salvage logging and fire risk
A couple things to be aware of in most any analysis of post logging fire risk.
1) There will almost always be an increase in fire risk short term with slash on the ground. Expect that slash to be there for one to two fire seasons if the sale is properly administered.
2) If that slash is not treated, the risk will be there for a long time.
3) If the fire killed plants are not salvage logged in some reasonable manner, there will be a delayed increase in the fire risk to the area when the trees start coming down that will generally exceed the risk posed in the first two points above. This delayed, no action taken, fire risk will vary in different geographic settings. The wet Oregon Coast will typically see major problems starting again in just 5 years. The drier Rockies might have their problems arise in 10-20 years and then they last until rot or more likely, fire does its thing.
1 & 2) Limb and top slash on the ground needs to be treated. Where the logging slash isn't cleaned up it also presents substantial long term concerns and deserves to be targeted by studies like Donato's. Where the USFS was proposing no slash treatment on Biscuit, it got nailed by this study.
3) Our big fires are rarely one cycle. Usually they are three events. First an insect or disease kill, then the first fire and later a second fire as all the trees killed earlier fall on the ground, (with much of their limb and top slash), and then burn hot enough to do soil sterilization etc.
The big fires like the Tillamook burns, 1910 fires of the big blow up were the first fire. They all had follow-ups.
Why, I was on the silver fire in 87 that was the fire before that gave the biscuit fire its place to shine.
What we need is a lot of acres burned lower intensity. To do this we need to be lowering the risk of a catastrophic wildfire. Then allow as many fires as we can under WFU teams (Wildfire Use Teams) or prescribed burning.