Watching TV we see more often entire forest that burn.
Once a wildfire spreads, it can destroy thousands of acres of forests and woodlands. Rehabilitating the burnt areas is a complex, extended process – even after the trees grow back, it can take many more years for the ecosystem to recuperate and return to its former state.
A young forest is one that has been planted within the last six years and it is the most vulnerable to fires, since a fire will cause it total damage and prevent natural renewal. To prevent fires in a young forest, the area around it must be isolated.
Some trees, particularly evergreen forest trees, regenerate after fires. The Canary Island pine, for example, has the ability to regenerate after forest fires. If the fire was not particularly intense, or if it passed through the forest relatively quickly, a tree that appears burnt may actually still be alive and capable of regeneration.
The most important weapon against forest fires is prevention:
Different trees and shrubs have different levels of flammability and rates of consumption. Planting species that are relatively less flammable, reduces the danger of fires.
Research studies have examined the temperatures of fire ignition and the rates of fire consumption of standard species of forest trees and shrubs.Recommendations was done for planting trees and shrubs with low flammability rates and slow consumption rates, to reduce the probability of fire ignition and diffusion in places at a high risk for fires, and to plant along determined firebreak lines.
Athel tamarisk, also known as the saltcedar, is the most suitable tree for preventing fires from spreading. There are also three shrubs with a low flammability rate—caper, mastic and oleander.
Cypress
as well as shrubs with low flammability rates, are used as barriers and fire deterrents in planted forests, in accordance with the geographical region of the location of the forest.
The frequency of planted sapling rows varies in accordance with the surrounding conditions (incline, northern or southern slope, wind regime and so forth). In order to create firebreaks on summits and ridges, trees are planted sparsely with low, spreading shrubs planted among them.
Fire Resistant Plants, which are hard to burn, have the following features:
• High moisture content
• High levels of salt
• Low volatile oil content of leaves.
FIRE RESISTANT NATIVE TREES AND SHRUBS INCLUDE:
Lilly Pilly
Native Ginger
Breynia
Coachwood
Sweet Pittosporum
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