Introduction
The effects of fire on the environment and the ecosystem resources may be physical effects, biological, or even chemical. Its abiotic effects comprise the role it plays in altering the quality of air, the quality of water, the properties of soil as well as the cycling of nutrients. The biotic ones comprise the changes in vegetation and the associated impacts on flora and fauna. Fire effects come about as an outcome of an association between the heating system brought about by fire and the properties of the ecosystem. The specific fire effect on whatever components is flexible but will have to change depending on the characteristics of the site and the behavior of the fire. For instance, the effects of the burning fire in similar conditions may not be the same on soils that do not have similar textures.
It is quite important for the managers of forests to know and understand the fire effects. Fire is the basic ecosystems process in which the forest managers encounter challenges to deal with so as to achieve the objectives of the management of the ecosystem. These managers utilize fire to acquire effects that are of advantage and evade the outcomes that are not needed.
Effects of Forest Fires on Eco System
According to Gupta and Yunus (4), fire is among the greatest causes of deforestation all over the world. In the initial cultural era, the fire was the only available tool to be employed in clearing the land and making it most appropriate to facilitate easier grazing. In the current era, forest fires bring about forest deprivation by exerting prospective impact on forest crop, renewal, output, defensive power, soil, flora, and fauna. The general fire’s destruction on the forest crop is reliant on such factors as; the species that make up a portion of the crop or the forest components, the condition in which the crop is, the season and the crop’s age, and the status of the nutrients found in the soil. The breaking down of nitrogen compounds by the high temperatures brings about an additional reduction in nutrients. The forest fires bring about the great loss of flora and fauna by destroying the eggs and the young wildlife and destroying the areas in which they inhabit which is an essential component of the ecosystem of the forest.
However, according to Anon. (Wildfires 1), there has been a gathering of data by the researchers on the effects of fire on forest ecosystems. These researchers have come up with the knowledge that fires have their own positive effects and should not be completely excluded from the forests. This has resulted in coming up with a new technique referred to as prescribed fire.
In the last several years, the teams of management in forestry have realized that fire restraint has brought about quite a number of problems in the forest’s ecosystem. In the current times, it is known that fire exclusion brings about great amounts of materials that fall as well as vegetation that are thick. These materials together with the thick vegetation bring up the level of fuel on the forest’s floor and this enhances the ignition of fires. Whenever a fire is set up on the floor that is covered with large amounts of dead materials, it burns more intensely bringing about more destruction to the forest ecosystem (Rogers 7). More so, the thick vegetation has smaller trees that are found near the ground and whenever a fire is ignited, these smaller trees direct the fire to the larger older trees bringing about a crown fire.
More so, forests that have not experienced a fire for a long time may turn out to be a habitat for plant species that may not be able to adapt to fire. This is known as vegetation modification. Those plants that are able to adapt to fire possess thick barks and these barks offer protection to living tissues found inside for the heat originating from the fire. In addition, there are several species of plants that rely on heat originating from the fire that helps in the opening up of the seed cones in order to germinate. Vegetation modification affects the flora and fauna populations, diseases, the structure of the soil, and the recycling of the nutrients as well.
These issues of vegetation modification, accumulation of dead material, and the thick vegetation that are all brought about by fire suppression have triggered the turning to a technique referred to as “prescribed fire” by the managers of the forests. A prescribed fire refers to a fire that is set up by a human being or occurs naturally and is keenly controlled. The forest managers put into consideration several factors before setting up a prescribed fire. Such factors include the weather conditions, the quantity of moisture found in the dead accumulated material, the current season, the conditions of wind, humidity, and the amount of vegetation found on the floor of the forest. If all these conditions are in favor of setting up a fire, then these managers will have to plan about which area to burn.
Most of the effects of the prescribed burn are quite clear. One of these effects is that the materials found on the forest floor and the undergrowth vegetation are burned down and an open floor forest is obtained. This open forest floor does away with the likelihood of the forest experiencing an intense fire in time to come due to the absence of fuel on the floor of the forest.
After burning taking place, the ash is left and this is quite rich in nutrients. At the time when rain falls, there is the dissolving of the nutrients found in the ash in the soil which is utilized by the new plants. This is a process that is referred to as nutrient recycling. These nutrients are of great benefit to the young plants that would have to come up.
In addition, after the prescribed burn, there is a coming up of new growth just after the fires being put off. There are those that give out cones and these cones are given out at the time they are exposed to heat. This brings about the growth of new vegetation which takes advantage of the newly formed nutrients and this facilitates the thriving of the new vegetation. At this point, there is quite minimal competition for food as well as sunlight and this enables the new plants to grow at a higher rate (Anon. Role of fire in the forest ecosystems 1).
However, there have been concerns about the effects the prescribed fires can have on animals. People have raised issues that these fires might have negative effects on the animals. But on the other hand, most of the prescribed fires move quite slowly and this gives enough time for the animals to relocate to other places including those that live in the ground to dig deep in to the ground. More so, the prescribed fires are mostly set up during the seasons when the animals are taking care of the young ones or nesting. This season normally occurs in the course of the months between February to April and from September to early November. The only main threat associated with prescribed burns comes about after the burning has been carried out and the fire put off. The animals encounter hardships in the finding of food and shelter. However, majority of the animals move to the areas where burning has not occurred and later come back to inhabit their original place of stay when the vegetation has grown up.
Other concerns about the prescribed fires are in regard to air pollution. It is argued that the smoke produced during the burning brings about air pollution. This view is supported by Sandberg, Ottmar and Peterson (623) and they stress that, whereas fire is vital in bringing about the maintenance in most of the ecosystems, the emissions from the fire that pollutes air can turn out to be injurious on the health of human beings as well as their welfare. According to the aforementioned authors, the solution to this can be offered by putting in place effective programs in the management of smoke and the policies regarding the quality of the air and this has to be supported thorough research and land management agency. This solution is offered in part by the prescribed fire plan since in this plan, even if smoke is let into the atmosphere, this can not measure up to the level of smoke that is released in the conditions that are not controlled.
Conclusion
To this end, it has been realized that forest fires have both negative and positive effects on the ecosystem. However, there should be a distinction between wild fires and prescribed fires. The wildfires can be quite destructive to the ecosystem but on the other hand, the prescribed fires have several benefits as it has been seen. Therefore, this calls for the need to take control of the burning of fires in our forests, putting them at a particular limit. The forest managers should go on letting the prescribed fires to burn in order to ensure the sustainability of the forest ecosystem.
In conclusion, even if the long term effects of the prescribed fires are not well identified, the available evidence indicates that the benefits that come from a plan for prescribed fires are more than the benefits that could be derived in a case where such a plan is not put in place. There should be carrying out of more improvements in order to maintain fire prescription as an important practice. More research should be carried out in regard to the long term effects of the prescribed fires. More so, there should be rising of the public awareness about prescribed fires. This is a point where human beings should come to a realization that fire gave shape to the forests that are seen nowadays and there should be no letting the forest ecosystems to gradually diminish away.
Works Cited
Anon. Role of fire in the forest ecosystems, Slideshare Inc. 2009. Web.
Anon. Wildfires. Ajwaters. 2010. Web.
Gupta Anil K. and Yunus, M., Forest fire and ecosystem-health, Environews. 1998. Web.
Rogers, Chris. How does fire affect the ecosystem? eHow Inc. 2010. Web.
Sandberg D, Ottmar R, and Peterson J. Fire Effects on Air quality. Forest Encyclopedia Network. 2008. Web.