Causes, Consequences and Control of Forest Fires - Assignment Example

Environmental Risk (Wildfire) Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Introduction Wildfires occur due to many causes. Like all other vents, wildfires cannot occur if the necessary conditions occur, but as well, they may not necessarily occur just because the necessary conditions are present. Drought has been associated with wildfires as their natural cause. In general terms, a wildfire will not occur in the absence of a drought but as well wildfires do not occur just because there are dry conditions. This is because an effect happens if a satisfactory cause results, but may also happen even if the satisfactory cause does not occur. Wildfires and their effects are thus complicated. For instance, following dry conditions, a lightening strike may be a sufficient cause of a massive wildfire; but there is also a possibility that arsonists can substitute the effect of lightning (Motello & Sutton 2006, p. 19). Given the complexity of wildfires, it is important to study them deeply in order to understand their causes as well as effects. This paper will address this phenomenon with the aid of a logic tree. The paper will address the complexity of wildfires, the pathways, as well as sources of harm associated with the fires. The risks will be countered by an analysis of scientific methods used suppressing them as well as the weaknesses surrounding these methods. The paper will also make a comparison of wildfire with other environmental risks. Finally, the paper will evaluate the attitude of people towards wildfires and how that compares with attitudes about other environmental risks. Potential causes of wildfires and the associated consequences There are many causes of wildfire, some natural while others arise as a result of human activities. The consequences of wildfire range from being mild to devastating. All these are highlighted in the logic tree below. Figure 1: Logic tree for the cause and risks of wildfires Lightning Instances of wildfire due to lightning occur at a rate of between three and five time per year. However, such fire may not necessarily spread rapidly because of the quenching effect of the rain associated with the lightning (Siegel 1996, p, 236). Human carelessness Most cases of wild fire arise as a consequence of human carelessness. This is particularly with reference to handling fireworks. Burning due to mishandling of remnants of fire or due to arson activities are major exemplas of human activities that start wildfires (Siegel 1996, p, 236). Slash-and-burn farming Slash-and-burn farming is a common practice of small-scale farming and involves burning of vegetation and woodlands as a means of clearing land. However, this in many cases results in devastating fires (Siegel 1996, p, 237). Volcanic activity Volcanoes may develop favourable condition to start a fire on the surrounding vegetation. Active volcanoes also create wildfire conditions through pyroclastic clouds that are generated when the volcanoes are significantly active (Siegel 1996, p, 237). Underground coal fires Underground coal fires are common causes of wildfires because of the presence of slow burning flames or flameless combustion. The fires continue to burn for a long time creating toxic fumes and other hazards that are harmful to the environment (Siegel 1996, p, 237). Consequences of wildfires The general impact of wildfires are deaths of human being and animals, respiratory diseases as a result of fumes, loss of property, general devastation of the environment (such as forests), destruction of wetlands and watersheds and so on as shown in the logic tree above. Scientific approaches of dealing with wildfire Although wildfires may be sudden and unpredictable, there are multiple scientific methods to deal with them. One device for dealing with such fire is the fire deterrent system. The device works in an anticipatory mode by detecting the impeding occurrence of a wildfire around the area of the structure to be protected. The system has an apparatus that identifies the locus as well as course of the spread of the fire when it is positioned outside of any defensive perimeter that surrounds the structure and expands outward therefrom (Heinselman 1999). The estimated period of arrival of fire from say, a lightning strike in the forest is determined and the adjacent vegetation is sprayed in anticipation of the arrival of the spreading fire. Stoppage of the fire is facilitated by prewetting the surrounding vegetation as well as the structure. By doing so, the probability that the local fore will spread due to the effects of wind and wind borne embers is reduced. In addition, the combustibility of the burning materials is reduced and this allows for intervention by assisting in conventional fire fighting techniques (Heinselman 1999). Another scientific technique of dealing with wildfire is the use of contextual algorithm that makes use of the strong emission