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CHAPTER 15. WILDFIRE <br />15-7 <br />given to the pattern, frequency, and intensity of the bushfires and wildfires that naturally occur in a <br />particular ecosystem over an extended period of time. It is an integral part of fire ecology and renewal for <br />certain types of ecosystems. If fires are too frequent, plants may be killed before they have matured, or <br />before they have set sufficient seed to ensure population recovery. If fires are too infrequent, plants may <br />mature, deteriorate with age, and die without ever releasing their seed. <br /> <br />Figure 15-5. Kittitas County Mean Fire Return Interval <br />15.2.5 Frequency <br />Natural fire rotation (NFR) is defined as the number of years necessary for fires to burn over an area eq ual <br />to that of the study area. NFR is calculated from the historical record of fires by dividing the length of the <br />record period in years by the percentage of total area burned during that period. Since 1990, Kittitas County <br />has seen an average of 36 wildfires per year, totaling about 500 acres burned each year. This yields an NFR <br />for Kittitas County of 2,571 years. According to the national Landfire database prepared by the U.S. <br />Departments of Interior and Agriculture, the average burn recurrence interval for the planning area is 65 <br />years. This represents the average period between fires under a presumed historical fire regime. <br />15.2.6 Severity <br />Potential losses from wildfire include human life, structures and other improvements, and natural resources. <br />There are no recorded incidents of loss of life from wildfires in Kittitas County. Given the immediate