“Burn Baby Burn!”

 Evidence of forest fires dates back 350 million years ago  It is a natural phenomenon  Initially, lightning was the sole cause of forest fires  Currently in Ontario, lightning accounts for 40% and high school students playing with matches and cigarettes cause the rest ;)

 An external source of heat is needed to start a fire  To ignite, fire needs approx. 16% oxygen, (Ontario is generally 21% oxygen)  The fuel is anything capable of burning – living vegetation, branches, needles, standing dead trees, leaves, log cabins etc.

 How far and how fast a fire spreads is dependant upon  Quantity and type of fuel  Weather conditions  Region’s topography

 Moisture level is the most important determinant  High moisture levels slow the fire as heat is used to dry the wood, before it combust – creates a hissing sound  Therefore, live trees take longer to burn  Long periods of drought increase the likelihood of fires

 The chemical make up of the fuel make some species more readily to burn  Some plants contain oils or resign that are more combustible and burn more easily  Pine and Cedar are great examples

 Wind and rain are the most important factors  Winds bring in fresh oxygen and push the blaze towards new fuel sources  A fire blaze can easily out run people and animals

 Fires will spread faster up hill as the hot air from the fire preheats the existing fuel ahead.  The greater the rise of the slope, the faster the fire moves upwards

 Type of fire that burns organic litter beneath surface litter – usually peat moss smoldering  very difficult to locate as there is very little flame, only smoke

 Spread with a flaming front and burn leaf litter, fallen branches and other fuel located at ground level  Generally controllable with proper equipment

 Burn across tree tops or the crown of the tree  They depend on strong winds and dry fuels that make them extremely powerful and intense  Very loud!  Create Fire Create Fire TornadoesTornadoes!

 Water Bombers fill up on nearby lakes and drop on the fire Water Bombersthe fire  Fire Retardant Sprays  Creating fire breaks

 Prescribed burns (set intentionally) and are done to burn off access fuel in high risk areas  Prescribed fire can help  grow better forests,  create better habitat for wildlife and domestic animals  reduce the intensity of naturally occurring wildfires,  integral process to some ecosystems.

 Fires kill off invasive species, pests, diseases and older trees, leaving space for younger, native trees to flourish  The ashes provide nutrients that are locked in the soil and for other vegetation  “Obligate seeders” - are plants with large, fire- activated seed banks that germinate, grow, and mature rapidly following a fire.  Lodgepole Pine, Pitch Pine have heat activated seeds