If we clear underbrush from forest floors, how will our actions justify animal habitats and the severity of forest fires?
Answers
What is fire ecology?
Fire ecology is a branch of ecology that focuses on the origins of wildland fire and it’s relationship to the environment that surrounds it, both living and non-living. A wildland fire is defined as any fire that is burning in a natural environment. Fire ecologists recognize that fire is a natural process, and that it often operates as an integral part of the ecosystem in which it occurs.
The main factors that are looked at in fire ecology are fire dependence and adaptation of plants and animals, fire history, fire regime and fire effects on ecosystems.
Fire dependence
In the 1930’s, researchers in the southern United States argued against the negative perspective that has surrounded fire, with the belief that all fire is bad. It was realized that the devastating picture painted by huge-scale fires produced fear in the minds of the public (and in politicians and scientists alike), and that this generated detrimental results in response to any wildland fires. These researchers recognized that there are species of plants that rely upon the effects of fire to make the environment more hospitable for regeneration and growth. Fire in these environments prepares the soil for seeding by creating an open seedbed, making nutrients more available for uptake and often killing plants that are invading into the habitat and competing with native species.
Fire history
Fire history deals with how often fires have occurred in a given geographical area. Through recorded history, we can see into the recent past, but trees are our source of information on fires in the distant past. Trees record their history through a system of growth rings that develop on the trees each year. When a fire goes through an area, the growth rings of that particular tree may be scarred. On live trees this is called a fire scar. Fire scars can also be seen on dead trees. Tree origin dates (calculated from the total number of rings) can also tell when fires occurred, in that fires gave way for these new trees to develop. The study of growth rings is called dendrochronology. Utilizing dendrochronology, we can determine when fires have occurred in the past, and sometimes determine their intensity and direction as well as other information about the weather patterns in that era.
Fire regime
Fire regime refers to the patterns of fire that occur over long periods of time, and the immediate effects of fire in the ecosystem in which it occurs. There are many ways to define a fire regime. Fire regime is a function of the frequency of fire occurrence, fire intensity and the amount of fuel consumed. The frequency is determined largely by the ecosystem characteristics, the duration and character of the weather (whether the season is drier or wetter than normal, etc.) and ignition sources. The intensity of a fire is determined by the quantity of fuel available, the fuel’s combustion rates and existing weather conditions. Interactions between frequency and intensity are influenced by wind, topography and fire history. There are many other factors that can come into play when talking of fire regimes, though this simple definition will work for most cases.
Causes of fire
Approximately 90% of fires in the last decade have been human-caused, either through negligence, accident or intentional arson. Some of the fires caused by accidents and negligent acts are through unattended campfires, sparks, irresponsibly discarded cigarettes and burning debris. The remaining 10% of fires are caused by lightning strikes, which are especially prevalent in the Western United States and Alaska.
cause little soil damage. There is also the potential for alien plants to become established after fire in previously uninfested areas.