Benefits of Natural Forest Fires to Forest Ecology
Introduction
Since its discovery, fire has fascinated man with its potential. Fire provides light and heat and while it destroys some things that come in contact with it, it is also capable of metamorphosing other things for the overall benefit of life. Natural fires are a routine occurrence in forested areas, especially during hot and dry weather conditions or due to lightning strikes. In the summer of 1988, for example, 42 instances of forest fires were caused by lightning strikes in the Yellowstone National Park which resulted in the burning of about 793,880 acres of the park, loss of 300 large mammals (elks, bison, deer and moose), and costed over $120 million in firefighting efforts …show more content…
In addition, forest fires can also be increasingly dangerous to humans as more and more forest areas are being encroached upon for residential and agricultural purposes. However, such policies often suppress natural wildfires as well and over time, can have adverse consequences. Firstly, suppression can result in overgrowth of forested areas with native and non-native species. This would also provide environmental conditions that would require plants to adapt and change their native characteristics. This could in turn affect the ecology of the region as old ties in the ecosystem are broken and new ones are formed. In the example of the non-native toadflax given previously, the poisonous nature of the plant allows it to out-compete native species that serve as food for local fauna. In time, the presence of these plants can drive out native fauna from the region, affecting the other levels of the ecosystem as …show more content…
However, this does not mean that forest fires must be openly and excessively advocated. Forest fires are destructive, especially in the light of human encroachment in forested regions. Hence, to benefit from forest fires, effective firefighting procedures should be in place that can control the fire and supervise its burning. Each forest fire is different however, and each must be monitored to ensure the prevention of adverse effects. Monitoring fires on such a large-scale will involve trained personnel and equipment and will require nation-level funding allocations by the government. While these may be considered excessive under certain circumstances, such procedures ultimately save a lot of money and allow for the preservation of biodiversity in forests, which translates into economic
Introduction
Since its discovery, fire has fascinated man with its potential. Fire provides light and heat and while it destroys some things that come in contact with it, it is also capable of metamorphosing other things for the overall benefit of life. Natural fires are a routine occurrence in forested areas, especially during hot and dry weather conditions or due to lightning strikes. In the summer of 1988, for example, 42 instances of forest fires were caused by lightning strikes in the Yellowstone National Park which resulted in the burning of about 793,880 acres of the park, loss of 300 large mammals (elks, bison, deer and moose), and costed over $120 million in firefighting efforts …show more content…
In addition, forest fires can also be increasingly dangerous to humans as more and more forest areas are being encroached upon for residential and agricultural purposes. However, such policies often suppress natural wildfires as well and over time, can have adverse consequences. Firstly, suppression can result in overgrowth of forested areas with native and non-native species. This would also provide environmental conditions that would require plants to adapt and change their native characteristics. This could in turn affect the ecology of the region as old ties in the ecosystem are broken and new ones are formed. In the example of the non-native toadflax given previously, the poisonous nature of the plant allows it to out-compete native species that serve as food for local fauna. In time, the presence of these plants can drive out native fauna from the region, affecting the other levels of the ecosystem as …show more content…
However, this does not mean that forest fires must be openly and excessively advocated. Forest fires are destructive, especially in the light of human encroachment in forested regions. Hence, to benefit from forest fires, effective firefighting procedures should be in place that can control the fire and supervise its burning. Each forest fire is different however, and each must be monitored to ensure the prevention of adverse effects. Monitoring fires on such a large-scale will involve trained personnel and equipment and will require nation-level funding allocations by the government. While these may be considered excessive under certain circumstances, such procedures ultimately save a lot of money and allow for the preservation of biodiversity in forests, which translates into economic