Nature Has Some Built-In Protections From Wildfires

The green we all recognize showing new growth like those from plants has built in mechanisms to protect it from wildfires. Trust nature to figure this out. Maybe we can learn something from this tenacity and planning.

When I decided to research this adaptation story, it was surprising to find there are many ways select plants have to survive. For example some trees use the strategy of having tall crowns like Eucalyptus and some pine species.

The Ponderosa pine even removes its dead branches to eliminate further possible damage. And then there are those plants adapted to the ash soil required for prolific flowering like the Australian grass tree.

There are some fire lily species that are specific to this. One even accelerates flowering to deliver the finished product in 9 days. Then some plants re-sprout that have buds hidden under the bark trunks and others have specific mechanisms hidden underground to start over.

Herbaceous plants have bulbs or rhizomes that produce green shoots after a fire from underground. Thermal insulation gives some an advantage as does moist tissues. Larches and giant sequoias have very thick bark.

Finally, there is fire-activated seeding that takes place with some pines and Eucalyptus trees. Resin protects the seeds inside the cones. The chemicals in smoke evokes significant changes like this.

Aside from plants, there is now larvae from insects that are able to survive by building a growth referred to as a Gall. Most Galls react like a peanut shell to protect young insects like weevils.

And insects know how to stimulate the plant to grow more cells like moths, midges and wasps. It turns out these same growths protect the tiny critters from all kinds of weather events, predators and more.

Nature knows what to do. For us to survive, we are going to have to learn how to live with wildfires. Maybe our habitat will change o accommodate this