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Forest fire hits Doñana National Park (1 Viewer)

That's awful news - hoping for the best outcome possible before the unthinkable. Difficult with westerlies forecast through the next days.
 
And here: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-fires-idUSKBN19H166


RafaelMatias said:
On Sunday, workers at the El Acebuche breeding center caught nine lynx adults and five kittens for evacuation when fire threatened the establishment, a spokesman for the environmental ministry said. One animal died in the process, possibly due to stress.

However, 13 animals could not be caught and the doors of the center were left open for the lynx to escape should the fire engulf the facility, the ministry said. On Monday, workers were told they could return to the center with the displaced animals.
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Actually, I think the most worrying thing isn't the fire itself but what might follow. The fire's certainly distressing but given time the wildlife will return and habitats will recover. Arguably, the fire might even create more habitat for rabbits which would be good news for both Spanish Imperial Eagle and Iberian Lynx. Even for the latter, the fire seems not to have been quite as bad as feared since, I'm told, most of the animals that had to be left behind as the fire approach survived. The real danger is what happens next. In 2014 a new law allowed a relaxing of planning laws on land that had suffered a serious fire if the project is of ‘public benefit’. Several projects in the area, including one for a gas storage installation, could come under that heading. A petition asking for the habitat to be restored can be found at :

https://www.change.org/p/susana-día...ontent=nafta_share_post_title_es-es_1:control
 
John, thanks for this. Petition signed.
I basically agree with your points. It seems the area affected by this fire coincides with the area where said gas storage infrastructure was planned to be built, a project that has been rejected, for obvious reasons. Seems worryingly convenient.
 
Also worth adding that if the fire hasn't reached the crowns, a lot of the Stone Pines might survive - they have very thick, fire-resistant bark and can usually cope with grass fires.
 
Nutcracker said:
Also worth adding that if the fire hasn't reached the crowns, a lot of the Stone Pines might survive - they have very thick, fire-resistant bark and can usually cope with grass fires.
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You can see for yourself a bit of what it looked like here: http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2017/06/25/actualidad/1498418368_937801.html?rel=mas
It wasn't only a grass fire. But you're right in saying Stone Pines are relatively well adapted to fire (as are Cork Oaks), and definitely harder to burn than the Eucaliptus trees we are so fond of in Portugal :)-C ) (also quite suggestively known as "the gasoline tree" by Australian fire fighters :eek!:).
 
Tricky to tell, I'd think it'll be a year or two before we know, but I wouldn't be surprised if quite a lot of the pines do survive. Depends on how good mature trees are at producing epicormic shoots (young ones can, not sure about old ones). If they are as good as Canary Island Pine*, survival will be close to 100%.

*Closely related, and totally fireproof! https://www.flickr.com/photos/liferfe/10234220885/
 
RafaelMatias said:
and definitely harder to burn than the Eucaliptus trees we are so fond of in Portugal :)-C ) (also quite suggestively known as "the gasoline tree" by Australian fire fighters :eek!:).
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Yes - the blight of central Portugal (and beyond) - these exotic plantations cover vast areas and once fire gets into them they are often totally uncontrolable creating massive fires that spread into valuable areas. All for the profit for a few "entrepreneurs." (selfish paper pulp money spinners) to the demise of wildlife, local human culture (and lives) - creating villages with only elderly folk and little or no land to cultivate. Although there is no granting of new planting licenses the law should go FAR further......Grrrrrrrr.
 
Nutcracker said:
Also worth adding that if the fire hasn't reached the crowns, a lot of the Stone Pines might survive - they have very thick, fire-resistant bark and can usually cope with grass fires.
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NC - these habitats also contain superb upright examples of Juniperus phoenicea - some over 5m high and very old - I fear that these rather singular trees will have perished....they are the most impressive I've seen. Looking at the map, thankfully the best areas for these were spared.
 
While the fire was still being fought I watched the coverage in on a major Spanish news channel - 2 things pertinent to the cause of the fire and any future developments:

1; It was discussed to some length that the area where the fire started was also near large areas of plastic greenhouses - some only tentatively legal and employing large numbers of foreign immigrant workers. These immigrants have been placed by the Spanish authorities all around the edges of west and north-western Doñana - a tatal of some 1,000. Many of these work just north of El Rocio. These plastic greenhouse exploitations have caused much tension in recent years due to water extraction (often illegal) and affecting the whole area negatively. Fingers were pointed from reporters on the news that these enterprises could have been the source of the fire.

2. Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister announced with fervour that there will be NO developments of any kind in burnt areas - ony habitat rehabilitation. I hope he keeps his word!
 
RafaelMatias said:
It's quite striking to me that there's no undergrowth at all on those images. Would you know what's behind that?
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The ferocity of the 2007 fires. There probably was some undergrowth before, species like Erica arborea and maybe Myrica faya.

If you look through his photostream you'll see dozens of other comparison pics immediately post-fire, and 1, 2, 3, etc., years later. The resilience of Pinus canariensis (and also Phoenix canariensis) is astonishing. It may have much to do with the pressures of evolving on an active volcano.

The pine can even recover from a total crown burn out: https://www.flickr.com/photos/liferfe/10234325654/ phenomenal. Wouldn't have believed anything could still be alive in that first frame. Yet it is.
 
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Simon Wates said:
NC - these habitats also contain superb upright examples of Juniperus phoenicea - some over 5m high and very old - I fear that these rather singular trees will have perished....they are the most impressive I've seen. Looking at the map, thankfully the best areas for these were spared.
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That's true - junipers don't cope well with fire. Nice that they were outside the burnt area.
 
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