Megafires May Change the Southwest Forever

Environment • June 2011 • Views: 1,747

The plants and animals of the southwestern United States are adapted to fire, but not to the sort of super-sized, super-intense fires now raging in Arizona.

The product of drought and human mismanagement, these so-called megafires may change the southwest’s ecology. Mountainside Ponderosa forests could be erased, possibly forever. Fire may become the latest way in which people are profoundly altering modern landscapes.

If we can affect the environment this catastrophically simply by controlling fires, then it would be reasonable to assume that the tons of chemical pollutants that we send into the atmosphere each day might also be affecting things. Why are so many people unconvinced about this?

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6 comments

wrenchwench Thu, Jun 30, 2011 1:44:19pm

Thanks for the link. Nice visuals.

Maybe it's just me that thinks this, but if we can affect the environment this catastrophically simply by controlling fires, then it would be reasonable to assume that the tons of chemical pollutants that we send into the atmosphere each day might also be affecting things. Why are so many people unconvinced about this?

I think those people are politically convinced, not scientifically convinced. Some who would otherwise use logic and reason have been persuaded that the issue of climate change is being argued for ideological reasons. First that notion has to be disabused, then science can be applied.

/This is all theory so far. I'm working on the first part with my first subject.

MichaelJ Thu, Jun 30, 2011 2:25:21pm

I agree with you concerning the politics. I just have a very hard time understanding why people are willing to stray so far from logic and reason in order to support a political party that seems intent on destroying America as we know it. Religion = blindness in this case.

SpaceJesus Thu, Jun 30, 2011 8:02:58pm

i can't believe that here in nm, people are still selling fireworks a few miles from these giant fires we have going here.

lostlakehiker Thu, Jun 30, 2011 8:47:32pm

The forest fires are "opportunistic infections". The cause of the forest having a compromised "immune system"? It's been too hot lately.

These sorts of things all have multiple causes. But one contributing factor is that the temperature has been drifting higher. That makes the forests a bit of a mismatch for the soil and rain conditions. Any mismatch is going to be dealt with by Mother Nature.

Dancing along the light of day Thu, Jun 30, 2011 9:21:56pm

If, we allowed the land to burn, naturally, and did not allow the brush to build for years, we would not have such catastrophic wildfires. I get that it is hard to allow the land to burn, I'm in California, but nature has her own way of regular "brush clearance" that we humans interfere with.

Daniel Ballard Fri, Jul 1, 2011 10:25:20am

re: #5 Floral Giraffe

And we humans have a solid record of underestimating the recovery. I've been to Mt St Helens, I went about ten years after the eruption. The most devastated areas were growing back far better than expected. The local mountains have had epic fires (as you well know) and when you go back just a couple years later growth is everywhere.

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