Natural Causes Of Wildfires

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Wildfires are massive fires that occur suddenly, particularly in rural areas with combustible vegetation, and can have many causes which may be natural or humanrelated.
Both natural and unnatural causes of wildfires have advantages and disadvantages. The rate at which wildfires spread is highly dependent on their environment and other factors. Wildfires may pose a number of threats to human property, life, and health; however, even though they can be a hazard to humans, they are also an important part of the natural processes in some habitats - forests, especially. Wildfires are known to bring about positive effects on the general health of these ecosystems, and are linked to significant evolutionary impacts on plant and animal life.
Causes …show more content…

Over the years, more and more causes have chalked up to being human-related.
Currently, as many as 90 percent of wildfires are caused by humans (NPS). According to the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign, nearly 60 thousand human-caused wildfires burned over 2 million acres in the year 2015. For the sake of cutting these numbers, the campaign has taken to educating people on the measures they can take to prevent wildfires.
In the same way that natural fires aren’t always good for their environment, unnatural fires aren’t always bad for their environment. Prescribed burns to a forest are actually a very effective form of wildfire control, because they eliminate excess growth that could pose a greater risk to communities if left untouched. These controlled fires also help to restore health to an ecosystem that depends on wildfires to grow and thrive.
Because prescribed fires can still be dangerous if they breach a designated area, they are always painstakingly planned. Certain conditions - weather, topography, equipment, and the type of fuel - must be very specific before any fires are initiated (“Prescribed
Fires”).
The tendency of a wildfire to spread is highly dependent on the …show more content…

It is also very important to understand the role of wildfires in an ecosystem, and whether or not they are crucial to the health of such an ecosystem. Of course, in communities where wildfires are likely to be a major threat, the people living in these communities must learn the appropriate precautions to avoid permanent damage, to themselves and to their property.
It is unlikely that wildfires will always be completely avoidable, even when education on proper prevention and risk avoidance is taught to communities exposed to fire hazards. While most fires are caused by humans, they are rarely started intentionally, except in case of cases of prescribed fires or arson. Accidental fires are very common; taking a few extra measures of caution could greatly reduce hazards in the long term. Even though there is no fix-all solution to wildfires, small steps can be taken by every person who lives in or visits fire-prone areas. It is important to realize that, however small, each individual 's contribution to wildfire safety can greatly lower the overall risk of unnecessary

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