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and their droppings fertilize the grass. But trying to feed too many animals, or grow too much food on grasslands can cause serious damage. In contrast to the loose leaf-litter on the floor of a forest, grassland soil is trodden down by the hooves of grazing animals

Wildfires and Grasslands

Wild fires are spectacular and often frightening events. In forests they can be very dangerous, threatening human homes and lives as well as the ani- mals that live in the forest, and often causing serious damage. Forest fires are difficult to control, because the dense fuel generates a lot of heat. Grass fires are different: the light fuel burns fast and is soon gone, so that the fire is short and relatively cool. The blackened, smoking ground after the fire looks like a disaster, but many of the animals that live in the grassland can run or fly away and the grass is not seriously harmed. Fresh shoots soon appear, and the cycle of growth can begin all over again.

What Are Grasslands?

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