Monday 30 June 2014

Controlled Burning and Removal of Trees Pose Little Risk to Forest Ecology

There’s hot discussion over whether or not or to not conduct controlled burning and the manual removal of trees in our nation’s forests. Supporters of those fuels reduction strategies, that take away extremely ignitable underbrush, argue that they assist lower the severity of wildfires. Meanwhile, opponents say that the treatments will hurt the atmosphere.

New analysis by scientists from the U.S. Forest Service and some universities within the U.S. and Australia has shown that prescribed burning and mechanical dilution is conducted with few negative consequences. The scientists checked out a broad vary of ecological indicators, like animal and bird diversity and soil chemical composition that helped to detail the consequences of those treatments on vegetation, soils, wildlife, bark beetles and carbon sequestration (trees’ ability to capture carbon dioxide).

They found that prescribed burning and mechanical dilution had very little or no result on a forest’s vegetation, soils, wildlife etc. In fact, these treatments exaggerated the diversity of vegetation and improved tree health, creating the trees additional resilient to beetle attacks. Life appeared unaffected or custom-made quickly to the treated areas—some birds and tiny mammals that like shady, dense surround stirred away, whereas others that like additional open environments thrived.

Some communities, notably within the western U.S., are hostile prescribed burning as a result of their involved concerning value and environmental impacts. As a result, alternative strategies to scale back the potential of wildfires, like tree removal, became enticing, particularly if forest managers will retain tree stand health. But, in reality, a mix of each prescribed burning and dilution is required to scale back the severity of wildfires in several forests. (As per the blog of USDA)