Why do we love fire?
Fire coming out from a hole inside a log
Intro
Since the dawn of time, humans have relied on fire for our very existence. Because of this, we have developed a relationship with fire that continues on to this day. Examples of this connection can be found all around us. Even in the urbanized and industrialized worlds many of us live in today, you see our human need for fire. Many people today have installed gas or electric fireplaces in their homes.
Similarly, when you're in a restaurant or hotel lobby, you may find these same artificial fires adding to the ambiance of the setting. Often people will put a video of a fire on their TV while they cozy up on the couch with a good book or throw on some headphones and listen to the sound of a crackling fire while they sleep. From little babies to grown men, if you light a fire, people will be drawn to it.
Genetic Memory
Have you ever wondered why so many people are afraid of the dark? Or why the sound of flowing water is so soothing? It may be related to something called genetic memory.
Genetic memory, also known as ancestral memory or hereditary memory, refers to the idea that certain information and experiences can be passed down genetically from one generation to the next. This concept has been a subject of interest and debate among scientists, philosophers, and cultural theorists for many years.
The concept of genetic memory suggests that information and experiences acquired by an organism over its lifetime can be encoded into its DNA and passed on to its offspring. This means that the offspring may inherit certain traits, behaviors, or predispositions that are not solely based on their own individual experiences or environmental factors but rather on the experiences of their ancestors.
One of the most well-known examples of genetic memory is how some animals instinctively know how to perform certain behaviors, such as migrating or hunting, without being explicitly taught. This behavior is thought to be the result of genetic memory that has been passed down through generations of ancestors who have undergone the same experience.
Most of us have a similar relationship with fire. Although the majority of people in Western societies are not gathering their own fuel and lighting fires to cook with and keep warm, we are still instinctively drawn to it. Whether or not the idea of genetic memory is correct, there exists a deep connection between us and fire, regardless of the level of our own personal experience with it.
Human's history with fire
Fire has played a significant role in human history, shaping and changing the course of our development and evolution. From the start of our relationship with this element, fire has been used for nearly all of our survival needs, such as light, warmth, hunting, cooking, and protection from predators. Many ancient peoples did not have to necessary weapons to bring down large game species and would use fire to drive large animals off a cliff where they could then harvest the meat. They also found that the smoke from a fire could be used to preserve meat for prolonged periods. It was also discovered that the smoke from a fire could be used to aid hunter-gatherers in the acquisition of honey. Torches were also used, and still are today in many places, for fishing, as the light from the torch attracts fish to the surface of the water, where they can be speared or shot with an arrow. As societies grew and expanded, so to did our relationship with fire. It became a mechanism by which we cleared land, forged metals into tools and weapons, and performed various religious practices.
Fire also became a powerful weapon of war. It was often used with great effect to destroy an enemy's crops and villages and lay siege to fortresses and cities. In the 9th century CE, the Chinese invented gunpowder which would forever change the nature of warfare as we knew it, and nearly 2,000 years later, we are still using this form of fire in combat.
The industrial revolution produced another use for this incredibly versatile tool, in the form of the engine. The first form the engine took was that of a steam engine. The steam engine was used to power many things during the industrial revolution, but probably none more iconic than the locomotive. The steam engine allowed for far greater access to travel and transportation of goods. Relatively soon after the mass adoption of the steam engine came along the internal combustion engine. Still reliant on fire, although on a much smaller scale than steam engines, the internal combustion engine was, and is still used today, in engines for vehicles or land, sea, and air. As our technology advances with jet engines and rockets that launch people into space, it all still fundamentally relies on fire.
It could be argued that the growth and development of human culture and society was most heavily impacted by our relationship with and use of fire. Since the creation of the world, humans have been using fire to fulfill our most essential survival needs. Even today, nearly 40% of the world's population uses wood, coal, or other traditional biomass to heat their homes and cook their food. Of the remaining 60%, it's estimated that anywhere from 80%-90% rely on the burning of oil, natural gas, or electricity produced from burning fossil fuels to cook and heat their homes. The history of humanity is a tapestry interwoven with a common thread. That common thread is fire.
Ecological need for fire
Fires are a natural part of many ecosystems around the world, and they play a crucial role in maintaining the health and diversity of those ecosystems. However, in recent years, the suppression of fires has become a common practice in many areas, leading to a host of negative ecological consequences. So if fire is so necessary for natural ecosystems, then why do we suppress it.
Until very recently in human existence, if you lived in the forest and a fire was coming your way, you had one option; run. Unless it was a very small ground fire, there wasn't really a way to suppress or extinguish it. You simply had to gather your family, livestock, and belongings and evacuate. Today, however, we have the ability to fight back against these fires to some extent. Unfortunately, in many places, our fear of fire's destruction of our property has resulted in the elimination of all fire on the landscape. This has, in turn, led to far larger and more powerful fires that cause massive amounts of death and destruction.
