The Forest that Needs Fire

The Forest that Needs Fire. . , Yellowstone’s most common tree is the lodgepole pine. Miles and miles of these tall, straight trees grow close together., Lodgepole pines forests need fire to survive. It helps control disease and insects, and fire is essential for a new generation of lodgepole pines to grow. When the forst canopy burns, the ash fertilizes the soil. Sunlight can reach the ground. Seeds quickly germinate and begin to grow., Too Dark to Grow , Lodgepole pines reproduce with two kinds of cones. One type matures in two years, then opens to scatter its seeds. If the forest floor is shaded by older trees, the seeds seldom germinate., The Magic of Fire , The other type of lodgepole pine cone is “serotinous.” Its seeds are tightly sealed inside the cone until heat from a fire melts the resin that glues the cone shut. Then the cone bursts open to spread its seeds., < Sidebar : > , Regeneration of a Forest , November 1, 1988 – a few weeks after fire , . Soil is charred, but fertile , . Lodgepole pine cones release their seeds , . Roots, bulbs, and rhizomes survive underground , . Burned snags will fall, decompose, and add more nutrients to the soil, September 30, 1998 – ten years after fire , . Young trees are several feet high , . Fertile soil sustains a new forest , . Remaining snags will fall and decompose