b'TABLE 1. Idaho Fires by Cause2Number of Fires by Cause with CostsGeneral Cause # of Fires % of Fires Cost % of Cost Cost/FireHUMAN\x1cCAUSEDMiscellaneous 39 32% $394,581 7.8% $10,117Camp\x1fre 25 21% $188,613 3.7% $7,545Debris Burning 20 17% $142,059 2.8% $7,103Equipment Use 20 17% $3,048,602 60.3% $152,430Arson 14 12% $1,275,938 25.2% $91,138Smoking 3 2% $5,208 0.1% $1,736Railroad 0 0% $0 0.0% $0Children 0 0% $0 0.0% $0Total Human 121 100% $5,055,001 100% $41,777HUMAN AND LIGHTNINGLightning 47 28% $217,392 4% $4,625Human 121 72% $5,055,001 96% $41,777Grand Total 168 100% $5,272,394 100% $31,383and 2007 were two of the most damaging Idahoa wildre starts, the large amounts of vegetive fuel res on record. The 1910 re that struck northerncan result in very destructive res. Furthermore, as Idaho and western Montana is considered the largestmore people move into forested areas, the risk of re, in American history, burning three million acresproperty loss, and death of human and non-human and taking 86 lives. As the communities of Idaholife increases.2expand into the wildland urban interface, more and more residents are exposed to wildre impacts. AsRangelands comprise most of the remaining non-depicted in Figure 2, the number of these damagingagricultural land in the state and predominate res is increasing. There is no county in the State ofthe Southwest, Central, and Southeast regions Idaho without a signicant wildland re hazard.2 of Idaho. Rangelands in Idaho include canyon grasslands, Palouse prairie, sagebrush-steppe, Wildres can occur anywhere and at any time withincold desert shrublands, juniper woodlands, aspen the state. Idahos climate and ecosystems varysavannahs, mountain meadows, and streamside greatly from one area of the state to another, butriparian communities. Fires are a natural disturbance there are two distinct ecosystems aected by re:that can have a positive or negative eect in forests and rangelands. Idaho has over 21 millionrangelands. In many communities, re serves a role acres of forest land, comprising over 50 percent ofin maintaining rangeland health, plant composition, the state. Forest health determines the availability ofand diversity. However, if res are too frequent fuel for wildre. With time, forests become thick withor intense, plant cover and organic matter at the excessive vegetation. Historically, wildres wouldsoil surface can be reduced. With time, repeated periodically clean out the dead trees and crowdedburning can result in severe impacts, including loss foliage, keeping forests healthy and providing newof perennial plants, an increase in invasive plants, vegetation room to grow. However, human activitiesincreased erosion, and a change in nutrient cycling. have repressed this natural burning function,Rangeland wildres can be particularly damaging to leading to unhealthy, crowded forests. Thus, onceIdahos ranching economy.298 I D A H O I N F R A S T R U C T U R E G U I D E B O O K'