Wildfires as an ecosystem service
May 6, 2019
Wildfires are often viewed as destructive disturbances. We propose that when including both evolutionary and socioecological scales, most ecosystem fires can be understood as natural processes that provide a variety of benefits to humankind. Wildfires provide open habitats that enable the evolution of a diversity of shade-intolerant plants and animals that have long been used by humans. There are many provisioning, regulating, and cultural services that we obtain from wildfires; prescribed fires and wildfire management are tools for mimicking the ancestral role of wildfires in a highly populated world.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2019 |
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Title | Wildfires as an ecosystem service |
DOI | 10.1002/fee.2044 |
Authors | Juli G. Pausas, Jon Keeley |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment |
Index ID | 70203938 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Western Ecological Research Center |