The Ecological Impact of Wildfires

On episode 35 of The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast titled “Flames across the border,” Ward explains that while humans often view wildfires through a lens of destruction, nature views them as opportunity. Burn sites and avalanche slopes, places we may see as scarred, are among the most productive habitats in the Canadian Rockies. Fires help improve wildlife and plant habitat, reduce disease, control invasive species, and even create natural firebreaks that prevent future catastrophic burns.

Ward goes on to note that over the course of history, many species have adapted to, and even rely on, fire. Douglas fir trees, for instance, have developed thick cork-like bark that protects them from all but the largest of fires. Scientists use their fire scars as natural records, tracing wildfire patterns back hundreds of years. Trembling aspens, with root systems that can survive tens of thousands of years, regenerate quickly after fire, new shoots springing up even when surface trees are destroyed.

For the lodgepole pine, wildfire is essential for reproduction. Their cones are sealed with a resin that only melts when temperatures reach above 45°C (113°F), a threshold that’s almost never reached in the Rockies without fire. After a burn, the trees release seeds into the freshly cleared soil, beginning a new generation of growth.

The benefits extend beyond the trees. Squirrels feast on the seeds of the melted lodgepole pines, while beetles flock to the trunks of the freshly burnt trees to lay eggs. In turn, woodpeckers thrive, with their populations sometimes increasing by 500% in post-fire landscapes in the pursuit of the delectable beetles. The cavities they leave behind provide nesting spaces for songbirds. With fewer tree limbs overhead, sunlight streams into the forest floor, encouraging wildflowers and shrubs to flourish.

At its core, it’s simply a rendition of the circle of life.

These plants…