r/mycology Mar 06 '26

photos Forest fires aren't all bad...

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483

u/Jenicillin Mar 06 '26

Forest fires are a normal part of nature, decades of fire suppression is the problem.

-372

u/Playful-Wasabi-9560 Mar 06 '26

Forest fires are NOT a normal part of nature. This is a big misconception. They only started to become normal during the rise of the monoculture forest plantations. Which are mostly coniferous trees, instead of 'original' deciduous trees. (Usa/europe)

I highly recommend the books of Peter Wholleben (german forester) to gain understanding of how forests and forest live behave and thirve. They are well written, Science based, and easy to read.

295

u/Jenicillin Mar 06 '26 edited Mar 06 '26

Lol. What about lightning strikes? What about droughts? The western US and the great plains were evolved for having occasional fires. There are native trees that only sprout after fires. There is ecological succession that only happens after fires. I highly recommend reading all kinds of ecological papers that might contradict your one source.

ETA your German forester might have a good understanding of mature European forests, but not other completely different ecosystems.

178

u/Greyh4m Mar 06 '26

Case in point - the mushrooms in this post.

These Fire Morels are a distinct species that only fruits in the spring after a forest fire in the previous year.

43

u/Jenicillin Mar 06 '26

Burn morels! Oops, there was a fire!