Wildfires are an integral part of the natural cycle of life and death. While they cause destruction, there is also value to be found in burned land. From hunting opportunities to ways to make a profit, wildfires are valuable.

Some parts of the US allow controlled burns during certain times of the year. One can be set to clear away dead vegetation and prevent larger-scale blazes in the future. Controlled burning can also help increase biodiversity, improve the health of grasslands, and create a more resilient terrain. 

Let’s explore how you can find value in wildfires. 

What Are Wildfires? 

Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that spread through vegetation or combustible material, usually in rural areas. They consume shrubland, grassland, and forests across the United States, with more frequent and intense occurrences due to climate change. On average, 10 million acres of land are burned yearly in the United States alone due to wildfires. 

Each year, wildfires cause more than $2 billion in damage to homes, businesses, and other properties throughout the US. They can last from one hour to several days, depending on conditions. The intense heat from wildfires can reach 1,800-2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, exceeding temperatures much higher than a standard domestic oven. 

Furthermore, with increased air temperatures caused by climate change, scientists have warned that wildfires are becoming long-lasting and more dangerous than before as food for flames. As low-moisture plants grow at alarming rates, so does the danger of wildfires.

Benefits To Wildfires

Wildfires are undoubtedly destructive and tragic, but they also come with benefits. For starters, they clear out dead vegetation, which can prevent more severe fires in the future. They also provide nutrients for new plants to grow and help create a habitat suitable for certain species of animals.

Another essential benefit of wildfires is that they can revitalize the soil for up to five years. They reintroduce lost minerals and nutrients, improving soil health. 

Additionally, if occurring naturally or unintentionally, as a property owner, you can collect special disaster relief insurance payouts for having your land burned due to a wildfire. These payments often give financial relief back to you, the property owner. This assistance aims at helping you recover from a potentially monetarily difficult time. You can use this payment to recover from losing all your vegetation.

Wildfires can act as a natural defense mechanism from pests and plant diseases that could otherwise have destroyed an entire ecosystem. Take bark beetles, for example. Those types of beetles can cause diseases and damage trees. Wildfires can help clear out small, ineffective trees and plants so the environment can be healthier overall. This allows for the animals’ natural habitats to stay well-balanced without overgrowing their space.

Lastly, wildfires release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Increased levels of CO₂ help regulate global climate patterns. 

Understanding the numerous benefits of wildfires can give us a greater appreciation for nature’s cycle.

Recreational Opportunities 

Wildfires open up countless hunting opportunities that hunters have embraced with enthusiasm. Hunting in areas charred by wildfires provides a unique experience and can often leave you with rich rewards!

The wildfires clear away overcrowded brush, reducing competition for wildlife. This creates an ideal habitat for animals to thrive in. One of the perks of hunting in wildfire-stricken areas is that these landscapes provide critical habitat for deer, elk, squirrels, and rabbits, along with various other species. Not to mention, hunting big game outdoors can be incredibly exciting!

With wildfires augmenting the landscape of many areas, you now have more options when choosing sites to hunt. Hunters who live near wildfires will no longer get stuck hunting the same familiar trails as many new possibilities are now available. 

If you’re looking to benefit from excellent hunting opportunities, prudential scouting and research is vital in planning the perfect hunt. In addition to expanding potential grazing areas, wildfires allow creatures such as mice and voles access to food sources no longer hidden under thick vegetation canopies. As a result, while hunting you will find more game animals emerging in these regions after a burning cycle is completed.

Also, let’s not forget the wide variety of birds that inhabit wildfires. With more open terrain, you can observe flocks from greater distances giving you tactical advantages when hunting for game birds. Thus, wildfires offer American hunters excellent opportunities for endless gaming action and thrills.

How To Make Wildfires Profitable 

Major wildfires can also be an opportunity for you to make a profit. With proper knowledge and resources, they can be beneficial to businesses. You could lease your property for cattle grazing or timber harvesting, which would provide income while allowing you to control what happens on your land. 

You could also harvest pine needles or cones from burned trees. Those can then be sold as mulch or decorations, depending on what type of tree they come from. 

Another profitable opportunity is biomass usage. This strategy collects and incinerates combustible materials like plants and trees from affected areas to produce heat and other renewable energy. This provides a clean energy source and can also help disrupt burnings when employed in populated areas. It also can bring in profits for companies that offer this service. 

Additionally, wildfires offer the opportunity for businesses to develop entirely new products. To name a few, wood-resin durable composite materials or charred wood siding that are resistant to flames and non-toxic to living species. Turning tragedies into money-making opportunities is only sometimes possible, but in this case, it is an achievable goal.

Organizations may offer scientific research projects to discover ways firefighters can better manage wildfires to create more efficient strategies when fighting them. Finally, if you own mineral rights on your property, you can benefit from oil drilling or gas production, depending on what resources are available beneath the surface.

Wildfires may seem like a destructive force when viewed from afar. Still, closer inspection reveals that quite a bit of value is hidden within them – from hunting opportunities to making money off your land through leasing or harvesting natural resources such as pine needles or cones from burned trees. With careful planning and consideration for safety protocols, you can find valuable opportunities within wildland ecosystems that have been affected by wildfire activity.