Fire and the Cerrado

Cerrado where ashes still remain on trunks from earlier fires.

The Cerrado is a tropical savanna where fires maintain a healthy ecosystem in one of the world's main biodiversity hotspots. This particular savanna is characterized as woody savanna, with grasslands containing little to no foliage, to dense tall forests. The soil is the most unique characteristic of this area, with low nutrients, depth,  good drainage, and full of oxisols giving a distinct red hue in part due to the high concentration of aluminum. When a fire spreads through the area naturally, it is usually classified as a surface fire. These fires do not consume much beyond live and dead grasses, plus thin-stemmed trees. While leaves in the canopy may be damaged by the heat, not all are killed and some plants have developed cardboard-like leaves to help resist fires along with thick bark. The reason for surface fires in this area is unclear, whether due to high water content of live fuel, the fast movement of the fires, or the height of the flames. The fires of the Cerrado have a number of effects, including a short duration of soil microclimate change, encouragement of new grass growth, intense flowering and reproduction of flora, and an increase in concentration of soil nutrients especially for the first three post-fire months. The temperature rise in the soil during the fire is not significant or deep enough to cause a loss of nutrients.

For parts of the Cerrado, fires still have some freedom to rage as movement into this ecosystem is still relatively new. The development of Brasilia, the new capital of Brasil as of only 52 years ago resulted in an increase of population movement inward. Fertilization improvements for permanent agriculture have now made this ecosystem a place for human habitation, and therefore, highly threatened. One concern is the result of using fires in deforestation which may have a negative impact on the Cerrado. Unlike other parts of the world, too much fire may be more cause for alarm than the repression of it.