Life From the Flames

As we travel a few months deeper into our local fire season the signs of fire are around us. We experience glowing orange sunsets, tinted from smoke in the air from fires nearby. We hear airplanes buzzing overhead and as we look up we see the tell tail orange swath on the belly of the fire planes above. We read of evacuations, lost homes and fires growing to astronomic size. In the midst of all this is there any way we could see a fire as beneficial?

Fire can actually be beneficial and fire is in fact a key component to the life cycle of the giant Sequoia trees. Sequoias actually rely on fire to help them release and deposit their seed to ensure the trees can reproduced into the future. Did you know?

• Sequoias have the thickest bark of any tree in existence. It can reach 2 feet or more at the base of the tree. This thickness prevents the heat from reaching the interior of the tree
• Sequoias cones actually need fire to allow the cones to release the seeds protected by the cones. Without fire, the seeds cannot escape…..a fact unknown until a few decades ago.
• The fire in a sequoia stand also helps clear the soil so the newly released sequoia seed can germinate and grow.
• Sequoias are one of the longest living things on earth, as such, they have withstood countless fires and some have existed for thousands of years.

Unfortunately, years or mismanagement and decades of uninformed fire management practices have come to a head in a perfect storm. Fire loads in some areas are too high and in turn, fires grow wildly out of control as they consume countless acres. Unfortunately, it will take time for these areas to recover, and some may never regain ground. In all of this it is important to remember that fire isn't always bad but it does take finding that balance between meeting the needs and demands of humans and doing what is best from and ecological perspective. 

So, as we watch the next news story, glowing sunset or hear the fire tanker fly overhead, remember that while fires are traditionally seen as destructive and “bad” they can in fact bring new life to a tree that is the symbol of Yosemite Valley.