Tampering with natural fire regimes in any wild land is harmful. It is especially detrimental to the hardwood forest. Humans tamper with fire regimes in 4 ways: accident, arson, 'prescribed' fire and fire suppression.
Hardwood forests are not fire adapted or fire dependent ecosystems. At most, natural forest fires occur in hardwood forests every 10-15 years. These fires are caused by lightning.
Hardwood forests have many characteristics that make them relatively impervious to fire. One characteristic is the closed canopy of a hardwood forest. This diminishes the rate of evaporation of water in a hardwood forest as well as the temperature. Another characteristic that makes hardwoods partially immune to fire is the fact that hardwoods contain minimal flammable resins as most of the moisture in a hardwood tree is in the form of water. Possibly the most important characteristic of a hardwood forest that lends it fire immunity is that hardwood forests are located in areas which receive adequate rainfall and little dry lightning. All of these characteristics of hardwood forests also make fires which do happen much less severe than in conifer forests. Prescribed burning lowers moisture levels actually making a forest more susceptible to fire.
Fires which happen too frequently (more frequently than every 10 years) in a hardwood forest devastate hardwood seedlings and saplings not by burning them but by drying them out. Fires which happen too frequently will also butt scar mature hardwood trees. This will leave them susceptible to disease and pets. Also, fires which happen too frequently will alter soil chemistry, PH and moisture in ways detrimental to deciduous trees.
The Buckeye Forest Council has this to say about prescribed burning:
This is why 'prescribed' burning, arson and accidents are a problem for broad-leaf trees. They sometimes burn too often and in the growing season.
There are conifers to which too frequent and poorly timed fires are detrimental such as spruce, cedar and fir.
The primary destructive agents of a deciduous forests duff layer are microbes and fungi not fire.
Prescribed burning favors tree species which are valuable for commercial interests especially pine. Although the quality of wood from a hardwood tree is superior to the quality of softwoods. Prescribed burning also only favors a few animal species.
Maybe just as bad as arson, 'prescribed' fire and accidental fire to a hardwood forest is the suppression of natural fires. Natural fires in a hardwood forest are infrequent enough not to be harmful. They also cause a burst in soil nutrients which is beneficial to hardwood forests.
It is possible to protect structures in a forest from fires without having to resort to prescribed burning or fire suppression. This is done by creating denfensible space. Prescribed fires have gotten out of control and damaged property. An out of control prescribed fire:
Prescribed Burn (Forest Fire) Out of Control, North Port, Florida #2 - YouTube
This is a forest after a prescribed burn.
Is this the way we want our forests to look?; burned out and devastated? This forest will takes years to recover.
Prescribed burning, arson and accidental fires pollute the air. They put sequestered carbon dioxide and toxic heavy metals back into the air. They also destroy the plant species which best removes air pollution; trees. Moreover man-made fires sometimes worsen erosion and flooding.
Prescribed burning is inappropriate in the following areas! Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Eastern Kansas, Eastern Nebraska, Eastern North Dakota, Eastern Oklahoma, Eastern South Dakota,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusettes, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York (state), Ohio, Rhode Island,
Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Hardwood forests are not fire adapted or fire dependent ecosystems. At most, natural forest fires occur in hardwood forests every 10-15 years. These fires are caused by lightning.
Hardwood forests have many characteristics that make them relatively impervious to fire. One characteristic is the closed canopy of a hardwood forest. This diminishes the rate of evaporation of water in a hardwood forest as well as the temperature. Another characteristic that makes hardwoods partially immune to fire is the fact that hardwoods contain minimal flammable resins as most of the moisture in a hardwood tree is in the form of water. Possibly the most important characteristic of a hardwood forest that lends it fire immunity is that hardwood forests are located in areas which receive adequate rainfall and little dry lightning. All of these characteristics of hardwood forests also make fires which do happen much less severe than in conifer forests. Prescribed burning lowers moisture levels actually making a forest more susceptible to fire.
Fires which happen too frequently (more frequently than every 10 years) in a hardwood forest devastate hardwood seedlings and saplings not by burning them but by drying them out. Fires which happen too frequently will also butt scar mature hardwood trees. This will leave them susceptible to disease and pets. Also, fires which happen too frequently will alter soil chemistry, PH and moisture in ways detrimental to deciduous trees.
The Buckeye Forest Council has this to say about prescribed burning:
Fires which happen in the growing season of a broad-leaf forest (Spring And Summer) are especially harmful to the trees.
This is why 'prescribed' burning, arson and accidents are a problem for broad-leaf trees. They sometimes burn too often and in the growing season.
There are conifers to which too frequent and poorly timed fires are detrimental such as spruce, cedar and fir.
The primary destructive agents of a deciduous forests duff layer are microbes and fungi not fire.
Prescribed burning favors tree species which are valuable for commercial interests especially pine. Although the quality of wood from a hardwood tree is superior to the quality of softwoods. Prescribed burning also only favors a few animal species.
Maybe just as bad as arson, 'prescribed' fire and accidental fire to a hardwood forest is the suppression of natural fires. Natural fires in a hardwood forest are infrequent enough not to be harmful. They also cause a burst in soil nutrients which is beneficial to hardwood forests.
It is possible to protect structures in a forest from fires without having to resort to prescribed burning or fire suppression. This is done by creating denfensible space. Prescribed fires have gotten out of control and damaged property. An out of control prescribed fire:
Prescribed Burn (Forest Fire) Out of Control, North Port, Florida #2 - YouTube
This is a forest after a prescribed burn.
Is this the way we want our forests to look?; burned out and devastated? This forest will takes years to recover.
Prescribed burning, arson and accidental fires pollute the air. They put sequestered carbon dioxide and toxic heavy metals back into the air. They also destroy the plant species which best removes air pollution; trees. Moreover man-made fires sometimes worsen erosion and flooding.
Prescribed burning is inappropriate in the following areas! Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Eastern Kansas, Eastern Nebraska, Eastern North Dakota, Eastern Oklahoma, Eastern South Dakota,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusettes, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York (state), Ohio, Rhode Island,
Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
