Why Controlled Burns Do More Harm Than Good

It is better to trust nature's own, innate wisdom than to try to impose human control over it.

Sometimes people become impatient with the invasion of natural habitat by alien plant species. They think that they can instantly restore the native species, rather than let nature take its own course. The fact is that alien species invade an eco-system which has already been disturbed by human interference, such as a place where trees have been cut down for agriculture. If the alien species are left to grow, they will re-condition the soil and then the native plants, which are better adapted to this climate, will take over again on their own.

One extreme example of the "control freak" mentality was the controlled burn at the north end of Toronto's High Park a few years ago. An area which had been regularly trampled by humans and canines was deliberately set on fire by self-proclaimed do-gooders, with very unnatural naptha gas mixed with diesel. The resulting clouds of smoke would have singed three leaves, disturbed wildlife in their homes, and polluted the air with toxins.

The plants which sprung up after the fire were native, all right: probably the largest poison ivy patch in all of Ontario. There was a narrow, one-foot wide pathway through the middle of this "field", which our naturalist group was guided through on an outing. If anyone had lost their balance and had to put their hand down on the ground, they would have spent the next two weeks reaching for calomine lotion. If another controlled burn were ever conducted to get rid of the poison ivy, the air would be filled with poison ivy smoke, which would go right into people's lungs for some distance away.

The other main plant which sprung up after the fire was lupins. Lupins are flowers with beautiful spires of colour, and our guide tried to tell us that they are "native". He was right, in that every plant is native to somewhere. He mentioned Nova Scotia as being a place where a lot of them grow, but they are no more native to there than to Ontario. According to Canadian Gardening's "Natural Gardens", most of the wild lupins in Ontario are garden escapes of Russell hybrid lupins from California. The lupins in Nova Scotia were introduced from British Columbia.

Another widely used excuse for controlled burns is that fire releases the seeds from the cones of the Lodgepole Pine, which would not grow without the help of fire. However, the Lodgepole Pine is native to British Columbia, not Ontario, and British Columbia already gets enough fires without anyone setting them.