Special Interest: Forest Fires
Forest fires at Glacier National Park are a natural part of the environment. These fires are necessary for a forest to remain healthy and diverse. Forest fires also give other plants room to grow. Forests that usually experience daily fires tend to be more defiant to drought and insect invasions. Glacier National Park receives about 14 fires each summer. Most of these fires are caused by lightning. Unless these fires are completely out of control or threaten lives and important structures, they are left to burn out themselves. By doing this, it shapes the landscape of the park in which nature intended. The most remembered and significant fire season was in the summer of 2003. One of its major blazes was called the Robert Fire. The Robert Fire started in late July, 2003. It burned much of the Apgar Mountain. These series of fires in 2003 burned over 135,000 acres of forest.
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