A reflection by Sister Janet Speth, CSJ for the Season of Creation.
This summer, I looked forward to a wonderful holiday to Eastern Canada to visit friends and family. One of the activities I was anticipating was a hike on the Centennial Trail in Nova Scotia. Much to my disappointment all the trails in the province were closed the day before I arrived due to the increased risk of fire in the face of 147 serious forests fires burning over the course of the summer. The tragedy of evacuations and homes destroyed comes at an incredibly high cost to both individuals and communities.
Photos by Sister Janet Speth
However, other consequences of forest fires are often overlooked in the wake of the impact on people. Animals, birds, fish and insects are also diminished, displaced or sustain loss of life. Another very important part of the ecosystem, the soil, is also significantly affected.
The main nutrients in soil necessary for plant life are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Sulphur (S). The most critical factor to disrupt the complex soil chemistry and interactions is the fire temperature with greater losses occurring with higher intensity. Another factor is nutrient loss due to ash being carried away by what is called convective transport.
These chemical interactions between heat and nutrients are too complicated to simplify in this reflection; however, what does emerge is the life and death cycles embedded in nature. While high intensity fire can diminish nutrients even to the point of soil sterilization, low intensity fire can also make nutrients in dead plant material, such as the roots of destroyed plants, more available for soil regeneration through microbes doing their decomposing work.
Another pattern that emerges is adaptation. With low intensity fire soil microbe numbers are diminished; however, those remaining are seen to increase their activity significantly to levels higher than before the fire thus increasing soil recovery.
Overall, we can only stand in awe and wonder at the amazing integral intricacies in the natural world around us.
Images come to mind of this death resurrection story. The rising of the phoenix out of the ashes is one. The mythical phoenix bird dies in a fiery blaze only to be reborn from its own ashes representing rebirth, renewal and triumph over adversity.
Another is the heat dependent Jack pines and lodgepole pines, that require high, intense fire heat to break open their cones to disperse the seeds within. Again, we see the destruction caused by fire bringing forth new life.
The theme of this year’s Season of Creation is Peace with Creation. Peace requires balance and equanimity. The soil teaches us these qualities as it strives for regeneration, and the preservation of new life and hope.
A Prayer of Awe, Wonder and Gratitude
We pause in gratitude for the gift of creation,
for the quiet strength of trees,
the rhythm of the tides,
the breath of the wind
and the soil that cradles all life.With humble hearts
We are aware of our responsibility to care for Earth
and to honor the delicate balance that sustains us
and all life on our beautiful planet we call home.
Fire Effect on Soil Modified from web pages on: Forest Encyclopedia Network
