Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
Even as forest fires destroy trees, they also help the forests to be reborn and support a healthy ecosystem.
Key Points:
- Wildfires help the forests, even though that seems counterintuitive.
- Over time, generations of lodge pole pines grow up and shade the forest floor, making it difficult for new trees to grow from the typical seeds that the tree releases. The tree has adapted to produce a second type of pinecone that protects its seeds until the heat of a forest fire causes it to release.
- After a forest fire, carbon-rich soil and wide open sunlight help seeds to germinate quickly and produce a new forest.
- Fires are also important for the wider ecosystem, since animals are dependent upon a healthy forest.
Quote This:
I’d rather fight a hundred structure fires than a wildfire. With a structure fire you know where your flames are, but in the woods it can move anywhere; it can come right up behind you. -Tom Watson
Talk About It
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What’s your favorite forest or national park, and why? Share a story about it.
- Describe the two types of pine cones on lodgepole pines. How do you think there came to be both types?
- In the forest, death gives birth to life. How is this pattern seen in other areas of life or culture?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
