Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Derek Mallia
Class Project
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
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
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.
create an extremely destructive and costly wildfire. Fortunately, from what I read, no lives were
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
explain how
summer temperatures
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
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
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>.
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>.