This article is about outdoor fires. For other uses, see Wildfire (disambiguation). For other uses, see Brushfire (disambiguation). The Rim Fire consumed more than 250,000 acres (1,000 km2) of forest near Yosemite National Park in 2013. A wildfire or wildfire is a fire in an area of combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside. or rural area. Depending on the type of vegetation in which it occurs, a fire may also be classified more specifically as a bush fire, bush fire, desert fire, forest fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, vegetation or veld fire. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Fossil coal indicates that fires began soon after land plants appeared 420 million years ago. The presence of violent fires throughout the history of terrestrial life invites the conjecture that fire must have had pronounced evolutionary effects on the flora and fauna of most ecosystems. Earth is an inherently flammable planet due to its cover of carbon-rich vegetation, seasonally dry climates, atmospheric oxygen, and widespread lightning and volcanic ignitions. Fires can be characterized in terms of the cause of ignition, physical properties, combustible material present, and the effect of atmospheric conditions on the fire. Fires can cause damage to property and human life, but they have many beneficial effects on native vegetation, animals and ecosystems that evolved with fire. Many plant species depend on the effects of fire for growth and reproduction. However, fires in ecosystems where fires are rare or where non-native vegetation has invaded can have negative ecological effects.[5] The behavior and severity of fires are the result of a combination of factors such as available fuels, physical environment and weather conditions. Analyzes of historical weather data and national fire records in western North America show the primacy of climate in driving large regional fires through wet periods that create significant fuels or droughts and warming that prolong fire-friendly weather. Forest fire prevention, detection and suppression strategies have varied over the years.[13] A common and economical technique is controlled burning: allowing or even lighting smaller fires to minimize the amount of flammable material available for a potential fire. Vegetation can be burned periodically to maintain high species diversity, and frequent burning of surface fuels limits fuel accumulation.[16] ][17] The use of forest fires is the most economical and ecologically appropriate policy for many forests.[18] Fuels can also be removed by logging, but fuel treatments and dilution have no effect on severe fire behavior in extreme weather conditions.[19] According to Jan Van Wagtendonk, a biologist at the Yellowstone Field Station, burning itself is reportedly the most effective treatment for reducing a fire's rate of spread, fire line intensity, flame length, and heat per unit of area. Building codes in fire-prone areas typically require that structures be constructed of flame-resistant materials and that defensible space be maintained by removing flammable materials within a prescribed distance of the structure. The most common direct human causes of.
tags