Causes of Fires in the Rainforest

Rainforests are more vulnerable today than ever before. Government policies exacerbate the risk of fires. The Indonesian government allowed plantation companies to burn one to two billion metric tons of forest land, to clear it for oil palm and timber plantations. This resulted in a large percentage of wildfires. In addition to creating havoc with the economy, the fires also contribute to toxic gases and air pollution, directly affecting global warming.

Logging

• The rainforest supplies quality wood for consumers, drawing many illegal loggers. Logging dries out forests by opening the canopy, reducing the leaf coverage. Sunlight then gets through to the forest floor and dries out debris the loggers have left, which increases the chances of fire. Advanced technology and greed make logging hazardous to the rainforests.

Natural Forces

• Forest fires can occur naturally in rainforests from conditions, such as volcanic activity and drought. When volcanoes erupt, lava can burn large forest areas, while droughts weaken the system so rainforests become vulnerable to fire and disease. Although drought causes deforestation, it also occurs through dry conditions caused by warm winds. Fires produced by drought are often sparked from lightning or land clearers, who set fires in and around the rainforest.

Fragmentation

• As more and more people encroach on rainforests, deforestation creates roads and other cleared spaces. Agriculturists and loggers chop large sections of forest into smaller sections, subjecting fragmented patches to drying winds and fallen trees. This leaves open spaces in the canopy.

Agricultural Activities

• Agriculturists use fires to clear land and maintain crops. They set tens of thousands of fires yearly to clear brush, which often burn out of control. When conditions are dry, these fires can spread into neighboring rainforests. Fires move slowly through the debris on the rainforest floor, exposing trees to their ravages for longer periods of time; consequently, fires destroy more trees because rainforest trees have a low heat tolerance.