Keywords
fire
ancient wildfires
forest fires
fire ecology
How to Cite
Abstract
Forest fires began on our planet nearly 470 million years ago, during the Silurian Period. Their activity has experienced highs and lows throughout the Earth’s history, mainly related to the changes in the concentration of atmospheric oxygen and humidity levels that have characterized the evolution of the climate. High levels of wildfires were present during the Carboniferous, Jurassic and Cretaceous Pe- riods as well as in the Quaternary, with the appearance of man. The first fire adaptations took place at approximately the same time as the colonization of the earth by plants. With the separation of Pangea during the Triassic Period, the climate began to evolve toward the present patterns and thus define the annual forest fire seasons along with the configuration of fire regimes similar to those of the present.
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