Study sheds light on life after fire

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA

A new study by Oregon State University scientists suggests that many burned-over forests will grow back on their own without replanting, a finding that echoes a controversial study by a different OSU research team a year ago.

The new study says natural regeneration may take somewhat longer in certain areas and produce a different mix of trees, but it rebuts long-held assumptions that crowding and shade from brush block seedling growth. In fact, it said regrowth in many burned plots was much higher than needed to restore the forest, even when the burned area is relatively distant from a source of seeds.

Also, allowing burned forests to grow back on their own could produce a forest with a more natural diversity of plant species and wildlife habitat than when remaining trees are logged and brush is cleared before nursery-raised seedlings are planted.