A wildfire or forest fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, prairie fire, vegetation fire, or veld fire. Some natural forest ecosystems like chaparral depend on wildfires. Wildfires are different from controlled or prescribed burning, which are carried out to provide a benefit for people. Modern forest management often engages in prescribed burns to mitigate fire risk and promote natural forest cycles. However, controlled burns can turn into wildfires by mistake. Sometimes lightning strikes will catch plants on fire. However, this only accounts for a small portion of fires. Humans are the causes of many wildfires. A match, cigarette, or campfire left carelessly may cause a huge fire that is very hard to put out. In my opinion, I think wildfires are good.
Firstly, wildfires can control plant growth. We all know that plants absorb nutrients from the soil. They absorb sunlight, which can be very lasting, and water, which is extremely crucial to plant growth. Some plants can grow rapidly and others can grow as slow as a snail. For example, Aloe Vera takes about 3 to 4 years to reach full maturity while it just takes 45-50 days to grow a Rose plant (there are certain universal factors that can let the plant grow faster and stronger than any indoor or outdoor plant). The shrub plants in the chaparral ecosystem can grow very fast. If there are no wildfires, the plants may over grow and take out the other plants’ “territory”. If larger wildfires happen, the widespread shrubs may be a source of flammable material. Small wildfires can control the overgrowth of plants but larger ones may cause severe damage.
Secondly, wildfires can improve the habitat for organisms. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, wildfires can control plant growth. They can burn out the overgrown plants and leave space for other plants to grow. Wildfires can make soil fertility increase, which is crucial to plant growth. They can also release some essential chemicals. Ashes that the fire leaves behind fertilize the soil for the seeds to grow. For example, some species like the jack pine, rely on fire to release their seeds. Burning also may change the forest’s landscape which may be beneficial to animals. They could build new homes better than their old ones. Some animal predators even capitalize on the fire, and have been observed hunting smaller animals who are fleeing the fire. Even though wildfires can have a bad impact on humans, other living organisms have different opinions.
Lastly, wildfires can make exploring forests more convenient. Exploring the wilderness is crucial. Humans never stopped exploring yet. There are still many places not discovered. For example, there might be larger and stunning caves under a normal cave. Many forests are still hard to explore. Wildfires helped humans. After the massive burn, the forest nearest to humans will have an opening, which is a path in. This will make exploring the forest easier. Besides making openings, the fire also made wandering in the forest less scary. low-damage fires can help thin the canopy, which is the forest’s top made out of leaves from trees, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor. This is also a benefit for plants as the soil receives more sunlight. Wildfire helps human exploration.
In conclusion, wildfires are unplanned or uncontrolled natural disasters which happen in a specific area. Even though they can destroy and burn everything in their path, some ecosystems like chaparral ecosystems need them to control plant growth. In my opinion, I think wildfires are good for three reasons. Firstly, wildfires can restrict plant growth to make less flammable materials . Secondly, wildfires can be an advantage to plants and animals. Last but not least, wildfires’ burning is essential to human exploration.
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