Fwd:Re: [pct-l] Burning Deserts

[tsundsted@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Tristan Sundsted)]

There is something to be said for natures cleaning!  I live in Oregon and y=
ou look at some of our old growth forests, they are dying and being squeeze=
d out by other species of trees.  They need the burning to clear the ground=
 and to start new seedlings.  It=92s an interesting thing, by protecting al=
l the forests we are actually hurting them in some ways.  I don=92t mean ev=
eryone should burn a forest but sometimes you have to wonder how much good =
we are doing!=0D
=0D
=0D
On Wed, 5 Feb 2003 00:14:32 EST CMountainDave@aol.com wrote:=0D
I always wondered why the chaparral consisted of plants that are so=0D
flammable. They are probably as flammable as kerosene. Why I wondered would=
 a=0D
plant evolve to be flammable in a hot and dry climate where the risk of fir=
e=0D
is so great. One would think they would evolve to be flame retardant, much =
as=0D
the bark of a Jeffery pine.=0D
  Then one day I was walking through a landscape mixed with the usual chap=
=0D
plants and 2 to 5 year old pine trees and it dawned on me. They are flammab=
le=0D
on purpose. They want to burn because it kills all the plants that would=0D
eventually crowd and shade them out. Fire doesn't kill the chap stuff's roo=
ts=0D
and they grow back. The pine trees take much longer to reestablish, and by=
=0D
then its time for another fire.=0D
 The real question is: How do these plants know that fire is their friend? =
Oh=0D
I know, the evolutionists say it was random natural selection. But it sure =
as=0D
hell seems like a thought out strategy to me. To become so flammable in a=
=0D
near desert environment by chance? Logic says no way. Just as likely to not=
=0D
be flammable=0D
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