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Yellowstone National Park Heritage and Research Center

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Yellowstone National Park Oral Histories

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Yellowstone National Park

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Donald "Don" Despain oral history interview

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DescriptionDon Despain was an ecologist for Yellowstone National Park in 1988, specializing in fire ecology. This interview covers Despain’s background, his involvement with the 1988 fires and observations on the regenerative effects of forest fires. Despain describes the research opportunities created by the Park Service’s decision to abandon total suppression and his early fire studies in Yellowstone in the 1970s. In 1988, extraordinary weather conditions challenge the predictions Despain created from his earlier studies. Despain recounts his duties during the fires as a fire behavior officer, and describes the futility of most firefighting efforts in the park in the face of persistently dry conditions. He also describes the difficulty of public relations given the emotional reaction to the fires and poor understanding of fire ecology in the general public. Finally, Despain reflects on observing the park’s forests recover after the fire including detailed descriptions of plant succession, lodgepole pine propagation, continued soil fertility, and benefits to animal species. Throughout, Despain maintains the beneficial effect of fire to long term forest health.TypeSoundCreatorDespain, Don G.Genresound recordingsLanguageengDate2014-8-12SubjectOral historyYellowstone National Park--History--AnecdotesForest fires--Yellowstone National ParkYellowstone National Park--Fire, 1988--Personal narrativesContributing InstitutionYellowstone National Park Heritage and Research CenterGeographic CoverageYellowstone National Park; Greater Yellowstone EcosystemDigital CollectionYellowstone National Park Oral HistoriesDigital Formataudio/mp3Digitization SpecificationsTransferred from audio cassette using TEAC recorder/player. Edited for clarity using Audacity software.Physical Collection1988 Fire 25th Anniversary Oral History Project

CollectionYellowstone National Park Oral HistoriesLocationYellowstone National Park

YELL215280-OH5_Despain_EditUse.mp3

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Donald "Don" Despain oral history interview

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