Light fire old growth forests of the world
I thought I would try to compile a few images of light fire old growth constantly regenerating forest - taiga- grasslands-wetlands from all over the world. These old growth forests only exist in very small remnants but are critical to understanding to rebuilding ecosystems to mimic the natural and or indigenous managed ones that once existed. If we don't understand what once was how can we rebuild them accurately.
The interesting thing is that that before these forests were logged and or placed into agriculture starting 10,000 years ago they were remarkably similar from the tropics to the arctic in that they had a open canopy park like look with enough sunlight hitting the ground to promote the ground cover so necessary for the diversity of plant and animal species that existed within them. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
Image number one is a northern latitude Scott's Pine boreal forest in Sweden. As you can it see it is maintained with regular fire to keep the forest clean of accumulation of flammable debris that would promote catastrophic fire and wipe out the forest. Also the light fire keeps the ground cover low to the ground where hunter gathers and animals can get around and forage easily. Its hard to imagine that much of Europe and Russia was once this kind of forest ecosystem.
The interesting thing is that that before these forests were logged and or placed into agriculture starting 10,000 years ago they were remarkably similar from the tropics to the arctic in that they had a open canopy park like look with enough sunlight hitting the ground to promote the ground cover so necessary for the diversity of plant and animal species that existed within them. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
Image number one is a northern latitude Scott's Pine boreal forest in Sweden. As you can it see it is maintained with regular fire to keep the forest clean of accumulation of flammable debris that would promote catastrophic fire and wipe out the forest. Also the light fire keeps the ground cover low to the ground where hunter gathers and animals can get around and forage easily. Its hard to imagine that much of Europe and Russia was once this kind of forest ecosystem.
Image number two is old growth Longleaf Pine wiregrass ecosystem that once covered much of the Southeastern US and was once maintained by nature and indigenous fire managers. "Massive forests of longleaf pine once covered a broad swath of the Southeastern United States, from eastern Texas to Virginia. Typically these older trees grow to heights of 60 to 70 feet, with some specimens living more than 500 years and growing to widths of up to three feet." This image is of about 100 acres of remnant longleaf pine that never has been logged and was protected by my father when he ran Greenwood Plantation near Thomasville Ga. It has been maintained by frequent fire and remains much as it was in Indian times. It continuously regenerates from small clearings of dead trees caused by lighting strikes, disease and storms that open up the canopy for new pine seedlings to grow.
Image number three below: Old growth Ponderosa Pine in the that once covered much of the American West notice all these pines have fire resistant bark and flammable needles fire adapted to burn out the competition with frequent light fire from natural lighting strikes and by indigenous fire managers before European settlement. This image is from Deschutes National Forest.