Firefighters spraying foam

Firefighters spraying foam

A wildland firefighting crew uses a fire-retardant foam to extinguish flames on a YCC dormitory at Mammoth Hot Springs. Yellowstone's fire policy came under heavy criticism during the summer of 1988, as firefighters adopted a "let it burn" strategy that skeptics deemed "ecological idealism." The general public had yet to embrace the emergent concept of fire-dependent ecosystems, as the Chicago Tribune made clear with the condescending remark that "the theory that fire is an essential part of the ecosystem sounds almost poetic."

Jim Peaco

Yellowstone Digital Slide Files archives

1988-9-10