TPO 20 let it burn policy

Both the reading passage and the lecture are about the “let it burn” policy in the United States, which is controversial. The author of the passage establishes that there are three major arguments against not suppressing natural forest fires.

First of all, the author points out that the Yellowstone fires in 1988 caused enormous damage to the park’s trees and other vegetation. However, this point is challenged by the lecturer, saying that the plants will become more diverse because of the fires. For example, some seeds of plants need high levels of heat to germinate, and these plants will appear after fires.

Secondly, the author contends that some small animals probably perished after the fire. Besides, large animals will not be able to return because of the disruption of food chains. On the contrary, the lecturer rebuts this argument. She mentions that animals will benefit from the fire in fact. Small animals will have better habitats because the small plants will replace trees. Therefore, those predators who hunt small animals will obtain more food.

Lastly, the author states that the national park will be destroyed by the fire and hence it will have negative consequences for the tourism. The lecturer, on the other hand, posits that fires like the 1988 Yellowstone fire will not occur every year. Only a very unusual combination of factors can cause considerable fires like that.