Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 10:13:20 -0400 (EDT) From: Derek Glidden <dglidden@illusionary.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2216$foo@default> Subject: Florida fires
I've seen maps of the areas mostly affected by the fires on TV news and
the newspapers and they are mostly burning in the Northwest areas of
Florida. Supposedly large sections of the Appalachia National Forest
went also, but I hadn't seen those areas marked on any of the maps.
As everyone else has been saying, fires are good for the CP habitats,
particularly the types we have in Florida. When Bob, Randy and I visited
the Panhandle earlier in the Spring, we saw lots of nice areas, but most
were very overgrown by grasses. The grasses can be very very dry and
easily susceptible to wildfire, but down below, against the ground, it's
still quite moist, which probably helps protect the more "delicate" CP
species like Drosera and Pinguicula, or at least any seeds that may have
settled into the soil.
I'm quite anticipating next season which is almost certainly going to be a
good year for CP in the burned areas.
Although I am a little bit concerned from seeing one news story that
pointed out something I hadn't thought about before: not only is it bad to
not allow fires to periodically burn off the built-up dry and dead
vegetation, but if the fires don't come through and burn off that extra
kindling often, when they do, they are usually much hotter and more
desctructive than normal and can actually cause more damage to the
underlying vegetation than the good they normally would. This has
certainly been the case this year, so I have my fingers crossed, but
I'm still very positive about the whole situation.
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Derek Glidden http://www.illusionary.com
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