The burning of the of the upper turf of some ground puts a new and a vigorous youth into that soils fruitfulness out of that which was barren before, and by that which is the most barren of all, ashes. [22]
The bark of a 4700-year-old pine in California
The fires [in Southern California] are a violent & highly effective way of recycling dead vegetation into ash that fertilises the soil. They purge the land of pests & diseases & open up woodlands to sunlight, giving the chance for fresh new vegetation to sprout up. Fire is so natural that many Californian plants rely on a good blaze. The famous sequoias grow their seedlings best on deep-burnt sites free of grasses & other plants; the burnt remains of scrub oak may look like charcoal but they resprout from the roots or branches; and lodgepole pine trees seal their cones with a wax that only melts when the fires come, releasing their precious seed
Paul Simons: Times of London
