Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Recovering Fires with beetle dung?


How can beetle dung help forests recover from fires?
Tyler Cobb have been studying the burned area of a northern Alberta hamlet from a summer blaze in 2001. By studying how some beetles are consuming the burned trees he found out how beetle dung has contributed to replenishing nutrients that help plants grow back. Beetle droppings found at the bases of trees resemble cones of sawdust, they help by increasing microbial (bacteria growth) activity in the soil. Instead of them being view as pest beetles actually have been helping forests recover from fires. The beetle larvae which are laid in dead trees have been destroyed by loggers. Cobb believes that logging should be ceased after fires or 10-20% of burnt trees should be left alone.

I think that this is a great idea to recover forest fires with beetle dung. Recovering fires with beetle dung is natural and would not harm the environment. Using beetle dung to fertilize the ground would be much better than using chemicals that we produce.

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