White Mountain Forest Fires and the Creation of a National Forest (SOLD OUT)

This is the fourth in our five-part Spring Lecture Series, Natural Disasters in New Hampshire. With over 100,000 acres of timberland, the White Mountains have long been subject to forest fires as part of a natural cycle of destruction and rebirth. Intense logging practices in the latter part of the 19th century changed the ecology of the mountains, though, and made them more susceptible to massive firestorms causing unprecedented damage. In 1903 over 85,000 acres of the White Mountains burned in a series of fires that threatened entire communities and overwhelmed the haphazard fire suppression efforts available at that time. The fires prompted calls for forest protection and conservation from organizations like the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire’s Forests and the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, leading directly to the Weeks Act and the creation of the White Mountain National Forest. Naturalist and forest firefighter David Govatski will explore historic White Mountain fires starting in the 1800s and the efforts to both contain them and learn from them.

Attendees must register in advance for the series. This series is free for Society members, but space is limited and registration is required. Nonmembers are welcome to attend for a fee of $50, which includes a one-year membership to the Society.