Plants appeared on the earth much earlier than animals. For plants, the biggest harm is not the gnawing of herbivores, but fire. A forest fire is enough to destroy an entire mountain of trees, so when we travel to the mountains, we will see "No Fireworks" signs everywhere. This has also become common knowledge.
However, not all plants are afraid of fire. Some plants have developed the ability to withstand fire during evolution. These plants form firebreaks during forest fires, preventing the fire from spreading further. Perhaps in the eyes of their own kind, they are real heroes, and in the fight between humans and forest fires, they are the "forest guards" standing at the forefront.
Today we will take stock of plants that are not afraid of fire.
NO.1, Wood Lotus
The woodland tree is a common tree species in the south. It belongs to the Theaceae family and can grow up to 25 meters tall. The wood is not only a good wood, but also a recognized fire-resistant and flame-retardant tree species. The water content in the body of the wood is very high, and the water content of the leaves even reaches 45%, but the oil content is very low, so it is widely used in the industry. In a forest fire, it will not be destroyed by fire. Therefore, in many mountain forests in the south, woodland is used to build natural fire protection belts, and they have played an important role in some forest fires.
NO.2, cedar tree
In addition to the Camellia family, fir is also a fire-resistant tree species. Chinese fir trees are very tall and can grow up to 100 meters. Its characteristic is that the bark is very thick. The bark of some large cedar trees can reach 50 centimeters. This makes the cedar tree naturally fire-resistant and not easily ignited by fire. Even if it is burned by fire, it will recover quickly because the cedar tree contains a large amount of tannic acid, which will heal the wound quickly.
In the western United States, forest fires are very frequent. Another fire in San Francisco burned many houses, but many buildings were made of fir wood, which prevented the forest fire from spreading and saved the entire San Francisco.
NO.3, larch
We know that pine trees are very flammable because their bodies contain more oils. But there is a kind of pine tree that is different, it is larch. The bark of larch is quite thick and has little resin, which makes it difficult for fire to burn its plant tissue, so even if the larch is burned by fire, it can continue to grow in the next year. Once the tree trunk is injured, the larch will secrete a transparent gum to protect the wounds from microorganisms and pests and promote wound healing.
NO.4, Ivy
Speaking of ivy, we probably think of famous schools, but it is also a fire-resistant plant. Ivy is also called Euonymus microphylla, and it is also widely distributed in our country. When ivy encounters a forest fire, it will not play a role in supporting combustion. Its surface will be scorched, but it will help extinguish the fire.
The above are just a few simple examples. Plants in the same family as these tree species basically behave similarly. Now some botanists have suggested using these fire-resistant tree species to build fire-resistant forest belts, using this natural method to maintain the forest ecosystem from the threat of fire. This would be a great interaction between humans and plants.