wildfires Flashcards
What is the name for plants adapted to thrive from wildfires / are fire resistant?
Pyrophytic plants.
Give the word describing plants born out of fire (e.g - seeds released from heat)
Serotinous.
What are retardants?
Chemicals sprayed on wildfires to slow down the spread.
What percentage of wildfires are believed to be caused by human activity?
90%
What are the benefits of wildfires?
Remove harmful insects, diseased plants, open up light to forest floor.
What is the fire triangle?
A combination of the components needed for fire - heat/energy, oxygen and fuel.
What 3 types of wildfires are there?
Forest,
Brush,
Peatland.
What is the ladder effect?
To process where fire from the forest floor spreads to the canopy.
What are the 3 levels of fire?
What temperatures do they burn at?
Ground - 540 degrees
Surface - 900 degrees
Crown - 1100 degrees
Give a positive feedback cycle from a wildfire
Wildfire burns
smoke creates storm clouds because of quick convection.
Storm clouds start another fire through dry lighting.
plants burn down, generate space for new plants to fuel a later fire.
What natural factors cause wildfires?
lightning, droughts, el nino year.
What factors made the paradise wildfire intense?
Antecedent conditions
Topography
fuel loading
Time of day (