How the California Fire of 2007 effected plant life in the forests of Southern California

The recent California wildfires have brought devastating effects not only in the affected areas , but also throughout the globe . Wildfires are not new to residents of California , but the most recent blaze was the most tragic . Billions worth of property have been destroyed thousands of people have been forced to evacuate and at least one life was taken . The tragedy is a call for action there are quite a number of environmental issues to be dealt with . However , if there is one aspect the environment that is most affected by these fires , it

would be the plant life . The California wildfires made plant life devastation a given . But how does the wildfire aftermath affect plant life in general ? This will discuss how plant life is affected and will be affected by the wildfires

From the onset , anyone can see the devastating damage caused by the fire to plant life . For a clearer understanding , a specific is example is needed . Take trees , for example . How are the trees directly affected by the fires ? How do fires endanger trees ? To begin with there is the tissue damage

How are the tree tissues damaged by the fire ? According to a source for tree tissue to be affected , the temperature should be between 45-60 degrees Celsius for serious damage to occur ( Fire Effects on Trees and Shrubs ' 4 . Moreover , the temperature itself is not the only determining factor . In addition , the amount of heat the trees were exposed to and the length of its exposure are also to be considered Now if this fact was to be related to the California fires , plant tissue damage is a sure thing . The firefighters took quite a while to extinguish the fires , prolonging the plants ' exposure to heat . In fact the firemen had to stop putting out fires because the temperature was constantly increasing , posing a serious threat to the people involved That obviously denotes the death of plant tissues

Another aspect to be discussed is the capacity of trees to survive . A tree 's survival usually depends on the tree parts that were affected If the crown or the roots were damaged , this will automatically mean the death of a tree ( Fire Effects on Trees and Shrubs ' 4 . From the images seen all over the news , it can be derived that not a single tree part was spared . Trees were burned from top to bottom . It would be unlikely for the trees to survive that kind of burn

Now that all these are discussed , is there a way for trees to recover after the fire ? Tree age is considered a factor . If the plant is relatively young , and if it was produced from seed , it would take some time before it can sprout anew ( Fire Effects on Trees and Shrubs ' 4 Noting that California wildfires happen every so often , it is safe to say that the trees involved in the recent blaze were still relatively young . If the damage is to be taken in account...