Why eucalyptus trees are not afraid of fires

The fire brings many troubles to the inhabitants of the forest. If birds and large animals can escape, the plants die in merciless hell. And tall trees are no exception. If the fire is grassroots and spreads only on the surface of the earth, then only the grass cover and the lower tier of shrubs will burn out, and the trees have a chance to escape. But the worst enemy for the forest is a horse fire, which spreads along the entire height of the forest. He does not spare anyone.

It turns out that there are trees that are not at all afraid of a forest fire, and even in some ways are useful. One of these amazing plants is eucalyptus, which grows in Australia. It has an arid and hot climate, and forest fires are an ordinary occurrence of nature. Therefore, eucalyptus trees, of which there are more than 200 species, acquired interesting properties during evolution that help them to be stronger than fire.

The bark of eucalyptus trees is very thick and has a special fibrous structure. This allows you to protect the inside of the barrel from complete death. Of course, the eucalyptus forest burns. It burns very quickly and hot. Its leaves, containing many essential oils, are highly flammable. The trunk of the eucalyptus also suffers greatly from fire, it, like other plants, is charred and takes on a lifeless black color. But eucalyptus itself is alive. It looks like a miracle when, two weeks after a terrible fire, fresh greens of young leaves break through charred trunks.

But the most interesting thing is that a fire is a prerequisite for the reproduction of eucalyptus. The fact is that the boxes in which its seeds are located are so dense that they themselves do not open. A fire helps them crack. At high temperatures, the boxes heat up and burst, and the seeds disperse around. It turns out that a forest fire is hellish hell, giving life to eucalyptus trees. In addition, thanks to such unique survivability, the eucalyptus eliminated all its competitors for a place in the Australian sun: after a couple of fires in the area there are only eucalyptus trees.

Australian eucalyptus is well adapted to live in hot and dry places. Its leaves are always turned edge to the sun to reduce overheating and evaporation of moisture from the surface of the sheet. Therefore, no matter how large and sprawling the eucalyptus tree is, it practically does not give a shadow, it will not work to hide under it in the heat. And the root system of eucalyptus is designed in such a perfect way that it absorbs the maximum possible amount of moisture from the soil. In one day, one tree can absorb up to 300 liters of water. This feature is even used if you need to drain some low-lying wetland, not only in Australia, but around the world. Eucalyptus wood is very dense, resinous and heavy (even heavier than water), so it almost does not rot. From it you can make lining for ships and support for bridges. And from the bark produce the highest quality paper. Such amazing qualities of its wood and the antibacterial properties of eucalyptus oil have led to the planting of industrial plantations of eucalyptus around the world.

Wonderful eucalyptus trees are very much appreciated in their homeland, in Australia. But most of all they are loved, of course, koalas, which feed exclusively on its leaves and cannot imagine their life without this amazing plant.