Environmental Impacts of fires
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Environmental Impacts of fires
Fires must be considered as part of the natural cycle of a forest. Most fires have little impact on the natural system, but they go have a huge impact on the human environment. The public conception of fire is that this is a phenomenon that needs to be prevented and that in all cases, but the truth is that in some cases the fire is an element in the development of the forest. This vision has been justified by the fact that many fires that take place in the forest are not product of a natural cycle but product of irresponsibility, causing large damages. Every year fires burns 1 % of the total surface of boreal forest. The fire affects many aspect of the ecosystem:
Fire and Erosion:
Factors that influence erosion after a fire:
Kind of soil
Vegetation
Steepness of slopes
Intensity of rainstorms
Wildfires removes protective layers of organic matter (litter, duff and humus) and heavy rains remove the soil, when this organic material burns the fire cooks the underlying mineral soil too. This phenomenon creates a water repellant film: hydrophobicity. Rain cant soak, therefore rain washes away the slopes cutting and eroding the soil. This layer depends on the intensity of the burn, soil texture and soil moisture. This film is formed when the soil is heated between 176C and 204C, and it's broken down at 288C...