Orange Skies Bring Red Rain: Understanding the Effects of Wildland Fire Chemicals to Cultural Resources

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

As of the year 2000, the total acreage burned by wildfire in the United States has more than doubled that of the previous 20-year period. Though fire poses a considerable threat to archaeological sites and other cultural resources, fire suppression actions have also proven to be damaging. Three classes of wildland fire chemicals are used in wildfire suppression, each with their own unique chemical structure and method of application. This paper presents new information on the specific chemical and physical relationships between four wildland fire chemical products and four cultural materials. Adobe, low-fired brick, ponderosa pine, and calcareous sandstone represent precontact and historic building materials found within many western and southwestern National Parks. The data presented here will inform parties responsible for heritage management of the consequences of using these chemicals. As the first phase of a two-part study by the National Park Service, this knowledge is crucial to the preservation of cultural resources impacted by wildfire.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33287