There’s fire down below...
80,000 people evacuated and 73 km3 of forest converted into glowing ”coal”. Nevertheless, bushfires such as this one in southern California make up an important part of the ecosystem cycle. When dead trees and bushes burn, space is cleared and nutrients released, powering the growth of new plants. According to an experiment in Florida, 90+ % of the plant species of a forested area disappeared, when wildfires were fought down over four decades, so in several places, rangers use controlled fires to protect the ecosystem. Australia faces a similar dilemma in an even more volatile landscape.