Forest Fires

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/wildfires.html

In the article which was located on national geographic, it states that the more fuel found on the forest floor, the larger and more intense the fire will be. Therefore, if fires are surpressed, and litter accumulates on the floor, when a fire does errupt, it will be devestating to both the forest as a whole and any human dwellings found in the path. For the United States, fires occure on an average of 100,000 wildfires per year, which transforms into over 5 million acres of land destroyed by fires. This staggering number would be lessened if fires were not surpressed, but allowed in a controled environment. The articl later states that fires are an important part of forest livlihood, particularly because it stops the build up of shade tolerant trees, and lets the healthier trees thrive without overcrowding.