Researchers claim that it takes more than a few hundred years to regenerate the Amazon rainforest burned down by fire
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In August 2019, it was reported that the largest fire in the history of observation occurred in the Brazilian Amazon, and there are concerns about the impact on the environment due to the destruction of a large amount of valuable rainforest. Researchers pointed out that fire damage to the rainforest is severe and may require centuries of time to recover the original rainforest.
Burned areas of the Amazon could take centuries to fully recover-The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/10/20858834/amazon-fire-brazil-forest-harm-recovery-century
We don't know exactly how much harm the Amazon forest fires that have increased since 2019 will do to the environment. On the other hand, recent studies have revealed what kind of impact will be exerted in rainforest areas that have been destroyed by fire. Ane Alencar , a geographer at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, points out that the rainforest trees can't stand the heat of the fire.
According to a study conducted in Manaus , the heart of the Amazon, when some trees in the rainforest are cut down, the surrounding trees are cut down and the leaves are spread like chandeliers in the vacant space, providing shade To reduce the temperature of the air. Over time from felling, seeds buried in the felled place and seeds brought from other places by birds and other animals grow and the rainforest is regenerated.
On the other hand, rainforests burned down by fire do not regenerate as well as by logging. Flames damage not only the trees and grass that originally grow, but also the seeds buried in the ground, and there is also a tendency that birds do not approach the fired area for a long time. In many cases, forests burned down by fire are replaced by dense shrubs, and it takes time to restore the original lush vegetation.
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At the beginning of 2019, an international research team conducted a survey on rainforest regeneration in 10 countries' rainforests and analyzed how lost rainforests would regenerate. As a result, 80% of the tree species lost in about 20 years recovered, and it was found that almost all tree species recovered in about 50 years. I understand that it takes time.
Forest fires don't just burn trees directly and kill them. Trees that have damaged roots and trunks due to fire have withered over the years by dying over several years, reducing resistance to pathogens and termites.
In addition, there is a concern that rainforests burned down by fire will release carbon that has accumulated over hundreds of years into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming. A study conducted by Brazilian scientists in 2018 showed that even in a rainforest that has been recovered after being burned down and 31 years have passed, it has 25% carbon accumulation compared to the existing rainforest. I understood that there were few.
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From 2005 to 2012, Brazil conducted campaigns to expand protected areas and reduce forest fires, resulting in a significant reduction in deforestation and fire. In recent years, however, forest fires and logging have increased again.
The large-scale Amazon fire that occurred in 2019 is plaguing Brazilian scientists, and many people recall the large-scale fires that occurred in 1998 and 2005. Brazil's President Jair Borsonaro has announced that it will 'stop the burning of fields to open pastures in principle' regarding the Amazon fire that attracts attention from all over the world. However, scientists are skeptical of the effect of President Borsonaro's ban on burning, and there are problems such as the suspension period is only 60 days from August 28 and there is no appropriate monitoring agency It is listed as.
Many rainforests were burned down in the months before the article was created, but still nearly 80% of the rainforest remains. Past cases of Brazil's reduction of deforestation show that it is possible to protect rainforests by enhancing public education and conservation activities. Jos Barlow , professor of environmental studies at Lancaster University , said, “It ’s not necessary to use high-tech technology or difficult things.”
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