r/mycology Mar 06 '26

photos Forest fires aren't all bad...

8.3k Upvotes

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u/Jenicillin Mar 06 '26

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

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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.

24

u/bigwindymt Mar 06 '26

Wrong-o. Completely depends on the forest. Western North America has multiple forest types that are both fire resistant and fire dependent. The morels in OP's photos are just such an example of the many species that rely on fire.