controlled burns
Bio 104
This past Thursday we went to the Columbus Museum and listened to a lecture over the preservation and restoration of vast amounts of woodlands by controlled burning of the land. At first I didn’t know that this was an actual way to restore woodland back to a controlled state, but as I listened to the speaker throughout his presentation it was becoming clearer that this is also the most effective ways. The two main points I learned were that there are intentional controlled burns and that it is actually good for the environment an ecosystem surrounding the area.
Before this presentation, I had no clue that there was such a thing as a controlled burning of forests and woodlands. I thought the only kinds of forests fires were bad forest fires, until I heard it from a professional. He taught me that there are actually two sources of ignition for forest fires. One that is natural, or caused by lightning, and another intentionally caused by trained men and women to keep the woodland/forest from overgrowing, preserving certain types of pines, and help hunting.
Probably the most shocking thing I learned during all this was that some fires and controlled burns are actually good for not only the woods itself but it is also beneficial to the surrounding ecosystem. The burns prevent the forest from becoming overgrown, and make them unmanageable. Burns also help to get rid of the bottomland species that seem to dominate most forest floors. We were also made aware that the best time to burn is during the lightning season, and that most woodland needed to be burned about once every third year.
So in conclusion, after the presentation I felt very informed about this new subject. I would even like to think that I could set up a controlled burn, and follow all procedures to make it a beneficial one. This new information has made me look differently at the very woods behind my house and think that they could use a good burning themselves. Moreover, I hope in the
This past Thursday we went to the Columbus Museum and listened to a lecture over the preservation and restoration of vast amounts of woodlands by controlled burning of the land. At first I didn’t know that this was an actual way to restore woodland back to a controlled state, but as I listened to the speaker throughout his presentation it was becoming clearer that this is also the most effective ways. The two main points I learned were that there are intentional controlled burns and that it is actually good for the environment an ecosystem surrounding the area.
Before this presentation, I had no clue that there was such a thing as a controlled burning of forests and woodlands. I thought the only kinds of forests fires were bad forest fires, until I heard it from a professional. He taught me that there are actually two sources of ignition for forest fires. One that is natural, or caused by lightning, and another intentionally caused by trained men and women to keep the woodland/forest from overgrowing, preserving certain types of pines, and help hunting.
Probably the most shocking thing I learned during all this was that some fires and controlled burns are actually good for not only the woods itself but it is also beneficial to the surrounding ecosystem. The burns prevent the forest from becoming overgrown, and make them unmanageable. Burns also help to get rid of the bottomland species that seem to dominate most forest floors. We were also made aware that the best time to burn is during the lightning season, and that most woodland needed to be burned about once every third year.
So in conclusion, after the presentation I felt very informed about this new subject. I would even like to think that I could set up a controlled burn, and follow all procedures to make it a beneficial one. This new information has made me look differently at the very woods behind my house and think that they could use a good burning themselves. Moreover, I hope in the