of near infrared radiation from the fires. The algorithm is designed such that it facilitates examination of each pixel of MODIS swath, and records the information depending on the designated classes – that is cloud, missing data, fire, non-fire or unknown. The recorded data enable responders to act on the fire depending on the perceived magnitude (Heinselman 1999). Other methods of dealing with wildfire include the use of wildfire suppression chemicals (Kalabokidis 2000, p. 130). This is done by applying millions of gallons of fire suppressing chemicals on the affected environment. The chemicals are usually considered to have insignificant impacts on the people near the affected area. Weaknesses in the scientific approaches Although the methods highlighted above are effective in dealing in with the environmental risk of wildfires, they are associated with a number of weaknesses. For instance, the fire deterrent system is only appropriate for fires that can be anticipated such as those caused by predetermined volcanic activity. The method is however not effective when dealing with fires that occurs spontaneously such as those arising from a lightning strike or an arson. In most cases, the fire deterrent system will not be able to detect fires that occur in an area that is not served by the system. As such activities like slash as burn farming in a forest may go on undetected and result in a sudden fire without prior detection by the device (Heinselman 1999). An apparent weakness of contextual algorithm technique that it is as much limited as the fire deterrent technique. This means that it cannot be relied upon in areas in which there is probability that a fire will occur. But as mentioned in the introduction a wildfire can occur even without the occurrence of the known appropriate condition. Therefore, contextual algorithm technique is applicable only where the relevant devices have been established - and this is most cases where there is a landmark that is worthy protecting such as national park or a residential area. The expertise involved and the high cost of installation are prohibitive in using contextual algorithm to deal with all events of wild fires (Heinselman 1999). Although it is commonly believed that chemicals used in fire suppression are not harmful, there are many instances in which they have been known to cause eye and skin irritation with prolonged contact. In addition, retardants may encourage eutrophication an ultimately lead to deaths of aquatic organisms when they are used in aquatic ecosystems (Kalabokidis 2000, p. 130). It is also important to mention that chemical fire suppressors are used during the event of fire and the effectiveness of the technique may be hindered by other occurrence such as strong winds, poor visibility and very dry conditions that encourage rapid spread of the wildfire (Kalabokidis 2000, p. 130). Feasibility of controlling wildfires Several factors hinder appropriate suppression of wildfires. Thus, many fires have gone unrecorded or caused significant devastation. In the United Kingdom, the moorland landscape has particularly been prone to wildfires (International Forest Fire News 2006; Runnacles undated). As a result, many of these areas are managed by controlled burns (a process called swaling). This means that effective wildfire suppression techniques are rarely implemented, or are implemented only in part. Occurrences of wildfires in the moorland are common because of the activities involved. But this is particularly an issue of concern because of the presence of important flora and fauna such the heather moorland and the upland game bird that lives there. Given that fire is commonly used to burn straw, and is created by farmers near forested areas, it becomes difficult to predict where a wildfire will arise and the mechanisms that can be used to control it spread (International Forest Fire News 2006). Since most wildfires in the United Kingdom are cause by human activities, it is difficult to determine the exact locations from which they arise, and even when they are known it is always difficult to control them using the conventional methods of fire suppression. Methods of suppression such as using aerial water dowsers and chemical suppressors may be effective but are usually overwhelmed if other factors such as wind are in play or if the suppression begins after the fire has spread over a large area (International Forest Fire News 2006). There are also instances where the feasibility of suppression techniques is questionable. Scientists will argue that some wildfires are beneficial as they result in regeneration of more vibrant vegetation. In such circumstances, intervention using chemical suppressors is considered to be hazardous to the environment much more than the fire would be (International Forest Fire News 2006). Comparison of likelihood of occurrence of wildfire and other environmental risks There is a potentially high risk of occurrence of wildfires as compare to other environmental hazards. This is because of the increase in activities that can potentially result in wildfires. These include leisure time, number of residences near forests, cabins and vacation homes in forests. Fuel loading makes wild lands highly vulnerable to fires and thus areas of high risk. