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Marylynn Huggins

ATMO Severe and Hazardous Weather

Derek Mallia

Class Project

July 15, 2017

Impacts of Wildfires Across the Western U.S.

Although wildfires are a part of nature and can serve as agents of renewal and change by

reshaping ecosystems, fire can be deadly as it destroys homes, wildlife habitat and timber, and

pollutes the air with emissions that are harmful to human health. (US Forest Service) The

obvious and immediate impact is all the burned and scorched landscapes that once provided

scenic vistas and inviting recreational playgrounds. Beyond the obvious, the suggested topics

weve been asked to consider for this paper include the following questions: 1) what have past

fire trends looked like (from the 1920s-1970s), and why did we see this particular trend; 2) how

are these trends expected to change in the future; 3) what might be some of the reasons behind

these changing trends; and 4) what might be some of the impacts these changes have on air

quality. I will do my best to cover these topics.

To begin, I had to learn how wildfires start. One of the first things I came across was a fire

triangle which simplifies what a fire needs to survive. The three key elements being fuel,

oxygen, and heat. Two of the elements fuel and oxygen Ive been familiar with as they

pertain to structure fires, but hadnt really understood the element of heat from the triangle until

now. During a hot summer day when conditions are extremely dry, the heat of the sun can be
enough to ignite a fire as well as a dry lightning strike from an afternoon thunderstorm are

natural causes. Man-made causes will also result in the frequency of wildfires. Even though not

intentional, a simple spark from the wheel of a train moving along its tracks can be the trigger,

but unfortunately human carelessness is a more common cause. Some causes include unattended

or improperly extinguished campfires, intentionally setting fires (known as arson), playing with

matches or fireworks, carelessly discarding lit cigarettes, and not burning debris properly.

(Ollerenshaw) The latter being the cause of the recent Brian Head fire in Utah during the past

month that has burned over 71,000 acres with a cost nearing $34 million to date. (Berg)

Next, I wanted to understand what causes wildfires to spread so quickly and how weather

conditions can play a role. While watching the newscasts on TV and reading various news

sources pertaining to the Brian Head fire, it became apparent that wind strength and constant

changes in its direction had an impact on the movement of the fire. In my research, I learned that

wildfires can be wind driven, slope driven or fuel driven. (Ollerenshaw) The topography and

vegetation of the lands also affect how rapidly the fire moves. Devastating fires occur when all

three elements come together.

I learned how the terrain around Brian Head affected the fire while reading an article online in

Newsbeat. According to Rob Gazzard, technical advisor to the Forestry Commission in Canada,

"Where a slope is going upwards at a 10% gradient that would double the speed of the fire, if it's

20% it would quadruple the speed of the fire." (Ollerenshaw) The science behind that statement,

which causes the fire to travel up a mountainside faster, involves the fire pre-heating the fuel

higher up the mountainside. If the winds are driving the fire up the mountain, the pre-heating of
the fuel adds to the heat element from the triangle mentioned previously and the fire will burn

faster.

The Newsbeat article included this definition of what is considered fuel for wildfires, Fuel

includes everything from trees, underbrush and dry grassy fields to homes. The more fuel there

is, the more intensely the fire will burn causing it to spread faster. (Ollerenshaw) The Brian

Head fire contained all the above and more, which led to criticism of federal land managers and

environmental protection groups by some of Utahs elected officials. An article in the Deseret

News reported on one officials statement, State Rep. Mike Noel told reporters that federal

policies and environmental lawsuits have blocked logging in the region, creating fuel for fires as

dead trees linger long after they were killed by pests. (Reavy) So, strong winds, excessive fuel,

and very hot and dry conditions allowed the fire to spread faster and was much more difficult to

contain.

Finally understanding the elements of how wildfires

start and how weather relates to them, I can see how

the Brian Head fire became so intense and covered

so many acres. Low rainfall totals, searing hot

temperatures, strong winds that kept changing

directions, mountain slopes with plenty of fuel, and


Figure 1: June 29, 2017. Red indicates the more than
58,000 acres burned by Brian Head Fire. (Gabbert)
a careless human burning weeds all came together to

create an extremely destructive and costly wildfire. Fortunately, from what I read, no lives were

lost, but 26 homes were destroyed. (Gabbert)


One of the questions posed for this paper asks what past fire trends looked like (from the 1920s-

1970s) and why that trend occurred. We were instructed to refer to the following figure from

NASA, located in our course files, for the answer. Needing further clarification, I did a search

online and found an article in Physics Today which helped explain what the chart is trying to

show. According to the authors, charcoal records show that global fire activity has decreased in

frequency since the 1920s, likely as a result of wildfire management practices and land use

changes. (Physics Today)

Figure 2: Global fire


activity variations.

