Forest fires in the West
A wildfire is an instance of uncontrolled burning in brush, grasslands, or woodlands. Wildfires can threaten the lives of people, and animals. It will also destroy property and natural resources. A wildfire can occur anytime of the year, but will most likely occur during hot, and dry weather. Wildfires are characterized by thick smoke that can be seen miles away. These fires can burn for days, and weeks. They have the potential to wipe out an entire forest. There are 3 conditions in which are needed for a wildfire to burn, which firefighters call the fire triangle: fuel, oxygen, and a heat source. (National Geographic) Fuel is any flammable material surrounding a fire. The greater an area’s fuel load, the more intense …show more content…
The monthly total area burned reached 5675.702mi², which ranked the highest in any August since 2000 (National Climatic Data Center 2012). United States wildfires have burned more than 10.1 million acres in 2015 a new record Tom Vilsack, United states secretary of agriculture said. Those fires destroyed 4,500 homes and structures and killed 13 firefighters. The long term environmental impacts, resulting from hazards from wildfire will be considered effects that are not immediately felt or recognized. In example the impact of erosion after a wildfire, because it happens months, to years after the fire had been eliminated. These effects are concentrated in the area(s) where the fire had occurred or a short distance away, but there are exceptions based upon the path that the hazards had taken. The following pollutants have been identified as having some long term impacts: Metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polybrominated dibenzofurans and, polybrominated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls and perfluorinated compounds (FM Global, 2010). Evidence shows that human health can be critically affected by forest fires. Smoke has high levels of crude matter and poisons. Respiratory morbidity predominates, but cardiovascular, and psychiatric problems
A wildfire is an instance of uncontrolled burning in brush, grasslands, or woodlands. Wildfires can threaten the lives of people, and animals. It will also destroy property and natural resources. A wildfire can occur anytime of the year, but will most likely occur during hot, and dry weather. Wildfires are characterized by thick smoke that can be seen miles away. These fires can burn for days, and weeks. They have the potential to wipe out an entire forest. There are 3 conditions in which are needed for a wildfire to burn, which firefighters call the fire triangle: fuel, oxygen, and a heat source. (National Geographic) Fuel is any flammable material surrounding a fire. The greater an area’s fuel load, the more intense …show more content…
The monthly total area burned reached 5675.702mi², which ranked the highest in any August since 2000 (National Climatic Data Center 2012). United States wildfires have burned more than 10.1 million acres in 2015 a new record Tom Vilsack, United states secretary of agriculture said. Those fires destroyed 4,500 homes and structures and killed 13 firefighters. The long term environmental impacts, resulting from hazards from wildfire will be considered effects that are not immediately felt or recognized. In example the impact of erosion after a wildfire, because it happens months, to years after the fire had been eliminated. These effects are concentrated in the area(s) where the fire had occurred or a short distance away, but there are exceptions based upon the path that the hazards had taken. The following pollutants have been identified as having some long term impacts: Metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polybrominated dibenzofurans and, polybrominated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls and perfluorinated compounds (FM Global, 2010). Evidence shows that human health can be critically affected by forest fires. Smoke has high levels of crude matter and poisons. Respiratory morbidity predominates, but cardiovascular, and psychiatric problems