Catindig, Leslie Veronica D.

October 2, 2019
GED105/A19
Reaction Paper 1: Burning of forests (environmental issue)

Forest fires aren't usually noticed by people until it becomes worse and
reaches the news. I can say that the forest fires in Indonesia and the Amazon
Rainforest are not the only ones that have happened. Congressional Research
Service claims that over the past 10 years, there has been an average of
67,000 wildfires annually and an average of 7.0 million acres burned annually
in the United States. That speaks a lot of how great this problem is becoming.

And it also speaks of how we humans are messing up. Causes of wildfires
include volcanic eruption, dry climate, and lightning. However, the chances of
these events causing forest fires are slim. The forest fires are actually caused
by humans. U.S. National Park Service states that nearly 85% of wildland fires
are man-made. The most common human causes are discarded cigarettes,
arson, sparks from an equipment, power-lines, and improperly burning trash.
This is still relevant because according to Mongabay, most of the fires in
Indonesia this year were set deliberately to clear land for planting. The
government never expected it to get so out of hand. Due their negligence,
admitted by the president himself on the part of the government, clouds of
toxic haze are now spreading around the country and compromising the
health of Indonesian families.

Even though forest fires are dangerous and harmful, there are some
benefits that this phenomenon brings. National Geographic says that the
burning dead or decaying matter can return otherwise trapped nutrients to
the soil. Forest fires also act as a disinfectant, removing disease-ridden plants
and harmful insects from an ecosystem. Lastly, since it decreases forest
canopies and undergrowth, it can allow sunlight to reach the forest floor
which helps a new generation of seedlings to grow.
 Although wildfires may have a beneficial impact on ecological resources,
wildfires also may have a devastating impact, especially for those
communities affected by wildfire activity. This phenomenon should not be
tolerated all the time. They can destroy nearby homes, harm people, and burn
millions of acres of forests. We need to be more responsible of our forests. Do
not discard cigarettes if it’s still burning. Let’s not burn any combustible
materials in forests. When camping, fires should be started in easily controlled
areas. And as for Indonesia’s case, they should not burn forests for human
intentions. Negligence is not an excuse. If the environment suffers, so will we.
References

https://news.mongabay.com/2019/09/indonesia-haze-fire-forest-jokowi-negli
gent/amp/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/wildfire
s/

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IF10244.pdf