Playing with fire has been a phrase people seem to always mention when the topic of fire is relevant. People debate whether the idea of using controlled fires is a useful or dangerous tactic. Well the answer is that it can be both, but the positive outcomes of controlled fires outweigh the negative ones.
First of all fires can be helpful in many things like helping plant life in forest reset and thrive. Plants that have been suffocated with the dominance of other plant species finally get a chance to thrive. Also the burning of controlled fires helps prevent a disaster occurring due to a wildfire. There are many other ways forest fires are helpful such as the recycling of soil nutrients, and the clearing of area for the forest animals to find
Forest fires kill many animals and usually destroy a large amount of land. Prescribed burns seem like they would be the best idea, but are they? Their claim to fame is to clear out land in order to decrease the burning space for when an actual forest fire occurs. Yet this may seem like a brilliant idea, but one must look at the negative aspects of controlled burnings. People might have a change of heart when they realize the damages and effects of such an interesting act. Keep in mind that not only is your health involved but even such things as the inconvenience of dealing with a smoky town. It is important to understand that prescribed burns cause severe health problems especially to
There is quite a debate when it comes to the idea of controlled fires to protect nature. Many agree that the benefits out way the risks but many also believe that a controlled fire is too dangerous to take that chance. If proper steps are taken, the outcome of the process is not only safe but also effective.
Unattended wildfires have to be attended at all times because a warm breeze can blow the hot ashes and fire out of the pit. Burning debris in fire weather is very dangerous to a community because people are now burning rash and they aren’t putting them out with water and they are unaware of the weather conditions and their surroundings. Arson fires are caused by people who have had bad “moments” with other people around them. Arsonist are people who use accelerants such as gasoline and kerosene, to ignite and directionalize fires. The amount of time for an arsony is 20 years or life. The reason why arsonists set fires is pyromania. Pyromania is an obsessive desire to burn things. There are two types of pyromania: individual and environmental pyromania. Individual pyromania is when one person with this disorder sets something on fire. Environmental pyromania is when multiple disordered people set a certain amount of items on fire and this can be a high risk to others in the environment. Lightning is also a cause of wildfires because lightning is known for always striking the highest point or anything metal. Lightning rods are being used as the highest point for houses so when lightning strikes, it won’t strike anything in the house. Instead, it goes underground and won’t go electrocute anything in the
It will also produce for Nitrogen into the soil, to help more plants and vegetation grow in the future. With the Nitrogen and other additional nutrients in the soil it is helping farmers with their crops getting the nutrients it needs. Fires can also clear forests of insect infestations and potential diseases Warren (2011). Among the other benefits of prescribed burning are: Insect pest control, Removal of exotic, or non-species that compete with native species for nutrients and other needs, Fires occurring in nature can restore ecological balance and facilitate regeneration Warren
There are also so many animals that go along with the damage from the fires because they are living in the middle of it and do not have any where to go. It makes sense that actions such as controlled burns should be done because so much could be prevented. Then again there are so many people who argue against them because they are a disruption to the environment. “Fire experts argue that prescribed burns are vital for reducing the risk of catastrophic blazes and restoring ecosystems that evolved with fire” (Tobin 2). If a great deal of damage could be prevented, I do not see why there should be any concern. This is especially important when you look at what more damage is done to the environment during a huge forest fire compared to on from a petite controlled burn.
no surprise that wildfires are a huge issue in the western states. Especially on Indian Reservations. Two articles that focus on this issue are called Secretary Zinke Directs Interior Bureaus to Take aggressive Action to Prevent Wildfires, US Department of Interior & Western US Faces Wildfires Explosion by Kieran Cooke, Climate News Network. Both of these articles argue that wildfires shouldn’t become normalized and that something should be done to prevent and/or be better prepared for when wildfires occur. In essence these articles focus primarily on the amount of land burning and the effect it has on vegetation.
Beatty states "real beauty that destroys responsibility and consequences" (Bradbury) I don't agree because fire can cause destruction and pain.
Fires can either be natural or anthropogenic, which can depend on any situation. A study conducted in 2004 on a wild fire at Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, suggests that the fire can
There is big debate as to exactly when humans first discovered the controlled use of fire. Many people ask if they Uncontrolled fire was terrified in early life and still has the power to scare today. Forest fires, or houses being burnt to the ground are still huge problems. However, t were able to start it, how did they control it. We do not have any honest answers but they may have used pieces of flint to create sparks. They could have rubbed two sticks together to start a fire. The conditions of their sticks should be good for a fire.
Today due to controlling forest fires in the past overgrown shrubs now affect trees. Prescribed burnings are conducted to replenish nutrients into the soil while protecting the trees themselves. Prescribed burning is less hot and less intense so that it can be controlled.
wildfires can be very dangerous to wildlife plants people and buildings the plants help to fuel the fires and that just makes it worse than it would be in a area with a lot less brush to fuel the fire. Wildfires can be very destructive this wild fire burnt 3,000,000 acres of land that is about the size of the state
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, Wildfire means “a sweeping and destructive conflagration esp. in a wilderness or a rural area.” Also according to the same dictionary, wilderness means “a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings.” Forest Fires happen when there is a drought because branches and twigs die and dry out creating plenty of fuel for a fire. According to the NIFC (National Interagency Fire Center) there are about 105,534 wildfires that occur each year.
While not all the effects of prescribed burns are known some are very evident. The first of these common effects is that vegetation and fallen dead material are burned creating an open forest floor. This eliminates any fuel that could contribute to a high intensity fire in the future. When the fire burns the organic material in the forest, nutrient rich ash is left behind. When the first rain comes, the nutrients in the ash dissolve into the soil for the new plants to use. This process is called nutrient recycling. These nutrients left in the soil are a good source of food for the young plants that will begin to grow back. Another outcome of prescribed fire is that new growth begins immediately after the fires have been extinguished. Within
Much like all events and natural phenomena that pose a threat to civilization, humans have learned to cope with and prevent the loss of human life and destruction of property in devastating blazes that can break out seemingly at random. Fighting fires was not always the science it is today, but due to the use of new technologies and the fundamental understanding of what fire is, how it spreads, how it can kill, and how it is stopped, our protocol when dealing with fires has increased our success rate and continues to grow with applications of engineering, chemistry, and meteorology.
Humans have been changing the Western forests' fire system since the settlement by the Europeans and now we are experiencing the consequences of those changes. During the summer of 2002, 6.9 million acres of forests was burnt up in the West (Wildland Fires, 1). This figure is two times the ten year annual average, and it does not look like next summer will be any better (Wildfire Season, 1).