Table of Contents
Context
- Forest fires are big problems in countries like Australia and America. In India, states where forest cover is thick, like Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, and the North-East, are often prone to forest fires. During the summer, forest fires become quite rampant because the forests become littered with dry senescent leaves and twigs, which could burst into flames ignited by the slightest spark.
- Recent Amazon fires.
Nutrients
- If the rainforest burns down, all nutrients are lost because they are stored in the plants themselves, not in the soil.
- Thanks to the year-round warm and humid climate, fungi and bacteria immediately decompose fallen leaves or branches
- The thin humus layer is quickly washed out after a forest fire.
Ecosystem
- Scientists describe tropical rainforests like those in the Amazon, the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia as “fire-sensitive ecosystems.
- In the past, severe fires tended to occur less
- The plants and animals lack a natural ability to resist and recover from fires.
Cleansing properties
- As devastating as forest fires are in the rainforest, the destructive power of fire is necessary for the preservation of other ecosystems, where parts of the natural fauna and flora develop only thanks to the fires.
- Regular fires give these ecosystems their distinctive structure.
Small fires
- Rare but very intense fires are characteristic of bush landscapes or forests.
- They consume old and diseased trees
- Over time, more and more combustible material accumulates
- When fires occur too frequently humans have to intervene even in ecosystems that depend on fires.
New life
- Many plants in the southern US, in the Mediterranean region or in Australia actually need fire to survive.
- The North American lodgepole pine also needs the heat
- After a fire, without the usually dense treetops, more sunlight reaches the forest floor and the seedlings find enough nutrients because they do not have to compete with other plant species.
- Even some insect species need the fire to survive,
- Storks and birds of prey feast on beetles and insects made sluggish by the smoke after a forest fire.
Catastrop hic
- Forest fires cause 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than 30% of global carbon monoxide emissions, 10% of methane emissions and more than 85% of global soot emissions.
- They contribute greatly to global warming, Importance of local wisdom in combating forest fire
- Local wisdom is a body of knowledge which has evolved with the life experiences of people.
- Before the advent of capitalism, growth of nationalism and globalization, there were small communities which used to take care of their natural and cultural heritage. These communities constitute a group of people who share similar hopes and goals who has a sense of unity and maintain a stable identity in the face of rapid societal change.
Primary Causes of Wildfires
- Human Causes
- Natural Causes
- Types of Wildland Fires
Mitigation Strategies
- Technology
- Community Engagement
Way ahead:
- Fighting fires with minimal equipment in challenging terrain is a thankless task that poses grave risks. It is perhaps time to ask whether a strict no-fire policy is relevant in ecological and societal contexts, rather than raise ineffective questions about how forest fires can be controlled or prevented through technology.
- Instead of viewing forest fires as being purely destructive in nature, forest managers should perhaps expand their world view and be more inclusive to information from ecological and local knowledge systems that view fires as being both rejuvenating and revitalising.
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