You see, over the natural cycle of an ecosystem, some growing trees drop branches, others drop their leaves every year, some die and fall to the ground, and brush and shrub species grow wild. Long ago in Earth's early history, we had large amounts of megafauna that would help manage the growth of the forest along with naturally occurring fires. Fast forward to today, when that megafauna is long since gone, and we immediately suppress all fire as soon as it starts, and we end up with a thick, overgrown, and unhealthy forest ecosystem ripe for a devastating wildfire. So what exactly are the ecological benefits of fire on the landscape?
One of the main benefits that fire has on an ecosystem is that it restores nutrients to the soil. As plants grow, they extract necessary nutrients from the soil. In a balanced ecosystem, in addition to fire, the animals would eat the plant matter and return those nutrients to the soil through their manure and that of the organisms that consume their carcasses when they die. In the unbalanced ecosystems that exist in many places today, overgrown forests are losing soil nutrients at a faster rate due to the excess plants. And it's not being replenished quickly enough. Fire consumes the excess flora and returns those vital nutrients to the soil, allowing the remaining plants to grow stronger and healthier.
Another massive benefit of fire is the eradication of invasive species. Many species native to areas that are meant to experience regular fires have long root systems which allow them to pull water from deep in the soil and stay cool and protected from the fires on the surface. These deep and extensive root systems, however, take time and energy to develop, and because of this, they are often crowded out by the fast-growing invasive species with shallow root systems. When a fire moves through a landscape, it consumes the shallow-rooted invasive species and allows the native plants to reclaim their ground.
An additional advantage that fire offers is the clearing of debris from the ground and opening up the canopy to allow more light to the forest floor. Areas of the forest that have not seen fire in many years often have many inches of leaf litter and debris covering the forest floor. As you can imagine, this acts as a natural mulch, making it incredibly difficult for new seeds to germinate and grow. The other thing that makes it difficult for native grasses and wildflowers to grow in the forest is the lack of sunlight. When a fire comes through an area like this, it opens up the canopy allowing more sunlight to hit the forest floor. The forest floor that has now been cleared of debris, allowing that new sunlight to shine on the mineral soil and the seeds it holds.
Two other key features that fire provides are habitat restoration and disease control. You may be wondering how a fire can aid in habitat restoration. When most people think of wildfires, they think of the massive, mountain-consuming, town-destroying fires that we see in the news. But those fires only exist because we don't allow the small and frequent fires necessary for a healthy ecosystem. Regular fires keep the build-up of fuel to a minimum which in turn leads to small ground fires instead of the massive county and statewide wildfires that are common today.
So how do these smaller fires help restore habitat and control disease? Well, as the fire consumes the dead ground cover, it allows more light to the ground helping grasses, wildflowers, and other smaller ground cover to grow and thrive. This, in turn, creates a whole new ecosystem for smaller critters and insects to live in and feed off of. This new living ground cover also provides excellent forage for larger animals like deer, elk, bison, and bears. As the grasses, wildflowers, and other plants like berry bushes return, so do the insects, which in turn attract birds and small rodents, which bring hawks, snakes, foxes, and other smaller predators. And as the deer, elk, and bison return for the new forage, the wolves, mountain lions, and bears follow. This resurgence of animal life helps to add nutrients back into the soil and keep fuel levels down so that the next time a fire comes through, it stays small and doesn't get out of hand. And the natural cycle is allowed to continue.
When certain animal populations grow too large, disease gets introduced and spreads throughout. The same can happen with flora.
As fire comes through, it clears death and disease from the plant population, allowing the remaining species to thrive.
Fire has been and will always be a natural part of the life cycle of certain ecosystems. If we do our part to properly manage these ecosystems by reducing the fuel levels, containing, not suppressing natural fires, and performing regular prescribed burns, we can greatly improve the health and biodiversity in our wild places.
Conclusion
Call it genetic memory, epigenetics, or whatever else you want, but we humans have a connection with fire that far surpasses our own lived experiences. We are drawn to it, comforted by it, and infatuated with it. Perhaps this relationship comes from an instinctive knowledge of our species' past need for fire. Perhaps on some unconscious level, we know just how much we still rely on fire today. Or perhaps, although we have successfully distanced ourselves from the natural world we were meant to be a part of, we somehow still understand the crucial role that fire plays in the balance of a healthy ecosystem. I tend to think it's a combination of all three. But no matter the reason, there is no denying that humans love fire.