Winds, soil and fuel moisture content, and slope of the land are a few factors that influence fire behavior. These factors are weighed carefully before decisions are made about whether to start a burn or allow an already burning fire to continue. Explain some possible positive and negative effects of wildfires. Butcher paper, pencils, markers, crayons. Wildland fires occur in and influence nearly all terrestrial ecosystems in North America.
Fires can aid a plant community in returning to an earlier successional stage.
Succession refers to the orderly gradual and continuous replacement of one plant or annual community by another. Without fire, grasses would eventually be shaded out by larger shrubs, and many of the shrubs would be shaded out by tree species in regions of the country with adequate rainfall for tree growth. Science In forests, fires help diminish the threats of insect infestation and disease. By burning infected, dead or dying trees that harbor unwanted pests, fire reduces the likelihood that insects or diseases related problems will occur. Burned standing and fallen logs provide food and shelter for animals such as millipedes, termites, ants and some bird species.