Wildfires Flashcards
Wildfire definition
Uncontrolled vegetation fire
Occurrence
4,000 mill p.a
Natural part of Earth’s environment
Dry periods ( gauss bushes )
Main Ignition and how frequent
Lighting
(10,000) strikes per day
Less common ignitions
Rockfall ( hard rocks –granite) sparks
Volcanic eruptions
Alternative but primary cause
Human activity
What amount of landmass is affected anually and globally
3-4 mill km2
How much affected area is vegetation
3%
How many fires occur in the UK and main source of ignition
1,000s vegetative fires every year
Majority of fires were due to arson
South Wales occurences and location
greatest frequency of arson, 8x the UK average
grassland/farmland
Exceptions
Saddleworth Moor fire
Heather
2018
What was the Saddleworth Moor fires
How much land do humans burn
> 1 mill square km2 of forest and grassland
What are the types of wildfires
Type - Surface and Crown
Intensity
energy released per kw
What are the classification categories for Australia
Intensity and severity rating
Energy intensity
Flame height
Vegetation severity
What is the severity classification
unburnt
low
moderate
high
very high
extreme
What do fire severity maps based on
satellite and ground data
Direct impacts during a fire
Long –term health conditions developed
Damage /disruption through gases/smoke
Suffocation – CO2 poisoning, lung tissue damage
Traffic hazard
What are the post fire impacts
flooding and erosion
What is soil water repellency?
Water repellency increases during a wildfire event
What are the Negative broader ecological impacts
Emission of toxins and greenhouse gases
How much CO2 emmisions do fires emit
1/4 of global C emissions
from fossil fuel
Positive broader ecological
removal of ‘old’ vegetation
trigger for seeding or seed germination
increases in species diversity
What are pyrophytic plants
Type of plants which have become adapted tolerate fire.
How do pyrophytic plants survive
They release seeds when surrounding environment temperatures increase
What was the 2016 Canada event
Expensive national disaster
60,000 evacuated
$9 bill losses
What was the 2017 Portugal event
104 deaths
2 major fires
What was the 2018 Greece event
102 deaths
What was the 2018 Paradise, California event
85 deaths
~$16.5 billion losses
What was the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires, SE Australia
34 direct deaths
445 indirect deaths (smoke inhalation)
> 9000 buildings destroyed
~ $AU 103 billion losses
10 x the forest area typically burned in
large Australian fire seasons
Risk and trend 1
Globally average area burned declined ~20% in last two
decades
There is an _______ in fires in most of world’s forest areas
increase
What is altering fire regimes
Effects of past management practices and changing
climate
Mitigation strategies
Prevention
Prevension examples
Open fire ban, fuel reduction burining , building guidlines, evacuation
Observation and risk reduction
Fire towers
Aerial patrols
Closure of high risk
Event modifications
Hosing
Water bombing
Back burning
Fire breaks
Environmental impact example
Water quality
What type of vegetation were flammable
tall long grass, eucalyptus and conifer trees or gorse bushes
