Introduction Forest fires can be divided into two broad classes--wildfires and prescribed fires. Wildfires, whether caused by nature (lightning, etc.) or by the accidental or malicious acts of man, are not planned by forest managers and do not occur under controlled conditions.
What is a forest fire?
Forest Fire The forest fire is the burning of tropical, temperate and boreal forest either by natural fire or man-made fire and is related to land clearing and deforestation.
What causes forest fires to start?
Natural causes - Many forest fires start from natural causes such as lightning which set trees on fire. However, rain extinguishes such fires without causing much damage. High atmospheric temperatures and dryness (low humidity) offer favorable circumstance for a fire to start.
How to control a forest fire?
Generally, the fire spreads only if there is continuous supply of fuel (Dry vegetation) along its path. The best way to control a forest fire is therefore, to prevent it from spreading, which can be done by creating firebreaks in the shape of small clearings of ditches in the forests. The followings are the important precautions against fire:
Why are forest fires important to the environment?
Forest fires are an especially important mechanism for the supply of other complex organic materials to the atmosphere, including important aerosols.
What defines a forest fire?
Definition of forest fire : an uncontrolled fire in a wooded area — see crown fire, ground fire.
What is forest fire and its causes?
Causes of Forest Fire High atmospheric temperatures and dryness (low humidity) offer favorable circumstance for a fire to start. Man made causes - Fire is caused when a source of fire like naked flame, cigarette or bidi, electric spark or any source of ignition comes into contact with inflammable material.
What is the purpose of forest fires?
Cleaning the Forest Floor Fire removes low-growing underbrush, cleans the forest floor of debris, opens it up to sunlight, and nourishes the soil. Reducing this competition for nutrients allows established trees to grow stronger and healthier.
What is forest fire Wikipedia?
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation starting in rural and urban areas.
What is forest fire disaster?
Forest fires are wildfires that spread uncontrollably, burning plants, animals, grasslands and brushlands that fall in their path. The wind spreads the fire rapidly, causing significant air pollution. Generally, fires that continue for longer or are highly inflammable are caused by climatic changes.
What are effects of forest fires?
EFFECT OF FOREST FIRE loss of biodiversity and extinction of plants and animals. loss of wildlife habitat and depletion of wildlife. loss of natural regeneration and reduction in forest cover. global warming.
What are the effects of fire?
Understanding Fire Effects on the Environment But fire can be deadly, destroying homes, wildlife habitat and timber, and polluting the air with emissions harmful to human health. Fire also releases carbon dioxide—a key greenhouse gas—into the atmosphere.
What are the causes of fire?
Leading Causes of House FiresAppliances and Equipment. Any device that generates heat (stoves, clothes dryers, heaters) or heats up with extended use (computers, fans) is a potential fire hazard. ... Candles. ... Holiday Decorations. ... Electrical Systems and Devices. ... Smoking. ... Chemicals and Gasses. ... Lightning. ... Children.More items...
What is forest fire?
The forest fire is the burning of tropical, temperate and boreal forest either by natural fire or man-made fire and is related to land clearing and deforestation. Natural forest fire includes an unplanned burning of forest due to lightning, while human-induced forest fire results from the unauthorized burning practice of forests for attaining farmland. In spite of low commitment of boreal forest in worldwide biomass burning emission, there is 10-folds increase in the extent of boreal forest burning in recent year. The burning of forests destroys an important sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Usually, forest burning is widely practiced especially in Central and South America for converting large scale moist tropical forest to rangeland and agriculture, arson negligence and for hunting purpose. Forest burning is another important route for diminishing the catastrophic forest fire risk.
What is forest fire prediction?
Forest fires prediction combines weather factors, terrain, dryness of flammable items, types of flammable items, and ignition sources to analyze and predict the combustion risks of flammable items in the forest. Forest fire prediction has developed rapidly in various countries in the world since its inception in the 1920s.
What factors were used in Hsiao's study?
Hsiao's study used a given day's highest temperature, temperature variation, accumulated period without rainfall, and drought index as weather factors to derive forest fire incident in a logistical regression model, and built a forest fire ignition probability model. Hsiao also considered space and time variations in weather factors, ...
How do forest fires affect soil?
The most pronounced impact of forest fires on soil properties is the reduction of infiltration rates due to water repellency. This reduced infiltration not only increases the amount of overland flow and thus soil erosion, but may further reduce the availability of soil water for plants, especially in semiarid regions.
Why are forest fires more frequent?
Forest fires are likely to become more frequent as a consequence of predicted climate changes, as already shown in the Mediterranean area ( Moriondo et al., 2006 ).
How long does it take for a forest fire to be managed?
Forest fires are considered socially and economically unwelcome, and the burned areas are mandatorily managed within just 2 years of their formation. 2 Management consists of removing partially or fully burned trees and nearly immediate replanting of new tree seedlings ( Kunt, 1967 ).
Why is burning forests important?
