Wildfires

Question 1

What are the three types of heat transfer and give their definitions

Answer 1

Radiation = the transfer of fire to an adjacent object by causing it to combust without touching it

Convection= similar to radiation but upwards

Conduction- occurs when flames are in direct contact with another fuel source

Question 2

What are the 3 things that effect wildfire behaviour and how do they effect it

Answer 2

Weather - wind carries more oxygen, embers travel, dry vegetation burns easier(evapotranspirstion )

Topography - heat rises, fires moves up a slope

Fuel- dry fuel required, anything flammable can become fuel

Question 3

What are ladder fuels and why might removing them from your property reduce the risk of wildfires

Answer 3

Ladder fuels are fuels that help the fighter get higher up

Removing ladder fuels will create less embers , will be easier to extinguish and will be less affected by the wind

Question 4

What are most wildlife’s caused by with percentages

Answer 4

Humans-25% debris burning , 61% arson , 1 % smoking , less than 1% lightning

Question 5

Why in the summer would wildfire be worse

Answer 5

In the summer it’s dryer and hotter meaning vegetation has low levels of water stored in them

Question 6

How might rural land use worsen wildfires

Answer 6

Plants being planted right next to each other gives the wildfire more fuel

Question 7

How might rural land use mitigate wildfires

Answer 7

Reducing ladder fuels like eucalyptus trees as eucalyptus have evolved to burn