Burning benefits

Terrifying, but cleansing

THE giant wildfire that raged recently through the Canadian province of Alberta, forcing more than 80,000 people to flee their homes, was caused in part by global warming producing drier conditions. Yet conservation efforts to prevent burning have not helped either, say some experts. Forests can regenerate after being burnt, with much of the tinder-like underbrush being cleared away and dense tree canopies broken up so that young trees can get the sunlight they need to grow. Now a new study finds that fires, whether started naturally or under controlled conditions, can also thwart nasty insect infestations.

Like many useful discoveries, this one came about somewhat by accident. Sharon Hood of the US Forest Service was working with the University of Montana and colleagues on the ecology of a forest in western Montana that had been managed in a number of ways to make it more resistant to fire. They were monitoring areas that had been thinned to open up the canopy, exposed to controlled burns to remove ground growth, or both. To provide a control area for comparison, the team also kept an eye on part of…Continue reading
Source: Economist