Fire Ecology

Question 1

What is a biological legacy? give examples.

Answer 1

Organic material left behind after a major disturbance.

• Organisms
• Organic matter
• Structure (Physical arrangement of structural aspects of ecosystem)
• Patterns (Pattern of disaster can leave some areas undamaged)

Question 2

What are the 3 types of Fires

Answer 2

• Ground fire
• Surface fire
• Crown fire

Question 3

Give some characteristics of a ground fire

Answer 3

• Slow
• Consume OM
• Flames absent or small

Question 4

Give some characteristics of a surface fire

Answer 4

• Slow to moderate speed
• Consumes twigs, branches, CWD on FF
• Flames 30cm to several meters

Question 5

Give some characteristics of a crown fire

Answer 5

• Fast moving, up to 200m/min
• Consume crown layer fuels
• Usually happens with surface fire but can be intermittent, active or independent
• Flames rise up to 200m

Question 6

Fires impact on a site is largely dependent on…

Answer 6

• Frontal fire intensity

- Residence time (How long did the fire burn in a given area)

Question 7

Fires effect on a landscape are mainly due to…

Answer 7

• Fire Size

- Fire Frequency

Question 8

What BGCZ are high severity fires likely to occur and how often?

Answer 8

• Boreal forests
• Lodgepole pine
• CDF
• ESSF
• 60-1000 year intervals

Question 9

Which BGCZ are likely to experience low severity fires and how often?

Answer 9

• PP and IDF

- 5-25 year intervals

Question 10

What are the 4 fire regimes? explain each briefly

Answer 10

• Fire Independent (fire free or rare/ alpine, wetlands)
• Fire Dependent (Fire required, common/ grasslands, Pl)
• Fire Initiated (Infrequent, catastrophic/ Larch, CDF, CwHw)
• Fire Maintained (Frequent, light intensity/ PP, IDF)

Question 11

Why is natural disturbance important to silviculture?

Answer 11

It provides foresters with a model to be used in ecosystem based management. Monitoring areas post disturbance gives an accurate representation of the successional stages that take place.

Question 12

Describe fire independent regime and give an example of an ecosystem that it takes place in.

Answer 12

Fire free or very rare.

-Occurs in AT or wetland areas

Question 13

What factors dictate the effects of fire at the landscape level?

Answer 13

Fire size

Fire Frequency

Question 14

Describe Fire dependent regime and give an ecosystem example

Answer 14

Fires common (required)
-Grasslands and Lodgepole pine forests

Question 15

Describe the fire initiated regime and give an ecosystem example

Answer 15

Infrequent (catstrophic or stand initiating)

-Lw, Coastal Douglas Fir, CedarHemlock

Question 16

Describe the fire maintained regime and give an ecosystem example

Answer 16

Frequent, low intensity fires

-PP, IDF