Fire effects on cultural resources in Grand Canyon National Park

Bahin, Colin Chapman (2023) Fire effects on cultural resources in Grand Canyon National Park. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Fire archaeology is a relatively new discipline that is underrepresented in anthropological literature. The purpose of this study is to quantify how fire affects cultural resources found on the north and south rims of Grand Canyon National Park. The primary objective of this analysis is to determine whether certain fire or archaeological variables indicate more severe impact on cultural resources from fire events. Twenty-eight pre-contact, multi-component, and historical archaeological sites from both the north rim and south rim of Grand Canyon National Park were visited over the course of the summer and fall of 2022. Standardized post-fire assessment forms and post-fire monitoring forms make up the dataset for this study, producing variables including fire type, site type, fire severity, and level of impact to site integrity. Each of these 28 sites were burned over by either wildland fires or prescribed fires of differing severities over the past several decades. Results produced using IBM SPSS statistics software suggest no statistically significant correlations between fire type, site type, fire severity, and impact to site. These results imply a sense of resilience that certain archaeological artifacts can have in response to fire. It is important for fire managers and fireline resource advisors (READs) to understand these implications, as fire personnel can be assigned to areas they are needed most when there is an understanding of what resources can burn during an incident, and which cannot. Keywords: fire archaeology, IBM SPSS Statistics, cultural resources and fire, Grand Canyon National Park

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Cultural resources and fire; Fire Archaeology; Fire effects; Grand Canyon National Park
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Anthropology
Date Deposited:	03 Aug 2023 16:14
Last Modified:	03 Aug 2023 16:14
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6082

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