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Bushfires are a natural part of the ecosystem in Australia. Many plants are adapted specifically to survive and thrive after bushfire conditions. However, bushf

Bushfires are a natural part of the ecosystem in Australia. Many plants are adapted specifically to survive and thrive after bushfire conditions. However, bushfires on this scale is somewhat unprecedented. It's a bit like 5 hurricanes hitting Florida in one summer. Aren't hurricanes normal in Florida?

markdown 7y ago
> It's a bit like 5 hurricanes hitting Florida in one summer. Aren't hurricanes normal in Florida? Except if 3 of those hurricanes arrived before hurricane season.
- pacala 7y ago
  ... in NewYork.
monkeycantype 7y ago
I'm reading that last question as irony, experience suggests others will read it as an un-ironic rhetorical question. So while recognising, what I believe is you're ironic phrasing, I'm addressing what I think will be the un-ironic reading others will take, you good with that. Yes fire is a normal part of Australian ecosystems, and it is unknown whether this spread with Eucalyptus trees or whether Eucalyptus trees spread with humans using fire. But : The Australian climate is getting hotter: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/month/aus/summary.shtml http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/month/aus/summary.shtm... 'The national December mean temperature, 3.21 °C above average, surpassed the previous December record set in 2018 by more than a full degree.' British conquest and subsequent settlement has ended traditional indigenous fire practices in most part of the country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire-stick_farming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire-stick_farming Which means that the fuel load are not reduced by smaller cooler burns below levels that would feed a catastrophic fires. https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/bushfires-managing-landscapes https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/bushfir... Partisan politics has made it very difficult for many Australians to look directly at these topics. So while fire, is a terrifying but not unexpected feature of living in Australia, the scale of this year's fires are a unique horror that I believe will push enough Australians to engage with that difficulty. I think we are going to see fast significant shifts in political discussion from this, that both the emotive calls to action, and populist denials or diminishment will we perceived as a distraction from direct sober engagement of an existential threat. ( As I first typed this I accidentally capitalised that as Australian Ecosystems, because I once worked for a company by that name that did environmental work, including controlled burning)
todd8 7y ago
The gum tree or Eucalyptus tree of Australia is an example of a plant that needs bushfires to propagate. The seeds are normally sealed by a resin that must be melted by fire to allow them to sprout. Eucalyptus trees make up most of Australia's forests [1]. Other examples of Australian plants that are adapted to bushfires to the degree that they require them to propagate are found in the genus Banksia [2]. Together with the genus Eucalyptus they comprise hundreds of plant species[3]. These aren't the only pyrophytic plants[3] that require fires. For example, Melaleuca quinquenervia is another pyrophytic plant of Australia [4]. Wikipedia says this of the Eucalyptus: > Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire. Eucalyptus trees survive fire so they can be classified as a pyrophytic plant; they benefit from fires that destroy competitive plants. The Giant Sequoia trees of the US also survive fires and are are considered pyrophytes. However some plants are considered to be active pyrophtes because they encourage fires or the spread of fires. The Eucalyptus is an active pyrophyte because it produces inflammable oils. The carniverous Byblis genus of plants and cogongrass are other examples of fire adapted plants found in Australia. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia [3] https://www.britannica.com/list/5-amazing-adaptations-of-pyrophytic-plants https://www.britannica.com/list/5-amazing-adaptations-of-pyr... [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca_quinquenervia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca_quinquenervia

markdown 7y ago

> It's a bit like 5 hurricanes hitting Florida in one summer. Aren't hurricanes normal in Florida? Except if 3 of those hurricanes arrived before hurricane season.

pacala 7y ago
... in NewYork.

monkeycantype 7y ago

I'm reading that last question as irony, experience suggests others will read it as an un-ironic rhetorical question. So while recognising, what I believe is you're ironic phrasing, I'm addressing what I think will be the un-ironic reading others will take, you good with that. Yes fire is a normal part of Australian ecosystems, and it is unknown whether this spread with Eucalyptus trees or whether Eucalyptus trees spread with humans using fire. But : The Australian climate is getting hotter: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/month/aus/summary.shtml http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/month/aus/summary.shtm... 'The national December mean temperature, 3.21 °C above average, surpassed the previous December record set in 2018 by more than a full degree.' British conquest and subsequent settlement has ended traditional indigenous fire practices in most part of the country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire-stick_farming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire-stick_farming Which means that the fuel load are not reduced by smaller cooler burns below levels that would feed a catastrophic fires. https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/bushfires-managing-landscapes https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/bushfir... Partisan politics has made it very difficult for many Australians to look directly at these topics. So while fire, is a terrifying but not unexpected feature of living in Australia, the scale of this year's fires are a unique horror that I believe will push enough Australians to engage with that difficulty. I think we are going to see fast significant shifts in political discussion from this, that both the emotive calls to action, and populist denials or diminishment will we perceived as a distraction from direct sober engagement of an existential threat. ( As I first typed this I accidentally capitalised that as Australian Ecosystems, because I once worked for a company by that name that did environmental work, including controlled burning)

todd8 7y ago

The gum tree or Eucalyptus tree of Australia is an example of a plant that needs bushfires to propagate. The seeds are normally sealed by a resin that must be melted by fire to allow them to sprout. Eucalyptus trees make up most of Australia's forests [1]. Other examples of Australian plants that are adapted to bushfires to the degree that they require them to propagate are found in the genus Banksia [2]. Together with the genus Eucalyptus they comprise hundreds of plant species[3]. These aren't the only pyrophytic plants[3] that require fires. For example, Melaleuca quinquenervia is another pyrophytic plant of Australia [4]. Wikipedia says this of the Eucalyptus: > Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire. Eucalyptus trees survive fire so they can be classified as a pyrophytic plant; they benefit from fires that destroy competitive plants. The Giant Sequoia trees of the US also survive fires and are are considered pyrophytes. However some plants are considered to be active pyrophtes because they encourage fires or the spread of fires. The Eucalyptus is an active pyrophyte because it produces inflammable oils. The carniverous Byblis genus of plants and cogongrass are other examples of fire adapted plants found in Australia. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksia [3] https://www.britannica.com/list/5-amazing-adaptations-of-pyrophytic-plants https://www.britannica.com/list/5-amazing-adaptations-of-pyr... [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca_quinquenervia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca_quinquenervia