Fires in nature Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is a wildfire?
an uncontrolled rural fire
What is a crown fire?
spreads across tree canopies and affects forested areas
What is a surface fire?
burns across surface vegetation
What is a ground fire?
burns beneath the ground in layers of dry, organic peat
What is the ladder effect?
the process of fires from the forest floor spreading to the tree canopy
Why is the risk increasing?
climate change and a growing population
What are the favorable conditions for wildfires?
wind, slope, humidity, time/seasons, temperature, fuel proximately, vegetation type
What can be used as fuel for wildfires?
dry vegetation (living and dead) as it is combustable
Define antecedent factors and give examples.
what the conditions are like before the fire began eg. dry, lack of rain, lots of fuel
What’s the name of trees in Australia that are easily combustible?
eucalyptus
What are the main physical causes?
- lightening
- lava flows
What are the main human causes?
- cigarettes
- campfires
- agricultural fires
- arson
What percent of wildfires are caused by humans?
90%
What are the local impacts of wildfires?
- risk to life
- damage to property
- disruption to transport
What is the landscape impacts of wildfires?
- loss of crops
- soil erosion
- loss of habitat
- reduction in water quality
What is the regional impacts of wildfires?
- impact on tourism
- health effects
- reduced air quality
What is the national impact of wildfires?
- government costs for mitigation
- government costs for stopping environmental damage
What is the global impacts of wildfires?
- disturbance to air travel
- temporary changes to weather patterns
What are the positive impacts of wildfires?
- insect pest control
- removal of invasive/ non-native species
- ashes provide additional nutrients
- remove undergrowth to allow sunlight to reach forest floor
- encourage growth of fire-dependent species (Baobab tree)
What is the name of the tree that has adapted to tolerate fire?
Baobab tree
How do you use preparation to manage fires?
- release warning (social media)
- firebreaks around property (but fires can jump 10 metres)
Why do firebreaks around properties not always work?
fires can jump 10 metres
How do you mitigate to reduce the severity of the fires?
- early detection through satelites and infred sensors
- Drone technology developed by NASA to survey areas
- Disaster aid and fire insurance
How do you prevent fires?
controlled fires to reduce the amount of fuel
