New research is revealing how plant seeds depend on smoke and even heat from fires to get them to sprout. It's a smart strategy for the seed, of course: smoke comes from fires, and fires mean that the soil is probably fertile with new ash. Plus, if weeds and grass have been burned to the ground, a new seed will have little competition.
This is yet more evidence supporting the view I've long held on forest fires: let them burn, folks. Extinguishing forest fires is a bad strategy for preventing them. If you keep putting out the fires, they'll just get bigger when they do burn through. And while trees can easily survive a typical fire, if the underbrush has built up for too long (thanks to humans putting out all the fires), when it lights up, it will kill all the trees and devastate the forest.
The nation learned this in 1988 when a raging fire burned up a third of Yellowstone National Park. If they had let previous fires burn through the forest, the 1988 fire would have been no big deal.
It is the epitome of arrogance when humans think they have the right to go into forests and extinguish fires. They think they know better than nature? Nature has been starting fires (thanks to lightning) for as long as there have been trees. And now, all of a sudden, man comes along and thinks he should be putting out all those fires?
Let me tell you something: nature knows what works best, and forests are supposed to burn every few years. It's absolutely essential for the health of the forest, and as we see from this research, it's also the only way many trees can reproduce.
In fact, and this may sound radical, but it isn't, a person who starts a forest fire where other people have been artificially extinguishing them is actually helping the forest. Of course, the best policy is to just let lightning do the job for you, then stand back and let it burn. Just because there's a fire doesn't mean it's bad.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also a veteran of the software technology industry, having founded a personalized mass email software product used to deliver email newsletters to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Monday, July 12, 2004
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