The article goes on to

explain how

increases in the late

spring and early

summer temperatures

across many regions

is contributing to extended drought conditions. These conditions only serve to prolong the

wildfire season, especially in the western U.S. which is prone to hot dry summers.

The answers to the next two questions are interrelated based on the peer reviewed articles by

Philip Dennison and Anthony Westerling that we were given as our information sources for this

paper: How are these trends expected to change in the future?; and What might be some of the

reasons behind these changing trends?. What Ive learned from the readings is that these trends

are already changing. The article in Physics Today also references the studies by Dennison and
Westerling. According to the 2014 study, Dennison determined that the frequency of large fires

had increased across the western U.S. ecoregions from 1984 through 2012. (Physics Today)

The explanation in the article goes on to reveal a turn for the worse for western U.S. wildfires

based on the 2006 study by Westerling. (Physics Today) From what I understand, the overall

conclusion of these works suggests that warming from climate change is likely to be blamed for

the increasing average length of the wildfire season. Earlier snowmelt indicates increased

temperatures in higher elevations which can accelerate the frequency of wildfire activity moving

forward.

What might be some of the impacts these changes have on air quality? I believe there is a

consensus that the smoke from wildfires has a negative impact on human health. Its not just the

area of the fire thats impacted because the smoke can travel hundreds of miles. As populations

grow and the frequency of wildfires increase, the air pollution problems will get worse. Studies

have shown that carbon emissions contribute to the greenhouse effect which impacts global

warming which is shown to increase the potential for wildfires that in turn sends more pollutants

into the air.

Clearly the studies and recent events show that wildfires have an impact on the environment and

the air quality. Wildfires also impact water quality, fish and wildlife, the tourism industry in

affected areas like Brian Head, and recreational land use, which all have an impact on the

economy. Oftentimes, its those effects which linger for years and years and end up having a

greater impact on generations.


Works Cited
Berg, Alison. "Damage from Brian Head Fire not done yet, official says." 18 July 2017. deseretnews.com.
23 July 2017. <http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865685050/Damage-from-Brian-Head-
Fire-not-done-yet-official-says.html>.

Gabbert, Bill. "Brian Head Fire slows, but continues to spread to the northeast." 29 June 2017.
wildfiretoday.com. 15 July 2017. <http://wildfiretoday.com/2017/06/29/brian-head-fire-slows-
but-continues-to-spread-to-the-northeast/>.

. "More homes and acres burn in Brian Head Fire in southwest Utah." 24 June 2017.
wildfiretoday.com. 15 July 2017. <http://wildfiretoday.com/2017/06/24/more-homes-and-
acres-burn-in-brian-head-fire-in-southwest-utah/>.

Judit Lecina-Diaz, Albert Alvarez, and Javier Retana. "Extreme Fire Severity Patterns in Topographic,
Convective and Wind-Driven Historical Wildfires of Mediterranean Pine Forests." 22 Jan 2014.
NCBI. Ed. Han Y. H. Chen. 15 Jul 2017.
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899010/>.

Ollerenshaw, Tracy. "Wildfires: Why they start and how they can be stopped." 5 May 2016. BBC. 15 July
2017. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36211531/wildfires-why-they-start-and-how-
they-can-be-stopped>.

"Physics Today." n.d. <http://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.5.4021/full/>.

Reavy, Pat. "Officials fault feds, conservation groups for rapid spread of wildfire." 26 Jun 2017.
deseretnews.com. 15 July 2017. <http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865683702/Type-I-
team-takes-over-Brian-Head-Fire-as-red-flag-warning-issued.html>.

"US Forest Service." 14 September 2015. www.fs.fed.us. 15 July 2017.


<https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/research/fire/fire-effects.shtml>.

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