Canada: Grooming forests could be making fires worse, researchers warn

Source(s): CBC/Radio-Canada
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By Jill English

Researchers are growing increasingly critical of a common forest management practice, as studies show it may be causing fires to travel farther, faster.

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The primary ingredient in the Monsanto-made herbicide Roundup, glyphosate has been under scrutiny in both agriculture and forestry for years. It remains widely used, because while softwood species like pine and spruce can tolerate a certain dosage of the chemical, glyphosate can be effective in eliminating the growth of hardwood trees for decades.

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But aspen and birch burn more slowly than the glyphosate-resistant coniferous trees, and some experts say removing them is like quite literally stoking the fires that have plagued the province.

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The value of diverse forests extends to mitigating disease, limiting insect infestations, and sequestering carbon dioxide.

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Hazards Wildfire
Country and region Canada

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