Wildfires
Introduction
For centuries humans have experienced wildfires.They have used wildfires for agriculture and to maintain vegetation, but they have also seen wildfires tear down forests and civilizations. Wildfires are unique. Most wildfires are good because they maintain wildlife, but they have gotten out of control recently. From 1983 to 2012 no fire season averaged above 2 million hectares burned. However from 2013 to 2022 they increased to an average of just below 3 million hectares. Then in 2023 the Canada wildfires blazed out of control, burning around 4 million 750 thousand hectares. When a wildfire happens a couple of times in the same area, they get worse and worse creating the perfect recipe for a disaster.
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Causes of Wildfires
For a wildfire to occur, there are three things that must be present. These three components are fuel, oxygen and a heat source. For a fire to burn, it needs to have something for it to burn on. This is the fuel. The part of the fire that ignites the fire is the heat source. Finally a fire needs oxygen like a human. It has to breathe or else it cannot burn. When firefighters lay tarps over burning houses this is to trap the fire down and cut its lifeline by removing oxygen.
When looking at causes of wildfires, humans now affect this a lot more than they used to. Somewhere between 85 to 90% of wildfires nowadays are created by humans. Humans are creating a fuel and a heat source for these fires. For example discarded cigarettes are a rising threat. If the cigarette has not been put out the embers can light a fire. One of these tiny cigarettes can cause up to billions of dollars in property damage. For example in 2017 cigarette lighted fires caused 6 billion dollars in damage. Humans also have a tendency to walk away from fires and leave them unattended. People also like to burn trash and debris, and if this is not done correctly then it can cause a massive fire. Even though most fires are caused by humans, about 15% are caused by lightning and volcanic disturbances. Volcanic disturbances are not as big of a threat. The last big one was in 2011. The Hawaii volcano burned down 75 acres. Lightning is a big threat, almost as much as discarded cigarettes. When lightning strikes old or dead trees and dried grass that is how natural wildfires are caused.
Impact of Wildfires
Wildfires are always happening, but sometimes they get out of control. This is the rare occasion when you see a fire on TV that has burnt down hundreds of acres of land. The bad thing about wildfires, is that these fires happen enough for them to be really impactful. These uncontrolled wildfires cause billions and billions of dollars in economic damage each year. The wildfires knock out a few important things that will shatter the economy, tourist attractions and water supplies. Houses get burned down, the insurance companies go bankrupt and then you also have to add on to medical issues and deaths. Every year there are an estimated 340,000 deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular issues that fall in place with wildfire smoke. Most of these cases are in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
The increasing frequency and danger is a growing threat to humans and nature. This causes asthma attacks and many painful deaths. Emergency room visits related to heart failure increased by 37 percent. America also saw a 66 percent increase for breathing problem-related visits following the smokiest days of a big 2008 peat fire in eastern North Carolina, EPA researchers found.
Benefits of Wildfires
Even though some wildfires might be tragic, like I said earlier most wildfires are actually good. These wildfires help maintain forests and clear land for agriculture. When a small forest fire happens the fire burns through the forest destroying old and dead plants to create room for new ones to grow. Some plants rely on forest fires. These are called pyrophytes. Some examples of pyrophytes are lodgepole pines in the USA and banksia trees in Australia. These trees create seed cones that will open up during the heat of a fire. This way the seeds will fall out, and be guaranteed to start the germination process right after the fire.
The second benefit of small forest fires is that they use them to clear land for agriculture. This is called slash and burn agriculture. This is a widely used method of growing food in which wild or forested land is clear cut and any remaining vegetation burned. The resulting layer of ash provides the newly-cleared land with a nutrient-rich layer to help fertilize crops.
What You Can Do To Help
Most fires started by humans are escalating in severity. Even though these wildfires are getting worse, global awareness is rising. Nobody wants to be responsible for starting a raging wildfire. If you don’t want to start a wildfire then be cautious.
This means only start a campfire or bonfire in an appropriate pit, cleared of plants, bushes or trees. There is always a chance of something going wrong and the fire burns over. Never leave your fire unattended, especially overnight. If your fire is not under supervision the fire may also spread. When you are finished with your wildfire make sure your fire has been soaked with water and smothered with dirt. Then there is no chance of the fire somehow picking up again. Don't start a fire on a windy day. The fire may blow and something will catch on fire.
After reading this you know about the danger of wildfires. Perhaps this will be an incentive to tell friends and family, and make sure you are not the one who causes wildfires.
Fires
Global Forest Watch
https://www.globalforestwatch.org/topics/fires/#intro
Vizzuality. (n.d.). Forest fires & climate change: Effects of deforestation on wildfires: GFW. Global Forest Watch. https://www.globalforestwatch.org/topics/fires/#intro
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Wildfires: How They Form, and Why They're so Dangerous
National Geographic Society
Wildfires: How they form, and why they’re so dangerous. Education. (n.d.). https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/wildfires-how-they-form-and-why-theyre-so-dangerous/
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WILDFIRES: A CRISIS RAGING OUT OF CONTROL
WWF
Fires and forests. WWF. (n.d.). https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/forest_publications_news_and_reports/fires_forests/
_____________________________________________________________________________________________What causes wildfires?
WFCA
wfca_inanna. (2023, February 1). What causes wildfires?. WFCA. https://wfca.com/articles/what-causes-wildfires/#:~:text=Human%20 causes%20of%20 wildfire%20 include,%2C%20 prescribed%20 burns%2C%20and%20 arson.
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Slash and Burn Agriculture
ECOLOGIC
Our impact: Slash and burn agriculture: Ecologic Development Fund. EcoLogic. (n.d.). https://www.ecologic.org/our-impact/challenges/slash-and-burn-agriculture#:~:text=Slash%20and%20burn%20agriculture%20is,layer%20to%20help%20fertilize%20crops.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________How To Prevent Wildfires
American Red Cross
Prevent wildfires. How To Prevent Wildfires | American Red Cross. (n.d.). https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/wildfire/how-to-prevent-wildfires.html
_____________________________________________________________________________________________5 Wildfires Around the World in 2023
CATALYST
Team, C. (2023, June 29). 5 wildfires around the world in 2023. https://catalyst.cm/stories-new/2023/6/28/5-wildfires-around-the-world-in-2023#:~:text=For%20example%2C%20fires%20in%20the,also%20had%20multiple%20wildfires%20recently.
Interesting post, well researched
ReplyDeleteThis is very informative and I’m so glad you mentioned pyrophytes. They are such fascinating plants :)
ReplyDeleteI learned so much about wildfires that I had not read or heard about. You are to be commended for your research and writing skills!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much more raising awareness about this important topic. I learned so much working on this with you!
ReplyDelete- Paul
Thanks!
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