The Role of Fire in the Tropical Lowland Deciduous Forests of Asia

Abstract

Each dry season from January onwards the litter on the jungle floor ignites spontaneously and creeping ground fires clear away old matted vegetation, making way for the new season's growth. Some of these fires reach considerable size and provide one of the most impressive of jungle sights when viewed from a distance on a dark night. Long, jagged fronts of flame advance across the black backdrop of hillsides, exploding into pyrotechnics as clumps of dry bamboo are engulfed by the everchanging scarlet patterns of destruction….