Summer of Fire

By Patricia Lauber

Subjects: Juvenile literature, Forest fires, National parks and reserves, Ecology, Yellowstone national park, Forest ecology, Yellowstone national park, juvenile literature, Forests and forestry, Fire ecology

Description: Summer of Fire Patricia Lauber Summary Setting: Summer of 1988 in Yellowstone National Park In the summer of 1988, there were many fires in Yellowstone National Park. At first, the fires were allowed to burn. Park rangers expected that the summer would be rainy as usual. The rain would dampen small fires. But the summer stayed dry and the fires were growing. Many fire fighters were brought in to try to stop the fires but they were unable to put them out. They could only try to save the important buildings in the park. Most of the fires died out when rain and snow started to fall in September. In the end, only one third of the park was damaged. In the burned areas, there was new growth. This growth led to an increase in the number of birds, animals, and other plants.