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the increase in population around forests makes them inaccessible in case a fire. Thus, compared to risks such as oils spill, which can easily be spotted and attended to, wildfires are highly unpredictable and difficult to attend to (Wildfire Sprinkler 2009). The danger of wildfire has become real due to the fact that there are many structures near wild lands and the interfaces between wild areas and built environment are usually far from fire rescues centres or may not be easily reached by responders due to inaccessibility. In addition, wildfires may occur in areas that can only be accessed by air due to difficult terrain. While other risks as such as soil erosion and water pollution can be determined and the appropriate measures implemented, wildfires are difficult to determine and even if they are known intervention mechanisms may be hindered bay factors such as lack of water in the dry season (Wildfire Sprinkler 2009). People’s perceptions of wildfire as compared to other risks Many people understand the risk associated with wildfire. For instance, in an interview carried out in South Carolina in the United States, 79 % of the respondents said they believed that wildfires were somewhat a threat in their region although good number were of the opinion that the threat is significant. In addition, a good number of the respondents said that that wildfire were a threat to their property (Duda et al 2007). Wildfires may not be consequential to people who live far from wild lands, and such people perceive other risks such as oil spills, water pollution and so forth to be more significant than wild fires. However, people who live near wild lands have the perception that wild fires are major threat to life and property. This view is highly evident in the British Isles in which peat lands are highly managed and not regarded as natural fire regimes. It has been widely accepted that widely wild fires are particularly risky given the current change in climate in which wild lands experience long periods of the dry season, subjecting them to high fire risk and making neighbouring residential areas equally susceptible (Ryan & Wamsley 2006). It is the awareness about wildfire risks which are relatively more unpredictable than other risks that has caused calls for more interventions. These include remote surveillance, better communication between authorities, and more training (Ryan & Wamsley 2006). There are also initiatives to deal with arson as this has been identified to be a major risk nears forests. Thus, it has been suggested that in order to reduce the risk, there is need for improved public education, strict punishment for arsonists, improved legislation to protect property, and allowing for prosecution of arsonists. Most importantly, actions are being taken in the UK to stem careless human acts such discarding of cigarette butts, and bans on smoking (such as during the dry season) (Ryan & Wamsley 2006). Conclusion As undeterminable risks, wildfires present major challenges to the environment since their impacts are usually devastating. Although there are many methods of dealing with the risks, the unpredictable conditions make tackling wildfires a real challenge. There are many natural causes of wildfire and conditions that favour them such as drought, lightning and so forth, as well as human-induced activities. All these call for concerted effort in dealing with wildfires. References Duda, MD; Jones, M; Criscione, A; Craun, C; Beppler, T; Winegord, T; Lanier, A; Bissell, S J; Herrick, J B 2007, South Carolina residents’ knowledge of, perceptions of, and opinions on wildfires and controlled burning http://www.state.sc.us/forest/scpresfiresurvey.pdf Heinselman, M L 1999, The Boundary Waters Wilderness ecosystem, University of Minnesota Press, Minnesota. Kalabokidis, K D 2000, Effects of wildfire suppression chemicals on people and the environment - a review, Global Nest: the Int. J., 2(2): 129-137. Montello, D. R. & Sutton, P C 2006, An introduction to scientific research methods in geography, SAGE, London. Ryan RL & Wamsley, M B 2006, Perceptions of Wildfire threat and mitigation measures by residents of fire-prone communities in the Northeast: survey results and wild land fire management implications http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr_nrs1/ryan-1_1_11.pdf Siegel, F R 1996, Natural and anthropogenic hazards in development planning, R.G. Landes, London. Wildfire Sprinkler 2009, The Increasing Risks of Wildfires, Available from http://www.wildfiresprinkler.com/challenges/the-increasing-risks-of-wildfires.html (24 November 2009). Read More