Bushfire Impacts on the Environment
Bushfires, as the name suggests, have a huge impact on the bush and the environment. Bushfires can damage forests, harm wildlife and pollute the air, but they can also help regenerate the land.
Forests In bushfires, the fire will most likely use trees as fuel. If this is the case, the trees will undoubtedly be severely damaged and in intense bushfires, the trees will often be killed. As an example of how many trees can die in a fire, in the 2005 Perth Hills fire, an estimated 1.5 million trees were killed. Wildlife Large numbers of wildlife can die by incineration or suffocation if they are unable to evade the flames. In some extreme cases, an already endangered species may completely perish. Wildlife are not just at risk of dying in a bushfire, they risk having their habitats destroyed. Many animals could be left without homes and would probably get lost or snatched by a predator. Air Quality The smoke from a bushfire can deteriorate the air quality, as it is a complex mixture of various gases and particles. When breathed in, this smoke polluted air can harm your body in many ways. Bad air quality can affect wildlife, the environment and people. Regeneration Fire can be useful in one way, and that is that it can help in the regeneration of soil and certain trees. Fire can make soil finer and release nutrients needed to act as a fertiliser. This creates an easier place for seeds to sprout. Certain types of trees require fire or smoke to open their seed pods so that they are able to spread across the land and germinate. Although bushfires have a lot of negative impacts, at least they are able to help with regeneration. |
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