Rocky
Mountains Ponderosa pines enjoy a good scorching every
now and then
They
thrive where there are Rocky Mountains forest fires
http://www.MountainsMagnificent.com/rocky-mountains-ponderosa-pine
Putting
out all fires actually harms ponderosa pine forests.
These trees are part of the forest fire ecosystem
of the Rocky Mountains, and they need a good burn
every now and then.
|
|
|
Ponderosa
Pine forest fire in the Rocky Mountains The
ponderosa pine forests cover the drier portions of
the Rocky Mountains. They typically do well on low
forests on the edge of the mountains, from 3,000 to
7,000 feet elevation, depending on how far north one
is on the continent.
Ponderosa
pine trees evolved with fire for eons. A typical cycle
involves fire every few years or every few decades.
Fire often kills smaller, younger trees. Old ponderosa
pine trees have thick bark and generally survive fire.
The result of the fire is a thinned forest, with meadows
mixed in. No overpopulation of insects. A healthy
forest.
Ponderosa
pine ecosystem in the Rocky Mountains
White men changed the natural ponderosa pine ecosystem
by putting out all forest fires. It's only natural
to assume that forest forest are bad. But in a Rocky
Mountains ponderosa pine forest fire
plays a vital roll as mentioned already.
Now,
many people have built homes in or near the forest,
and these people expect the public lands to be managed
for their house, not for the natural forest. That's
bad for the health of the ponderosa pine forest -
a forest that requires fire as part of the ecosystem.
That's
why perhaps if people don't want their houses to burn
down, they shouldn't build them in the middle of a
ponderosa pine forest, even if the view is nice. The
view changes quite a bit when a forest fire roars
over the closest ridge, in any event.
Rocky
Mountains Ponderosa Pine Tree photos
|
|
|
