 vegetation legend to 2003 GIS pattern.

 

Table 3.01 Oregon Coast Range tribes, rivers, and counties, 1770-1893.
Table 3.02 Oregon Coast Range pre-1849 Indian burning practices, pre-1849.

Table 3.03 Native plant environments of "Alseya Valley", 1853-1897.
Table 3.04 Seasonal locations of Oregon Coast Range Indian fires.
Table 3.05 Principal native food plants of the Oregon Coast Range.
Table 3.06 Principal native food animals of the Oregon Coast Range.
 

Table 4.01 Historic Oregon Coast Range forest fires, 1750-1951

Table 4.02 Historic western forest fire yearss, 1849-2003

 

Table 5.01 Comparison of Indian burning and catastrophic fire patterns

 

Table A. Native plants and animals of the Oregon Coast Range

Table B. Names on the Oregon Coast Range landscape, 1788-1951

Table B.1 American Indian names

Table B.2 Native food plant species
Table B.3 Native plant environments
Table B.4 Native plant conditions

Table G. Oregon Coast Range forest fire history, 1491-2003