Dead trees. Pre-20th century settlers burned the forests of Patagonia at high frequencies, but the era of national parks, beginning after the 1920s, brought about a time of fire suppression.Pre-20th century settlers burned the forests of Patagonia at high frequencies, but the era of national parks, beginning after the 1920s, brought about a time of fire suppression.There has been a steady increase of fires from the 1960s to near present-day.