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In chaparral communities in Southern California, for example, some plants have leaves coated in flammable oils that encourage an intense fire. [22] This heat causes their fire-activated seeds to germinate (an example of dormancy) and the young plants can then capitalize on the lack of competition in a burnt landscape. Other plants have smoke ...
Heterogeneous landscape - increased fire activity can cause the destruction and alteration of homogeneous landscapes, leading to a heterogeneous landscape. For example, the destruction of 20% of a forest area by fire promotes the spread of grasses and change in the forest structure and species composition.
Climate change promotes the type of weather that makes wildfires more likely. In some areas, an increase of wildfires has been attributed directly to climate change. [11]: 247 Evidence from Earth's past also shows more fire in warmer periods. [74] Climate change increases evapotranspiration. This can cause vegetation and soils to dry out.
A vast majority of wildfires are started by people. Human-caused wildfires account for 88% of all wildfires in the United States on average over the last 10 years, according to the National ...
Fires are not always detrimental. Burnt areas usually have better quality and accessibility of foods for animals, which attract animals to forage from nearby habitats. For example, fires can kill trees, and dead trees can attract insects. Birds are attracted by the abundance of food, and they can spread the seeds of herbaceous plants.
The control of fire by early humans was a critical technology enabling the evolution of humans. Fire provided a source of warmth and lighting, protection from predators (especially at night), a way to create more advanced hunting tools, and a method for cooking food. These cultural advances allowed human geographic dispersal, cultural ...
The hot, dry and windy conditions that preceded the fires were about 35% more likely because of human-caused global warming, according to a new report from the World Weather Attribution group ...
As the wildfires in the Los Angeles area continue to rage for a second week, threatening lives, homes and businesses, government officials and the public have begun debating what caused them.