City to conduct controlled burn in Asheville watershed
(WorldNews Environment)

On first impression, wildfires have a devastating impact on plant life: Leaves disintegrate, bark chars and trees crumble into ash. Some plants, however, plan ahead. Josh Kelly, an ecologist with MountainTrue, says young oaks tend to thrive in locations where other trees suffer. `Oaks invest a lot of energy into their roots,` he says. When a fire sweeps through their habitat, seedlings can rise from the ashes even if the above-ground portion of the tree has been obliterated, something that ecologists call `top kill.` The city of Asheville is taking a page from the oaks in anticipating wildfires to come. Later this month, the North Carolina Forest Service will help the city carry out a series...