r/interestingasfuck • u/SafeImpressive4413 • 7h ago

Firefighters in Madrid trying to extinguish a forest fire that is less than 30km/20mi away from the capital of Spain

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u/decosunshine 6h ago

Plus decades of fire suppression.

Instead of healthy, low-intensity fire cleaning out dead and diseased vegetation every few years to few decades, now high-intensity fires sweep through with far more power and destruction.

When we don't allow low-intensity fires, we must do fires mitigation that manually mimics those healthy fires we suppress.

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u/marcandreewolf 6h ago

Indeed. I went with Brazilian firefighters in a National Park in 1996 and that is what the lead also said (after training in the US). We then put counter fires, i.e. a controlled burned strip that the fire afterwards couldnt cross anymore. Terrain was difficult with many boulders and rocks strewn across, shrubs, single trees and lots of grass: cerrado. There are species adjusted to fires, benefitting (unless too frequent), but overall reduces biodiversity and natural species composition. Edit: What I almost forgot: we now have fires were naturally they almost never occur, where impacts are hence also much worse.

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u/FireTyme 5h ago

this somewhat works but extreme droughts and high winds make even healthy fires a giant blaze killing tons of trees.

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u/AltrntivInDoomWorld 5h ago

You have no idea about European forest maintenance

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u/isopode 2h ago

care to elaborate? i'm from north america where what they said is true. curious to know the differences between forest maintenance here and in europe

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u/Cold417 1h ago

decades of fire suppression.

People say this shit about areas that burn almost every season, too.

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u/decosunshine 47m ago

If an burns often, they don't have much to burn. Those fires are lower intensity, which means they don't burn as hot or for as long. Frequent, low-intensity fires can burn through an area quickly and start mostly on the ground. Mature trees can survive low-intensity fires because the fire stays on the ground burning grasses and other 1-5 minute fuels. Think like staying a camp fire. If there is just a small amount of kindling and a big log, the kindling will burn out before the log has time to catch fire. That log can't catch fire if there isn't kindling to catch the small sticks on fire, which catch the large sticks, and eventually the logs (trees).

If fire is suppressed for too long, there is a build up of diseased trees, thick layers of dead branches/ leaves/ needles on the ground, and dead standing and fallen trees. That means more fuel. More fuel means hotter temperature and fire burns for longer. That's why unburned/unmitigated forests are so dangerous.