We have all heard of the disastrous effects of forest fires, and perhaps even witnessed their destruction. Even though forest fires are thought of as a natural disturbance, and not a disaster, they are still capable of inflicting damage. Many factors can influence the start of a forest fire, rate at which it spreads, and the ultimate damage inflicted. Much of these factors however, have to do with the morphology of the primary species involved, and the time of the year. This means that in thinking of how to prepare for the forest fire season, there are precautions we can take in different areas to help ward off the flames.
In a recent publication in the Journal of Plant Biology, Seo and Choung record their findings of the differences that account for the increased frequency of fire in PInus densiflora stands as opposed to Quercus variabilis stands, and the associated damage in Korea. There was found to be a larger coverage percentage of the shrub layers of the trees for the pine forests than in the Q. variabilis, or oak stands, due to associated plants of each type of forest. The low hanging branches of the pine species, as well as the thinner bark also contribute to its likelihood to set fire and maintain a higher intensity especially in the dry season of Spring. These factors coupled with the associated lower level shrubs increase the chance of a vertical spread of the flame in the P. densiflora to completely engulf the forests.
Some suggested steps to take at this point is to reduce the overall amount of P. densiflora so that the damage could be reduced. In fact, the authors make a suggestion that firebreak stands should be introduced to the area by human doing if natural means do not account in the future regrowth of the recent 24,000Ha(240,000,000m) fire. The steps to take around the world whether with these species or other similar dry forests are to include firebreak stands. It is likely that such fiery natural disturbances can be somewhat unavoidable. One could wonder if there are possibilities in the future to reduce such effects of forest fire.
Posted by Michael Dailing(4-A)
This is an interesting article because it attempts to identify and mitigate a very real world problem with a relatively simple solution. It makes sense that different kinds of trees would have different vulnerabilities/likelihoods to forest fires. Encouraging one type of tree over another seems like an easy way to minimize forest fires. I would be curious to find out how well it works in a real world test.
ReplyDeletePosted by Kirk MacKinnon
So far it seems that optimizing a forest to include much variety helps to at least create some firebreak sections in the different stands.
DeleteI agree. This definitely would be a great of research to see in the real world(as I am sure there are many researchers working on this issue) due to its immediate application
Posted by Michael Dailing
Preventing forest fires, or even containing them has always been an odd scientific topic. In nature forest fires happen periodically and are in many ways a part of natural forest life. For example there are several tree species that will only drop their seeds after the intense heat of a forest fire. In this sense, preventing forest fires is actually removing an important part of the life cycle of a forest. Also, it can be argued that forest fires can never be prevented entirely. In fact, the record setting intensity of the more recent California wildfires has been blamed on fire prevention efforts allowing brush and other flammable material to build up to levels never seen normally. Once this increased brush catches it burns more intensely, so the fire spreads further and does more damage. Human interests still need to be protected however, so more intelligent forest management (possibly with these firebreak stands) and fire control will be needed in the future.
ReplyDelete-Stephen O'Brien
Definitely true Stephen, I do not think the authors were suggesting a complete reduction of forest fires, nor do they think that it is even possible as you mentioned. It seems the main concern was to reduce the amount of damage in Korea where these stands of pines are a leading cause to tremendous amount of fires where so hundreds of thousands of square kilometers can be burned in a year.
DeletePosted by Michael Dailing
This a very thought provoking in the fact that it makes me think of why would this particular tree would be to susceptible to catching fire? Is the dryness an evolutionary adaption to make sure succession occur? What is your thought on the matter?
ReplyDeletePosted by Jacob Geier