Abstract
The relationship between land use and forest fires by both Native and Euro-Americans were studied in the Blue River watershed in the western Cascades. We examined possible interactions of land use and fire based on the location and timing of origin of even-aged forest stands mapped by interpretation of aerial photographs. Human-caused fires played no detected roles in the Native American period (pre-1930). In the period of Euro-American land uses forests near major highways (beginning in the 1860’s) and a mining area (1921-1930) experienced extensive known or probable human-caused fires. A high incidence of fire corresponding with timing of sheep grazing was limited to the period 1861-1880.
