An Experimental Evaluation of Pile Burning and Its Impacts on Archaeological Surface Assemblages

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

On public lands, archaeological resources are regularly taken into consideration in wildland fire operations and post-fire monitoring, however less attention is given to impacts on archeological materials during fuel treatments, such as pile burning. Decades of field and laboratory experiments coupled with the experience and insight from fireline archaeologists suggest that pile burning has the potential to result in adverse effects to cultural artifacts. This is particularly the case when piles are placed within archaeological sites and artifacts are present on or near the ground surface. In partnership with the Plumas National Forest in Northern CA, we conducted a quantitative, field-based study to evaluate the potential impact of pile burning on surface artifacts. We exposed experimentally-made basalt chipped stone artifacts to pile burning by placing artifacts directly below piles during firing operations, collected data on fuels and energy transfer during each fire, and conducted a comprehensive evaluation of fie effects on each artifact after the burn. Here we outline the effects of pile burning on basalt artifact and provide management implications that can assist heritage programs in protecting and managing cultural resources during fuel treatment operations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53271