Last month, hundreds of fires burned all over Lebanon, which I commented on in the last LebEnv. The issue of fire in Lebanon needs to be examined more closely in light of the recent events as well as big fires that have taken place in the past. Fires have always been an integral part of many ecosystems. Such ecosystems evolved with fire to the point that they depend on it. Fires create a mosaic of vegetation, where groves of trees might be interspersed with meadows where sun-loving plant species grow.
Many animals thrive in such a mosaic.
Most grasslands will deteriorate without the presence of periodic fires. When a fire does inevitably take place, it feeds on the excess fuel and burns hot, causing a lot of damage to large trees and the soil. Nowadays, controlled burns are carried out in the U.S. according to a plan so as to burn accumulated debris. In the areas of Los Angeles and San Diego, huge fires take place towards the end of Summer and beginning of Fall, just as they seem to do in Lebanon. The chaparral-type vegetation burns.