Question

Is sudden forest fire caused by mankind?

Answer 1

Forest can be defined as the ecosystem which comprises trees, woody vegetation and animals. Forests are important as they maintain the ecological balance of nature and bring rain. They also serve as homes for various flora and fauna.

Complete answer:
Forest serves as the protective cover to our environment. It is also known as the lungs of the earth as it supplies oxygen. With the increase in population and industrialisation, the forest cover is decreasing. This decrease in forest cover is causing global warming, less rains and also extinction of the flora and fauna due to loss of the forest.

Apart from the man-made sources of destruction, there are natural sources of the destruction of the forest. The main natural source for the destruction of forest cover is forest fire. It leads to major drastic undesirable damage to flora and fauna. It is generally caused due to lightning. Forest fire is defined as the unplanned, uncontrolled unwanted fire in the forest cover. The forest comprises carbon rich vegetation which can catch fire. The presence of dry leaves and wood make it more vulnerable to fire. The other reason for forest fire is the dry temperature which leads to the dry leaves and wood catching fire quickly.

The human causes of fire can be the use of explosives, cigarettes, sparks and electrical arc. So we can say the sudden forest fire is due to natural causes.

Note: The intensity of the forest fire depends on the topography, presence of moisture in the atmosphere and also presence of flammable material in the forest. The forest fires are very difficult to control and can even last for several days. Forest fires emit large quantity of smoke which cause huge effects on environment and leads to pollution.