1. Why can't burnt forests regenerate as fast as they previously have been known to do and how do scientists know that?
2. What is different between the fires occurring in the past 20 years and fires earlier in the regions history and have humans had an influence on this difference in the fires?
1. The rising temperature and dry climate causes wildfires to start and through the use of studying tree rings, scientist are able to determine that the wildfires of in past were frequent and massive by studying tree rings, but they stayed close to the ground and mainly helped prevent overcrowding. Our present day trees are not able to regenerate because over time, the trees grew from 80 trees per acre to over 1000. With so many trees crammed into the forest, fires climbed straight to the canopy instead of remaining on the ground. According to Dr. Allen, he says that these trees weren't evolved for this "kind of fire" which lead to the plant life unable to regenerate but new species moving in to take their place.
ReplyDelete2. The difference between the fires occurring in the past 20 years and fires earlier in the regions is that the the earlier fires were at the surface. The wildfires of the past were frequent and massive, but they stayed close to the ground and mainly helped prevent overcrowding. Recent fires we're not at just the surface. Since the growth of more trees, the forests are overcrowded and the fire is able to climb to the top. I think that humans did have a huge part into these fires. The dry climate was a crucial factor but human activities such as campfires may contribute to these casualties.
I don't think campfires have an impact on forest fires?
DeleteIt was only an example, I did this before school started so it was just at the top of my head.
Delete1. Fires cant regenerate because they are not used to this kind of fires and still have not evolved so they can survive after such fires. Also, fires have a lot more fuel, which means that they are no longer just an overcrowding preventer, it is now a real problem where trees cant regenerate. Scientists know this from studying tree rings, which show them that while fires were frequent and have been for a long time, they used to stay low towards the ground instead of getting to the canopy.
ReplyDelete2. Fires that occur today have a lot more fuel, 1000 trees per acre as opposed to 80, which means that fires are a lot more devastating because they no longer just prevent overcrowding. Humans have had an effect on these fires because our transportation of farm animals has eliminated a lot of grasses, which makes it easier for trees to overcrowd.
1. In the past, forest fires were frequent, but low to the ground ("surface fires"). These fires did not destroy the forests, but rather helped prevent overpopulation. Through tree ring studies, scientists have been able to conclude that in the more recent fires, because the trees are so closely packed together, the fire spreads quicker and tends to spread all the way up to the canopy of the trees. The fires are so massive and so frequent that now, it is impossible for some species of trees to repopulate themselves. As a result, other kinds of trees are being grown in the fire-prone areas because they are able to survive despite the raging frequent fires.
ReplyDelete2. The fires occurring 20 years ago were severe but low to the ground, therefore allowing trees to repopulate. Now, the fires are burning all the way up to the canopies just as severely, terminating the growth of certain trees in that particular area. Human activity does attribute greatly to these forest fires because we humans are causing global warming, which is making the climate air drier and more prone for the forests to catch fire.
1. Through extensive research in tree ring studies, scientists have been able to prove that forest fires were common in the past. The difference between then and now is tree density. Nowadays, tree density is so high that fires have the ability to spread to the top of the canopy, instead of being close to the ground. These trees burn down so quickly and make it harder for them to regenerate.
ReplyDelete2. The difference between fires 20 years ago is that the trees were more spread apart and fires were low to the ground, opposed to reaching tree canopies today. Humans had a large impact on the fires due to transportation of cattle, which overgrazed on the grass, and in turn helped stop ground fires.
1- Scientist have done research on why burnt forests can not regenerate as fast as they used to in the previous years, and have realized that trees are all so close together that the fire spreads quicker. The fire will burn the whole tree entirely, as well as the forest, very fast, sparing no tree and turning into a huge massive fire. Scientists have come to the conclusion that trees can not recover from that type of fire because every tree is burnt, and therefore it can not grow again.
ReplyDelete2- The difference between fires in the last 20 years and fires in earlier history is the space between them. Today, trees are all packed together, very close to each other, making it easier for the fire to spread high and quickly, when before, trees were further apart and fires had a harder time reaching the whole forest, staying relatively low.
