Ecology Reseacrh Paper - Forest Fires, an Endless Problem

Forest Fires, an Endless Problem? In recent years we have witnessed and heard about forest fires that are becoming more frequent and are even generated in places where they have never occurred before. The main reason for this variation is due to climate change1. My research question for this research is what would be the best way to deal with forest fires? Although it is known that Forest Fire Is caused when a source of fire or any source of ignition comes into contact with flammable material, it should also be mentioned that there are fires that are controlled which are produced by man to reduce the risks of uncontrollable and high-risk fires2. With these prescribed fires, the nutrients of the soil are also renewed, thus allowing the opportunity for new plantations. So, if humans also cause fires that are beneficial, why are non-human caused fires risky? Naturally occurring forest fires can become wildfires if not reduced. But to avoid this, planned fires can become the solution since they reduce the life and fuel of wildfires. The fact that planned fires help forest health3 and us, humans, by reducing the risk of wildfires does not mean that we should not be careful with nature and the products we use that could be the cause of a wildfire. In 2015, Washington had 1,084 wildfires caused by humans and 457 wildfires caused by lightning strikes4. According to Living With Fire and the Need for Diversity5, an article published in March 2022, certain measures have been studied that can help humans not to fight against but rather to live with forest fires. This research refers to the fact of adapting to the existence of these fires because they are considered and are already accepted as natural disasters that will occur in one way or another regardless of human intervention. Instead of continuing to spend fortunes trying to fight and suppress the fire, Stoof and Kettridge suggest finding ways so that its existence doesn't affect humans as much as it does today. For this, the researchers of this article have reached the conclusion that changes need to be made regarding the exchange of ideas, plans, and measures between different regions and countries; change the technique of fighting the fire to adapt to its existence; unite experts studying forest fires and wildfire community scientists studying ways to reduce them; finally, the inclusion of new perspectives that lead to new techniques and conclusions. The need for communication and alliance is necessary between the different communities since this disaster does not occur only in one part of the world, but there are many points in different countries and different continents where serious cases of forest fires are seen. This is why, if the scientific community from all these places comes together, the advances that could be made could benefit the affected areas to find ways to deal with wildfires. This article also discusses the fact that even though forest fires have occurred since before the existence of humans, they are still not treated as unavoidable natural disasters. Humans have taken measures for other disasters such as floods and have created systems that allow affected communities to deal with these situations. If wildfires were taken as inevitable, perhaps scientists could think of ways to reduce the risks to communities instead of trying tirelessly to fight them. If effective measures were tried that would allow us to deal without having to fight the fire, we could finally stop worrying about fire seasons and be prepared for events. Equally necessary is the unity of theories between the practitioners, who are in charge of fighting fires and suppressing them, and the scientists who analyze the ways of dealing with fires with data. These two branches of the wildfire community could come up with more effective results and measures if they unite and work together with all the information regarding research, data collection, and experimentation. Finally, the inclusion of all ideas and ways of thinking is necessary in order to experiment and rule out all possible solutions regarding forest fires. If it is well known that fire companies have mostly male representatives, it is time that any member of the community who is interested in contributing to this cause be given the opportunity regardless of their gender, race, age, belief, or condition. Each and every one of the minds that can contribute more information and different points of view must be taken into consideration and should not be limited if it is for the benefit of our community. Humans definitely can't keep fighting wildfires. The monetary damages become more and more serious. To get an idea of this impact, a graph made by the U.S. Forest Service provided by Climate Central tells us that in 2018 it spent $3.5 billion trying to suppress wildfires, and approximately $500 million promoting planned fires. as well as the risk that cities are threatened by the attempt to suppress these fires6. In the research that I did this semester I was able to find a connection between the situation that occurred between planned fires and the creation of ecosystems in New York City. Prescribed fires shape ecosystems serving as an agent of renewal and change as well as sustainable ecosystems that have developed in various parts of the island of Manhattan where it is about reversing the fact that Manna-Hatta has become the urban city and full of skyscrapers that we have today7. In both cases, new ecosystems are being given the opportunity to flourish and expand.