The Current19:41Bringing scorched lands back to life
This year’s wildfire season in Canada is on track to destroy four times more land than any previous year on record, but researchers say nature is resilient and regeneration is still possible.
Understory plants — grasses, flowers, purple fireweed and even some aspen shoots — are already rising up through the barren landscapes and charred trees of the aftermath.
That’s because fire is part of the natural cycle and vegetation can grow back very quickly, says Edward Struzik, author of Dark Days at Noon: The Future of Fire.
“It’s a natural process because really our
