Wildland Fire Prevention Abstract Living in a house surrounded by nature and wildlands can be peaceful and beautiful, but it can also be risky. Wildfires that spread into wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities can be extremely costly in structural losses. The 1991 Oakland and 2007 Witch Creek fires in California resulted in property losses of $2.7B and $1.5B, respectively. The risk of a high intensity wildland fire, is rising in many wildland ecosystems, and with it comes an increased risk to homes in this interface area. The good news for people living in wildland settings is that you can do many things to protect your home even before a wildfire gets started.
The mountain pine beetle epidemic is causing environmental and social impacts to much of British Columbia. Our forests are very important and will no longer be able to maintain their role if changes are not made. The devastation has had a sweeping impact on B.C.’s ecological, and economical well-being. Additionally, recent studies are drawing attention to the carbon-emitting properties of the dead forests, which is a global concern. A popular misconception developed that the current provincial mountain pine beetle epidemic began in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.
This portion of the Emergency Management Plan illustrates ways to mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover all types of potential fires in the zoo. Hazard: Fuel, oxygen, and heat complete the fire triangle in order for flames to survive. In forests, the necessary fuel is provided by vegetation especially those that lack adequate water. In an enclosed area such as houses or
Another example, by Minnesota Public Radio, shows how the people who lived and stayed in the area of the fire were influenced too. “This fire was devastating for individuals that abided in the region because of the degree of intensity of the fire and how widespread it was.” This shows how demoralizing and overwhelming the fire was for the people who had homes and farms in the area. This also shows that if this fire would have taken place in a more densely populated area, such as in the New England region, the death toll, damage, and most importantly reform would have been much greater. The Peshtigo Fire of 1871 had influence on people who were directly affected by the fire, like farmers who had plantations, and also people who were indirectly affected by the fire. After the great Peshtigo Fire the U.S. was forever different because of the way it changed America’s views and the fire was a beneficial change in the long run
In 1977 the Forest Service made carrying fire shelters mandatory for all firefighters after three fatalities occurred on the Battlement Creek Fire. The Mann Gulch fire obviously happened before shelters were invented, but if these men would have been carrying them, the outcome could have been very different. There have been numerous cases since the implementation of fire shelters where crews have been overtaken by wildfires and lived to talk about it. In most cases, the sole reason for survival, was the use of fire shelters. The shelters are able to shield trapped firefighters from the radiant heat of the fire, as well as give them a small amount of breathable air amidst the superheated gases.
In the last century, many naturally occurring fires were put out immediately as rangers feared it would ruin the national park. However, this resulted in an incredible buildup of dead wood and undergrows that fueled catastrophic infernos. Today, the National Park firefighters manage and allow naturally occurring fires to burn or set controlled fires in order to maintain a balance. The Giant Sequoia trees are heavily dependent upon the fires as it needs fire to reproduce. When a fire burns, the heat opens up their seed cones which allows for their seeds to be released.
Firstly, the Everglades are an important ecosystem which reduces flooding and replenish aquifers but human actions are having a huge impact on the landscape. The rapid urban and agricultural development in the area has decreased the size of the wetlands dramatically which affects the organisms found there. This is especially important as it is home to several endangered species. Not only that, but invasive species that threaten existing wildlife by preying on or competing with them. According to Everglades.org, they’ve “contributed to nearly 70 percent of extinctions in the United States” and are the “primary cause of species endangerment.” The water itself is a major cause of decline to the area, firstly because of poor water management leading to water levels being too low or too high at the wrong times has caused a decline in many species.
Issues such as habitat loss, grazing, tourism, threatened native species, feral animals in the Mount Kosciuszko. The reasons for this dramatic decline in Human-induced modification and natural induced. Early generations of grazing and practices such as deforestation have also played a major role in the ecological disaster that is the Mount Kosciuszko. (Map of Mount Kosciuszko) Mount Kosciuszko is incredibly diverse weathering many different ecosystems, forests, , mountain ranges. The Mount Kosciuszko supports a significant portion of Australia’s biodiversity including species of flora and fauna found only within the Mount Kosciuszko; pygmy possum, broad tooth rat and the spotted tail quoll.
Not only is the beetle epidemic killing off the ecosystem for the Grizzly Bears, it is also contributing to this little problem we keep hearing about on the news, and by Politian’s, Global Warming. We hear about it all the time, witness its effects every season, but some people still don’t believe it. The way that the Pine Beetle is affecting Global Warming is that it is changing the lush green pine forest into brown dead zones that are releasing carbon into the atmosphere. The Pine Beetle outbreak is actually threatening the balance of carbon in the region (Ira Platow 1). Carbon is a greenhouse gas, this means it has heat trapping features so it retains heat from the sun and gradually heats up the
Secondary effects include respiration problems from the plumes of smoke, land slides from soil erosion, and economic losses. As the fires burn large plumes of smoke begin to saturate the air and make the quality of air very poor for breathing. According to (usgs.gov) over 70% of people were affected by respiratory problems from poor air quality in and around the San Diego area during the 2007 wildfires. Another secondary impact of wildfires is soil erosion. Soil erosion occurs when the land is depleted of valuable nutrients making it susceptible to landslides and mudslides in the wet