Effects of Fire on Aesthetics

The effect of fires on the aesthetic quality of a forest may be positive or negative, depending largely on personal opinion. Personal reactions will depend on observer distance, duration or viewing time, and aspect; these observer criteria must be understood if reactions to a burn are to be predicted. In many cases, forest aesthetics are enhanced by fire through increased visual variety, visual penetration, plant diversity, flowering, and wildlife densities. The more immediate unfavorable impacts, such as smoke and ash, top-killed understory plants, and a blackened forest floor, are generally brief (Wade and Lundsford 1988).

Wade and Lundsford (1988) suggest that many undesirable impacts can be minimized by considering scenic qualities when planning a burn. For example, the apparent size of a burn can be reduced by leaving unburned islands to create a mosaic of burned and unburned areas; these unburned patches should be large enough to be relevant to observers. Precautions should be taken along roadsides to prevent the intense fires and associated tree trunk char and needle scorch that usually occur with increased turbulence and updrafts near roadways (Wade and Lundsford 1988).