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Fire Ecology
Fire ecology is the study of how
fire interacts with living things and their environment. Since the
last climatic change, lightning-caused fires have been burning through
ponderosa pine stands througout the southwestern United States.
Seldom did a decade pass without the influence of fire across the
landscape of the Santa Fe National Forest.
 Ignition
of these fires is from lightning. Thunderstorms fill the southwestern
skies in the late summer of each year. Thousands of strikes may
occur during a day of intense storms. Whether or not lighning starts
a fire is dependent on a variety of factors.
 Rejuvenation
of the forest occurs following these fires. Insects move into burned
trees providing food for many birds. Woodpeckers create cavities
as they excavate in search of ants and beetles. These cavaties later
become homes for other birds and animals. When this same tree falls
to the ground it becomes a home for small mammals, reptiles, amphibians
and invertebrates. Rodents aerate the soil, spread seeds and spores,
helping to plant the next forest. Many species of pine trees have
cones that open only as a result of fire. Some plants resist being
killed by fires by producing new growth (shoots) from underground
organs and roots. Ponderosa pine forests are adapted to fire. They
have thick bark that acts as insulation to protect itself from fire.
Essential forest processes are maintained
through fire. Decomposition and recycling of organic mattter is
slow in dry climates such as the Southwest. Nutrients are tied up
in wood and plant materials until released by the chemical reactions
created by fire.
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