Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that occur in areas with extensive combustible vegetation like forests and grasslands. They can be caused by natural events like lightning or dry conditions, or by human activities such as slash-and-burn farming. Wildfires spread quickly due to wind and can take different forms like surface fires, crown fires, and underground ground fires. While some wildfires are beneficial to ecosystems, uncontrolled fires threaten human lives and property. Prevention methods include reducing flammable materials through grazing and forest maintenance, as well as community education and enforcement of fire prevention laws.
Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that occur in areas with extensive combustible vegetation like forests and grasslands. They can be caused by natural events like lightning or dry conditions, or by human activities such as slash-and-burn farming. Wildfires spread quickly due to wind and can take different forms like surface fires, crown fires, and underground ground fires. While some wildfires are beneficial to ecosystems, uncontrolled fires threaten human lives and property. Prevention methods include reducing flammable materials through grazing and forest maintenance, as well as community education and enforcement of fire prevention laws.
Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that occur in areas with extensive combustible vegetation like forests and grasslands. They can be caused by natural events like lightning or dry conditions, or by human activities such as slash-and-burn farming. Wildfires spread quickly due to wind and can take different forms like surface fires, crown fires, and underground ground fires. While some wildfires are beneficial to ecosystems, uncontrolled fires threaten human lives and property. Prevention methods include reducing flammable materials through grazing and forest maintenance, as well as community education and enforcement of fire prevention laws.
Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that occur in areas with extensive combustible vegetation like forests and grasslands. They can be caused by natural events like lightning or dry conditions, or by human activities such as slash-and-burn farming. Wildfires spread quickly due to wind and can take different forms like surface fires, crown fires, and underground ground fires. While some wildfires are beneficial to ecosystems, uncontrolled fires threaten human lives and property. Prevention methods include reducing flammable materials through grazing and forest maintenance, as well as community education and enforcement of fire prevention laws.
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WILDFIRES
WHAT ARE WILDFIRES?
WILDFIRES News about wildfires that often happen in places like California (U.S.A) cause worry for many Filipinos whose relatives consider the western U.S state as home. This is because such wildfires threaten not only brushlands and forest but, most especially, the homes nearby. Wildfires can spread all the way to communities bordering brushlands and forests and may cause extensive destruction to property. A wildfires is any natural or anthropogenic-caused uncontrolled fire in remote areas where there is extensive combustible vegetation and/or organic materials like forests, grasslands, shrublands, brushlands, scrublands, and peatlands. A wildfire can spread from the source of ignition very quickly and can change direction unexpectedly. Strong winds enable wildfires to grow very large because of the continuous supply of oxygen. Also, strong winds can scatter burning debris, which could trigger fires in other places. TYPES OF WILDFIRES GROUND FIRES involve of burning of buried decomposed organic matter and extensive tree root systems. The smoldering fire associated with the burning of roots is particularly dangerous because even when the fire appears to have been extinguished, the fire can smolder for days or months underground and the surface again somewhere along any of the large network of roots. SURFACE FIRES the most common type of wildfires, involve the burning of fuel scattered on the surface like fallen leaves, branches, bark, stems, tree cutting, and dried- up low lying vegetation-like shrubs and grasses. CROWN FIRES burn tree canopies, other higher parts of trees, and suspended materials like vines. This type of wildfire spreads very rapidly because of the strong winds which supply more and more oxygen. The extent and intensity of a crown fire is controlled by density of the suspended material, the height of continuity of the canopies, and the intensity of ground and/or surface fires which may spread upward. LADDER FUELS are any combustible material found between the ground and the tree tops which allow fire to climb up all the way to the canopies. These include small trees, tall grasses, tree branches, downed trees, vines, ferns, and other plants that span the length of tree trunks. Woodpiles, fences, and hut also contribute to the vertical spread of fire. CAUSES OF WILD FIRES 1. NATURAL CAUSES -Many wildfires are triggered by the tremendous heat associated with lightning strikes. Wildfires are favored during thunderstorms that are accompanied by little to no rain. Also, Lava flows during volcanic eruptions ignite almost anything that they come into contact with and can trigger wildfires. Wildfire can occur due to spontaneous combustion of highly combustible fuels in forests, due to extremely hot and dry weather. A material can suddenly burst into flame when it reaches a certain threshold temperature called flash point. Wildfires can proliferate, especially during dry spells, droughts, or heat weaves. Rockfalls can also trigger wildfires because of the sparks caused by friction between rock surfaces or between rocks and wood. 2. HUMAN ACTIVITIES -Human activities are responsible for the majority of reported wildfires. Humans, wittingly or unwittingly, start wildfires. Kaingin (slash-and-burn method of clearing land) and charcoal production are examples of fires which were started intentionally, but most probably went out control. CONTROLLING AND PREVENTING WILDFIRES Wildfires should not be completely prevented because these are also known to benefit the ecosystem. Man-made wildfires should be prevented, but naturally-caused wildfires should be permitted as long as they are controlled so that lives and properties are not put at risk. Grazing can be done to reduce fuel-like brushes and to prevent fires from starting and spreading.
In mature forest, there are more established method of
maintenance. 1. Sanitation - continuous removal of dead/dried-up/sick trees. 2. Thinning – removal of less developed and dying trees every seven to ten years while maintaining the normal density level of forests. 3. Pruning – removal of lower branches of a tree reaching one-third of it’s height, which may reach as high as 4 meters particularly in recreational areas and along trails where there is a higher risk of fires. 3. Removal of cuttings and other tree waste materials – cuttings and other waste can be transported to the side of the road or burned in clearings.
Fire and grazing lines can also be made and maintained to
reduce the amount of flammable matter. Forest fires can be reduced further through community participation in fire prevention as fire volunteers and in publicity and education efforts; passing and enforcing legislation which requires maintenance of forest; and imposing penalties for committing acts which are harmful to forest. THANK YOU!