International Day Of Forests : An Insight Into The Benefits Of Forest Fires

Forests are the life support system of Earth. Spread across 4 billion hectares, about 30% of the Earth’s land surface, forests are responsible for maintaining the planet’s biodiversity. Forests are home to about 50% of the planet’s plant and animal species. They also provide us with the basic necessities of life, be it air, food, water, wood, etc. On the occasion of the International day of forests, we look into the benefits of forest fires.

Even kids know these facts these days. Another thing that everybody knows is that the forests are depleting at a high rate now. They are being overexploited. Excessive deforestation has led to the extinction of various species, global warming, and animals moving to cities.  Wildfires are another cause of these adverse ecological impacts. They cause loss of – wildlife, natural regeneration, forest cover, livelihood for tribal people, natural habitat, and a lot more. However, the benefits of these wildfires are not known to many.

Today, 21st March 2022, marks the International Day of Forests. Let us have a look at the benefits of forest fires.

21 March 2021 – The International Day Of Forests – We discover how good things can come out of forest fires.

A necessary part of the ecosystem.

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— Sanely rich (@SanelyRich) March 20, 2022

• Nature has evolved with the presence of Fire

  • Helps the vegetation Process

    • When dead & decaying organic matter starts to accumulate on the ground, it creates a barrier between the organisms within the soil and animals on land. Both of them are unable to benefit from each other. This layer obstructs the growth of small and new plants as they are unable to access nutrients.
    • Fire helps clear out this dead organic matter. A “prescribed burn” is often done by humans  to only remove this layer of decayed matter in a controlled way, without harming other parts of the ecosystem. 
    • The nutrients from the burnt matter also get absorbed a lot more quickly, increasing soil fertility. One reason of adopting this strategy for ages is this benefit.

  • Survival and Reproduction of Plants & Animals

    • There are certain plants and animals that require fire to move through their stages of life
    • Plants with such requirements include certain types of lilies needing fire for germination of seeds, certain pine cones covered with pitch that needs melting for releasing the seed. Wild lupin is another plant that needs fire to maintain the ecosystem balance to survive and grow. 
    • Animals too benefit from fire with benefits these plants. Germination of pine cone trees helps the animals that have them as their home. Wild lupin mentioned above is the sole food source for the endangered  Karner blue butterfly caterpillar. 
  • We can basically see that fire has integrated itself into the food webs in such a way that it has become a need for thriving

• Low Animal Casualties

  • Though surprising, observations show that animal casualties from forest fires have been low. 
  • Animals end up surviving be either fleeing to safer regions or by burrowing themselves deep into the soil

• Eradication of Invasive Species 

  • Plants and animals that are a part of the fire-prone ecosystems have adapted to thriving in such conditions
  • Invasive species are mostly unable to recover from such happenings and are can thus be controlled or removed from the ecosystem that they have invaded

• Prevention of More Devastating Fires

  • At times, naturally occurring fires can do more damage if there have been no controlled fires before its occurrence
  • It can be due to a number of reasons, one of them being the dead & decaying organic matter. As mentioned above, this matter is simply lying on the forest land and in case no controlled fire has taken care of it, this will increase the rate and impact of naturally occurring fires. It will help naturally occurring fires move quickly and grow more. This will lead to much more damage than during a prescribed burn

So we see that it is not the Fire that is causing the damages, it is the lack of control and awareness around it. It is true that a lot of naturally occurring wildfires are capable of causing immense damage to all, but it is also true that controlling such incidents are in the hands of humans. Infact, it is our responsibility as a species capable of understanding and making decisions, to protect this ecosystem that helps us live – not just for the planet’s but also our own survival. As we look forward to the coming year, we hope to see more and more initiatives taken by individuals and organizations to protect the planet’s lungs!