Read the following passage and choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Fire is a natural part of the forest ecosystem. Although forest fires are destructive, they occur naturally and periodically, which helps maintain the ecological balance. Prescribed fire, also known as 'controlled burn', can also bring the same benefits. The term refers to a form of land management in which fire is intentionally set under controlled conditions to ensure ecological balance and prevent larger and more devastating uncontrolled fires. These fires, just like wildfires, help remove dead organic material. For example, dead or decaying plants that build up on the ground may prevent organisms in the soil from getting nutrients and also block animals from accessing the soil. The objective of a prescribed fire is to get rid of that layer of decaying plants in a controlled way, enabling other healthy parts of the forest to thrive. Moreover, the soil can absorb nutrients from burned material more quickly, and in this way, controlled fire helps with soil fertility.

In addition, several plant species need fires in order to survive. For example, seeds from pine trees are enclosed in pinecones, and without fires, the seeds may not be released. When the fire burns through the cones, they can crack open, and the seeds fall out. Other trees and plants may need fire to germinate their seeds. Even some animals rely on fire, as the healthier plant populations after burns have far-reaching effects on food chains that affect local foragers and animals. Animals that use pine trees as their homes benefit from the germinating effect of fires.

Last but not least, periodic prescribed fires can prevent more damaging wildfires, as dead or decaying plants together with low moisture content can fuel raging wildfires. Without regular controlled burns to remove these, a wildfire can start and spread easily and uncontrollably, which may do much more damage.

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