Teacher Information! Necessary materials: PowerPoint Guide Presentation (ppt.) Teacher Information! Necessary materials: PowerPoint Guide *All relevant terms are bolded.

Wildland Fire Types and Fighting Fire Range Plants -- OBJ 1: PPT Wildland Fire Types and Fighting Fire Modified from: Chad Bass, December 5, 2001 available at http://aged.ces.uga.edu/Browseable_Folders/Power_Points/index.html Forestry Revison Team May 2007, available at: http://aged.ces.uga.edu/Browseable_Folders/Power_Points/index.html Camp and Camp 2009 Pgs 283-289 in Ch.22 of Managing Our Natural Resources Rangelands, Forests, & Fire There are 14 slides in this presentation

Students will be able to… Presentation (ppt.) Students will be able to… Describe the types of wildland fires. Discuss fire suppression. There are

Who started the fire? Wildfires may be Natural  mainly lightning or… Human-caused Incendiary-the unlawful setting of fire Includes arson and escaped planned fires Unattended campfires

Types of Wildland Fires 3 types based on fire intensity Ground fire Surface fire Crown fire Fire intensity  the rate a fire produces heat measured as temperature or heat yield

Ground Fires Burn the organic materials beneath the surface litter of the forest floor Fuels like peat, coal, tree roots Common in wet, boggy areas Smoldering fire, usually no flames Very high heat kills root systems

Surface Fires Burn surface litter and small vegetation Forest canopy is not generally burned Most fires begin as surface fires Easiest to control Surface fires burn the readily combustible materials found in a forest.

Crown Fires Burn from top to top of trees or shrubs Most dangerous type of fire Can easily spread due to wind Crown fires release intense heat as it takes very high heat to combust the green portions of trees. Many conifers are highly flammable.  Why is this so? –They depend on fire to cause their seeds to germinate (break seed dormancy).

Anatomy of a Fire Head the most active part of a fire; a fire can have more than one Rear: the slowest burning part of a fire Flank: the sides of the fire, between the head and the rear The head, rear, and flanks make up the fire perimeter—the outmost area of the blaze. Burned area Wind Head Rear Flank

Fire Anatomy Influenced by: Air movement  horizontal & vertical movement of air & wind speed Fire season July-September in Idaho Topography Steeper slopes = faster fire, more updrafting winds Presences of roads, streams = fire barriers Air movement  can carry sparks from the fire into unburned areas creating spot fires. Spot fires increase the spread and intensity of the fire. Fire season the period of the year when fires are most likely to occur. This is usually when a region experiences it’s ‘dry’ season. In the western states this is often summertime. Fires usually burn much more rapidly uphill because of the updrafting winds created by the fire. Also, heat rises so fire can preheat its fuel as it moves upslope.

Fire Behavior These factors that affect fire anatomy result in fire behavior  The rate of spread or speed of a fire Fire intensity Some conditions can decrease the rate of spread Rain Wind reversal Increased relative humidity Wind reversal—the wind blows the fire back over the burned area where there is no fuel.

Fuel Types Influence fire behavior Two types Ground fuels  peat, duff, tree roots, leaves, dead grass, weeds, low shrubs Aerial fuels  burnable material in canopies above 6 ft from the ground

Wildfire Detection Lookout towers Telephone reports from motorists An alidade  determine the azimuth of a detected fire from two lookout towers Triangulation  2 azimuths taken from two towers pinpoints fire location Telephone reports from motorists Azimuth = direction

Wildfire Detection Fire-watch planes Remote sensing equipment Satellite imaging systems Azimuth = direction

Preventing Wildfire Education campaigns Thinning Prescribed burning Smokey Bear Keep America Green Thinning Prescribed burning National Fire Danger Rating System Fire danger indices Educational programs spread awareness about tending campfires, matches, cigarettes and the danger of accidentally starting a fire. Thinning and prescribed burning can reduce fuel loads and thus reduce the risk of wildfire. When the fire danger index is high, forests may be closed. Logging operations work at low risk times.

Suppressing Wildfire Direct attack The flames are attacked Fire lanes Indirect attack Removes fuel from the fire triangle Fire barriers Backfire Mopping up  Patrolling the fire line after the fire is under control Direct attack—works best for small, slow-moving fires. Flames are smothered with soil, wet clothes or swatters. Water can be used to cool the fuel below its ignition point. Fire retardant may be dumped on fires from airplanes. Fire lanes can be dug ahead of the fire—a narrow strip dug with a hand tool (shovel, rake, hoe) to remove fuel from the fire’s path. Indirect attack  Existing barriers used with quickly constructed barriers. Bulldozers or plows are used to create fire lanes/firebreaks. Barriers are created before the head of the fire first. Backfires are used to widen fire lanes and rob the oncoming fire of fuel. Backfires usually burn from a fire break toward the head of the fire. Mopping up—firefighters patrol the fire putting out spot fires and fires in the burned out area.

Review Describe the types of wildland fires. Discuss fire suppression. Presentation (ppt.) Review Describe the types of wildland fires. Discuss fire suppression. There are