My childhood lesson about fire was that it’s hot, dangerous, unpredictable, can burn and to stay away. The other day, someone shared with me another lesson on fire, one that they learned from their visit to Yellowstone National Park. After a large fire in 1988 that burned 63 percent of the total acreage at Yellowstone, scientist learned that:

– Temperatures of the fire were only high enough to kill less than one-tenth of the roots of plants.

– If water was available, new plant growth began within a few days.

– Plant growth was unusually lush in the first years after a fire.

I also learned that a number of plants need fire to survive because they rely on fire to release their seeds. 

While our perception of fire is that it’s hot, unpredictable and dangerous, when can it also be a vehicle to help us thrive? Dulling the fire may keep us safe, but how does its suppression keep us from growing?