The burning of forests destroys an important sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Usually, forest burning is widely practiced especially in Central and South America for converting large scale moist tropical forest to rangeland and agriculture, arson negligence and for hunting purpose. Forest burning is another important route for diminishing ...
What are the three categories of forest fires?
Forest fire can broadly be classified into three categories; Natural or controlled forest fire . Forest fires caused by heat generated in the litter and other biomes in summer through carelessness of people (human neglect) and. Forest fires purposely caused by local inhabitants.
What are the different types of forest fires?
The types of forest fire are as follows. Surface Fire - A forest fire may burn primarily as a surface fire, spreading along the ground as the surface litter (senescent leaves and twigs and dry grasses etc) on the forest floor and is engulfed by the spreading flames. Underground Fire - The fires of low intensity, ...
Why are forests in the Western Himalayas more vulnerable to fires?
This is because forests of Eastern Himalayas grow in high rain density. With large scale expansion of chirr (Pine) forests in many areas of the Himalayas the frequency and intensity of forest fires has increased.
How to prevent fire?
The followings are the important precautions against fire: 1 To keep the source of fire or source of ignition separated from combustible and inflammable material. 2 To keep the source of fire under watch and control. 3 Not allow combustible or inflammable material to pile up unnecessarily and to stock the same as per procedure recommended for safe storage of such combustible or inflammable material. 4 To adopt safe practices in areas near forests viz. factories, coalmines, oil stores, chemical plants and even in household kitchens. 5 To incorporate fire reducing and fire fighting techniques and equipment
How are forest fires prevented?
Successive Five Year Plans have provided funds for forests fighting. During the British period, fire was prevented in the summer through removal of forest litter all along the forest boundary.
How do I control a forest fire?
The best way to control a forest fire is therefore, to prevent it from spreading, which can be done by creating firebreaks in the shape of small clearings of ditches in the forests. Precautions.
What is ground fire?
Ground Fire - These fires are fires in the sub surface organic fuels, such as duff layers under forest stands, Arctic tundra or taiga, and organic soils of swamps or bogs.
POPs in Marine and Freshwater Environments
Richard J. Wenning, Linda Martello, in Environmental Forensics for Persistent Organic Pollutants, 2014
Deforestation and Land Clearing
Serious losses in forest cover in Southeast Asia and South America have been reported as a result of forest fires in 1997 and 1998. The causes of these fires are new large-scale commercial agricultural projects (including plantations) and shifting cultivation.
Impact of Ecological Restoration on Ecosystem Services
Ecological restoration has been in practice for centuries. For example, Native Americans in the Washington Cascades lit periodic forest fires to sustain natural ecosystem services, such as food crops and game animal forage (Everett et al., 2000 ).
Postmodern Ecological Restoration
This chapter explores a puzzle about ecological restoration. Many major disturbances are abnormal only relative to time and scale as well: On larger scales, forest fire is incorporated as part of the system; on smaller scales, it looks more like an external event.
Health Social Work
At the dawn of the twenty-first century, social work profession increasingly realized the importance of environmental protection when large-scale natural disasters such as flood, forest fire, earthquakes, and volcano eruptions were seen everywhere across the globe as a result of climate changes and environmental degradation ( Gray et al., 2013: 4).
The concept of more Humane and Sustainable Smart Cities
The term “resilience” is often associated with the capacity to resist extreme conditions, mostly due to the weather, such as water flooding, snow storms, droughts, wild forest fires, rising tides, hurricanes, and tornados.
Neural Networks as Forest Fires
Pascal Wallisch, ... Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos, in MATLAB for Neuroscientists (Second Edition), 2014
What is this project all about?
The goal of this project is to develop a multiple linear regression model for accurate and efficient fire size prediction and identify regions with landscape characteristics (elevation, slope, and aspect) and climatic conditions (temperatures, precipitation, and wind) that can encourage fire spreading.
Background
Forest fire has become one of the biggest enemies of forest in British Columbia (BC). A total of 1454 forest fires in 2014 so far have been reported in BC, the highest number among all provinces in Canada (Wildfire Management Branch, n.d.b).
What is the purpose of learning about wildfires?
Learning about wildfire risks and planning in advance can help protect against the destructive impacts of wildfires.
What are the hazards of a wildfire?
These include safety hazards, such as unstable structures; heavy equipment and slips, trips, and falls, as well as health hazards such as heat stress, hazardous materials, carbon monoxide and other respiratory hazards.
What are the responsibilities of an employer in a wildfire?
Employer Responsibilities. Each employer is responsible for the safety and health of its workers and for providing a safe and healthful workplace for its workers. Employers are required to protect workers from the anticipated hazards associated with the response and recovery operations for wildfires that workers are likely to conduct.
What is the purpose of the Preparedness page?
The Preparedness page provides information on evacuation plans, safety zones around buildings, and equipment to have on hand in case a wildfire occurs . Preparing plans in advance can help workers get to safety before a wildfire impacts an area and can also help protect personal property.