Question

The Smokey the Bear campaign attempted to suppress and eliminate wildfires from forested areas altogether. Explain how fire suppression can negatively impact the health of a forest ecosystem?

Answer 1

A. Suppression allows weaker, more vulnerable trees that would have been weeded out by fire to survive.

B. Suppression leads to less diversity of tree species, so beetles spread more quickly between trees.

C. Suppression leads to equal/even-age stands of mature trees, which the beetles prefer.

1. Naturally occurring wildfires are most frequently caused by lightning

2. NATURAL forest fires can temporarily increase fertility of a region

3. burning process releases nutrients which then fertilize the soil.

3a. fire chemically converts nutrients bound in dead plant tissues and the soil surface to more available forms

3b. fire indirectly increases mineralization rates through its impacts on soil microorganisms (Schoch and Binkley 1986).

4. slash and burn process successfully clears land for agriculture and introduces fertilizing nutrients into the soil, leaving it in excellent condition to grow crops.

AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

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