EARTHSC 2GG3 Lecture Notes - Relative Humidity, Fire Retardant, Wildfire Suppression

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Wildfires are natural part of forest evolution. Approximately 8,000 wildfires occur each year in canada. The average area burned in canada is 2. 5 million ha/year. Benefit ecosystems by: thinning forests, reducing understory fuel, permitting growth of different species and age groups of trees. Factors that affect wildfire behavior are: fuel, weather, topography. Fuel requires three components: fuel, oxygen, heat. Types of fuel available, its distribution and moisture content determine how quickly fire ignites and spreads. Primary sources are trees and dry vegetation. Burn at high temperature by reaction with oxygen in air. Cellulose: compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, breaks down to carbon dioxide, water and heat. Natural oils and saps add to combustibles. Large relative surface area accelerates ignition and burning. Heavy fuels with small surface area ignite with difficulty and burn slowly. Ladder fuels: low brush and branches that ignite first and allow fire to climb into higher treetops.

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