Due to the greater tree density, the fires are different than they were in the past. They don't just burn the forest floor, but the trees as well. The land is then eroded, and the soil is not fertile, making it hard for new trees to grow.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between wildfires 20 years ago and now, is that the forests are old, and the trees are already dying. They burn quick, and easily. Previously, forests were regularly burned, but because they haven't recently, the old trees become dry and burn easily. This makes them much harder to control
1. Scientist have noticed that sense trees are placed so close together that the wild fires spread quicker, making is harder for trees to regenerate compared to the past because it is now easier for fires to reach the canopy of the trees (allowing for them to burn the whole tree), in contrast to it staying at the base of the tree.
ReplyDelete2. The difference between fires now and 20yrs. ago is that trees today are older and dry, and the lack of water in the trees allows for them to burn quicker and easier when the fires reach their canopies. In contrast to 20yrs ago when the fires stayed low to the ground and the trees weren't dry and were able to repopulate
1) Forests are not regenerating as quickly now as in the past, because forests did not evolve to handle fires that are not low-burning. Scientists have come to this conclusion after careful study of tree rings, and examination of what was occurring in the trees' environment during different points in history, noting that fires have increased in height.
ReplyDelete2) Fires today burn at a much greater height than fires that burned many years ago. Many scientists believe that humans played a large role in this by introducing livestock that eradicated much of the fuel that would have allowed fires to remain surface fires, making these forest fires higher and more destructive.
1) Trees have a much denser population today and fire spreads quickly. Through tree ring studies, scientists concluded that controlled burnings in the past were kept at ground levels and did not destroy whole forests. Now fires are more destructive because they use the canopy for fuel, shortening tree life-cycles.
ReplyDelete2)Earlier fires were less common and were more effective at preventing overcrowded forests. However, today fires are so constant in the Southwest that the climate itself has changed into a dry one and fires are more likely to occur without much prompting. Also, livestock have eaten grass, a key fuel keeping a fire at ground level, so fires need to rise to the canopy to get the fuel to burn.
1. Burnt forests cannot regenerate as quickly as they used to because now a days forests are more dense and therefore fires are able to spread to not just the low areas of the forest but also to the higher canopies. The forest area is then not as fertile because of the problems with soil and therefore the species that lived there aren't regenerating quickly enough and they're being taken over with new species. Scientists know this information through their intense study of tree rings.
ReplyDelete2. Wildfires in the past occurred often and they were quite large, but they stayed near to the ground and mainly helped to prevent the problem of overcrowding. Forest density went from about 80 trees per acre to over 1,000. The climate has changed from wet in to more dry, and winters especially have dried out. Humans built more railroads and therefore the spread of livestock and cattle caused the decline of grassy surface fuels.
1) Tree density has effected the rate at which the fires spread. The closer the trees, the faster the fire will spread and the greater the damage because the canopy is more accessible allowing more of the tree to be burned. Scientist can conclude this from the examination of tree rings considering the height of the fires can be deducted through this insight.
ReplyDelete2) The difference would be that earlier fires burned closer to the ground and were fueled by the dry grass at the base of the forest floor. Due to humans, cattle have eaten the grass causing the fires to burn up the trees instead of in a horizontal movement. The trees are also extremely dry and burn more fitfully.
1. Fires cannot regenerate as quickly as they used because we entered a dry period in our climate cycle. The dry period is playing a huge role because now entire forest are being burnt down due to a much denser population of trees. Dense population lets the fire spread through the canopy thus burning entire forest to the ground. The dry climate cannot support growth of an entire forest so grass is growing in its place. Scientist know this by studying tree ring so that they can determine past climates and fires.
ReplyDelete2. The difference between fires now and past fires is the devistation of forest fires now. Forest are now being wiped out. This is due to a lack of grassland in the forest thus making the forest more dense. Forest fires used to just burn on the surface because grass would be burnt. Now that the forest are more dense the fires reach the canopy and burn down the trees. Humans have played a huge role because cattle ranching has taken away the grassland that used to spread out the forest and burn rather than burning the trees.
1. Forests that have been burn't do not regenerate as quickly as before, because they arenow too dense for just the lower areas to burn- so the higher up areas burn as well. Something that also contributes to the lower and higher areas of forests is the fact that it is much drier than it has been in this cycle. Scientist know this because they have studied the tree's rings.
ReplyDelete2. A difference with fires in the last 20 years is that the forests are more dense, so there is more to burn as opposed to the lower area of the forest (dead grass, etc.). So, the fires in the last 20 years are able to spread quicker and furtheer than before. Humans are contributing to the forest fires because we are contributing to global warming which is cause drier climates and drier climates are easeir to burn (as opposed to moisturized areas).