final exam Flashcards
crown fire
fire in the canopy of a forest/top of trees
dewpoint
the temperature to which air must be cooled (at constant pressure) to reach saturation
direct attack
any treatment applied directly to burning fuel such as wetting, smothering, or chemically quenching the fire or by physically separating the burning from unburned fuel
fire behavior triangle
topography, weather, fuel
fire intensity
refers to the energy release rate
fire regime
the combined characteristics of fire frequency, fire extent, fire seasonality, fire type, and fire severity.
fire severity
degree to which a site has been altered or successional processes disrupted by fire.
fire triangle
heat, oxygen, fuel
forb
herbaceous flowering plant (not grass-like or become woody)
graminoid
herbaceous plant with grass-like morphology
grass stage
longleaf pine is developing central root. pine needles stick up like grass from the ground and protect the seeds inside from fire.
ground fire
fire that burns soil and forest duff/debris. may not appear on the surface
heat
measure of energy flow from one object to another
hotspotting
specific method of direct attack in which portions of the fire are targeted by crew. may be hot portions of spot fires or parts of the fire that are likely to escape or grow in intensity.
indirect attack
fireline is located some considerable distance away from the fire’s active edge, done in the case of a fast-spreading or high-intensity fire
parallel attack
fireline is constructed approximately parallel to and just far enough from the fire edge to enable firefighters to work effectively
savanna
mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem. widely spaced trees so canopy does not close. no risk of canopy fire.
scorch
burns enough to change the color of the surface or be damaged on the surface.
seasonality
season of the year which fire occurs. strongly controlled by seasonal weather patterns and fuels. missouri prescribed burns in spring and fall.
self-pruning
trait of plants to resist fire. branches drop to the ground–prevents the tree from a canopy fire (removed ladder fuels)
serotiny
seed release caused by fire. ex. cones
surface fire
fire burns the surface of the ground
temperature
measure of energy within an object-physical property of an object
topographic roughness
fire behavior changes on different types of topography
tree regeneration
process that allows a forest to sustain itself through the growth and survival of seedings to replace large forest trees as they die.
wildland-urban interface
zone of transition between wilderness and developing land. settlements in wui are at a greater risk of catastrophic wildfire
woodland
low-density forest that lets in plenty of light
stand replacement
lethal to most or all standing vegetation
mixed-severity
variable between nonlethal, often understory, and lethal stand replacement
low severity or understory
burns trees or shrubs under canopy but does not have lethal effect of canopy trees
jack pine
-stand replacement crown fires (30-70 years)
-serotinous cones that open with fire to spread seeds
longleaf pine
-frequent fire (1-3 years), low severity surface fires
-slow growing, poor competition
-frequent fire eliminates competition
sugar maple
-high intensity, low frequency fires. stand replacement fires ever 1000 years
-not adapted to fire
-found on mesic sites with climatic and vegetation conditions that reduce fire
direct wildlife mortality
very limited. animals tend to leave when threatened by smoke, flames, etc.
fire effects on vegetation for food
plants resprout, new vegetation is more palatable and has more nutritional value than older vegetation.
natural communities
community types defined by structural attributes
dry-mesic loess/glacial till site
forest, woodland, savanna, prarie
wet-mesic bottomland
forest, woodland, prairie
edaphic grasslands
there are extreme conditions on which structural development is limited
glades
open, rocky barrens with shallow soils, characterized by drought-tolerant plant species
open forest communities
woodlands and savannas, fire is believed to be critical to keeping these ecosystems open. used to be more common than they are today
mesophication
occurs when the removal of fire allows the establishment and development of fire-sensitive tree species
adaptation
the process by which beneficial, heritable traits evolve through natural selection
traits that protect plant from fire
-bark thickness
-position of sensitive tissues (buds, etc.)
traits of plants that affect fire behavior
-detrital fuel inputs: leaf litter differs in composition, moisture, etc.
-plant architecture: position of biomass (branches/leaves) can affect type of fire
plant traits for response following fire
damage from fire: species vary in ability to reduce impact of fire damage through compartmentalization and wounding
fire-avoiders
group of pines exist in environments where fires are not common.
fire-tolderatiors
group of pines is associated with low intensity surface fires, they have adaptations that allow them to survive in these conditions
fire-embracers
group of pines associated with high intensity crown fires, often at low frequencies for stand regeneration.
fire-refugee
pines exist in fire prone landscapes but do not have adaptations to fit into other categories.
ways fire kills woody plants
-damage to meristematic tissue (buds, etc.)
-carbon starvation through damage to foliar tissue
-damage to roots
sericea lespedeza (lespedeza cuneata)
-fire- may kill seedlings, mainly top-kill, fire may increase seed germination and establishment
-fall fires result in greater mortality than spring/summer fires
johnson grass (sorghum halepense)
-likely to survive fire by sprouting from rhizomes, fire may promote growth
asian bittersweet
produces abundant seed, shows rapid growth, prescribed fire is unlikely to control
bush honeysuckle (lonicera spp.)
rapidly regenerates after fire, unchanged by fire
russian-olive (elaeagnus angustifolia)
may colonize burned areas, sprouting after top-kill from fire
common reed (phragmites australis)
top killed by fire but rhizomes usually survive, burning may increase abundance or temporarily decrease abundance
dendrochronology
-the dating and study of annual rings in trees
-fire scars can be dated
-can be used to reconstruct past fire regimes (ecosystem restoration)
