Geography 2152F/G Study Guide - Final Guide: Vertical Draft, Smokey Bear, Pinus Ponderosa
10 Dec 2015
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Document Summary
A blow-up is a sudden increase in fire intensity or rate of spread, where the fire leaps suddenly from the ground up into the canopy of trees. Ponderosa pine forests give clues to past wildfires as there are fire scars embedded in their growth rings, which are charred lines that are left behind every time the tree is burned during a wildfire. As a result of low- intensity burns, smaller ponderosas were thinned out, leaving nutrients and space for others to grow big and tall. There were several factors that led to the giant wildfire of 1910. There was little rainfall in the spring, and the northern rockies were very dry. Locomotives scattered sparks along train tracks, which started small fires that spread into the forest. In the summer, thunderstorms brought about lightning and the fires began to multiply.
