Formatted: Centered

Prescribed Burning to Prevent Wildfires

U.S. National Park Service

Content
Effects of Wildfires
- Effects on People and Wildlife
- Effects on the Environment
Prescribed Burns
- What is the prescribed burning and why is it used?
Why Prescribed Burning is Helpful
- How do prescribed burns prevent wildfires?
Conclusion

Abstract
Wildfires are dangerous, deadly, and destructive and as. As global
warming continues, wildfires are seem becoming to be a dangerous
consequence. However, nature is only responsible for aboutBut
Mother Nature only causes 10% of all wildfires. The other 90% are
human caused by things likewith cigarettes, campfires, arson, and
fireworks. Wildfires are extremely dangerous because of how hot they
are and how quickly they spread. They can be as fast as 12 mph and
are usually about 1500° Fahrenheit. Since they are so dangerous,
many tactics are used to prevent them from being too dangerous or
deadly. Prescribed burning is a tactic used to prevent wildfires from
being too large, dangerous, and uncontrollable. It is also a tactic used
to help forests grow healthy by killing weeds. It involves intentionally
starting brush fires in a controlled setting to limit the amount of fuel for
a future wildfire. It has many positive effects, however there are
people who are against it due to potential risk and smoke pollution.
However wildfires are more dangerous, also pollute the air, andbut
we do not have control over them.

Effects of Wildfires

Effects on People and Wildlife

Animals feel the effects of wildfires in many different ways. Although
there are not many deaths from wildfires, there are many injuries.
Some other effects are , crops beingare destroyed, and property andy
/habitats are destroyed. A lot of humans many not die, but a lot of
animals do because there instinct is to hide in their home, which is
not a good idea if the fire is near and spreading. Animals that live in
areas with frequent wildfires risk endangerment due to so many
dying. Wildfires effect more than just
animals that live where the fire is.
Runoff from the fire can harm aquatic
life that live in affected watersheds.
The picture on the right is an
example of the affected wildlife from
the pollution in the water. Human
health can be severely affected by
wildfires. Indirect contact by
breathing ash and smoke are difficult
to avoid and are more common.
Wood smoke has high levels of Trout Dead From Pollution
particulate matter and toxins. https://ca.water.usgs.gov/wildfires/wildfires-water-
Respiratory issues are the most quality.html

frequently seen, however

https://ca.water.usgs.gov/wildfires/wildfires-water-
cardiovascular, ophthalmic and psychiatric problems also occur.
Although indirect exposure is more common direct contact also does
occur. Due to the extreme temperature of wildfires, burns are severe
and require immediate special care and can cause the body to go into
shock, which can lead to organ failure and death. When wood and
other organic matter burn, the smoke is made up of a complex
mixture of gases and fine particles. The biggest health threat is from
the fine particles. These microscopic particles can penetrate your
lungs. They can cause a variety of health problems such as, anything
from a runny nose, to chronic heart, and lung diseases. Exposure to
particle pollution is also linked to premature death. The pollution is
particularly concerning for people with heart or lung diseases., It is
harmful to oolder adults because they are more likely to have
because they are more likely to have heart or lung disease., It is
harmful to cchildren because they are still developing and breathe
more air per pound than adults. , people with diabetes because they
are more likely to have cardiovascular disease, and pregnant women
because it can affect them and the developing baby.

Effects on the Environment

There are many different environmental effects, but the biggest is
pollution, mainly water and air pollution. About half the water for the
southwestern United States is supplied by water from forests. About
80% percent of water resources in the U.S. come from forests. More
than 3,400 public water systems are located in watersheds containing
national forest lands. Over 12 million acres of land, including forested
water-supply watersheds, have been burned by wildfires in the
southwestern U.S. in the last 30 years. Wildfires increase likelihood of
watersheds flooding and eroding, and thus can lower water supply.
Wildfires can do so much damage to water because they are
unpredictable and they can compromise water quality during active
burning and for months, potentially even years after the fire has been
put out. While the fire is burning, ash can end up in lakes and
reservoirs used for drinking water. When fire burns it releases smoke
and ash. Since these wildfires are so large and uncontrollable, they
release so much of this harmful smoke and ash. As mentioned
earlier, air pollution is extremely dangerous and harmful to humans. It
is also very dangerous to the environment. Carbon particles released
into the air from burning other organic matter can travel to the upper
levels of the atmosphere, where they can interfere with rays from the
sun and causeing the air to warm. Due to these serious
environmental impacts, in the year 2013, the Bureau of Land
Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Fish and Wildlife
Service, the National Park Service, and the Forest Service together
spent a total of $1,740,934,000 to suppress wildfires throughout the
United States.

Prescribed Burns
What is the prescribed burning and why is it used?
Prescribed burning is a management tool that involves planning and
starting a fire to an area, under specific conditions, to achieve a
desired outcome. The desired outcome is usually to prevent wildfires.
The goal is to burn light brush that can catch on fire easily and can
cause wildfires to spread easily. Prescribed burning is used for many
reasons. The main reason is to mitigate the danger of bushfires by
limiting the amount of fuel for the flame. The goal is to prevent injury
or even death of people and animals. Some other reasons are to
maintain biodiversity, restore nutrients for desired native plants to
grow, and even conduct research for how fire interacts with the
environment. Since the fires burn the brush, a lot of which is weeds, it
can reset the forest and allow desired plants to flourish. The following
picture is a before and after example of prescribed fire improving
wildlife.
Before and After Prescribed Fire

https://pagamecommission.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/prescribed-fire-and-wildlife/

Why Prescribed Burning is Helpful

How do prescribed burns prevent wildfires?

Unfortunately 90% of all wildfires are caused by humans, which
means unless humans leave they probably will not stop. Wildfires that
are started by humans can occur anywhere, but the most destructive
ones are in places that are dry, hot and windy. Fire obviously thrives
when there is no water and when it is hot and wind blows brush
around allowing the fires to spread easily. Which makes places like
California such a perfect place for wildfires to occur. Fire needs 2
things, oxygen and fuel. Even in perfect conditions if prescribed fires
have been done on the land there will be no fuel for the fire. Which is
what makes prescribed fires such a successful tactic. Wildfires that
occur in locations where prescribed fire tactics have been used are
far less dangerous and much easier to control.

Conclusion
Prescribed fire is a method of wildfire prevention that is not very
dangerous because there are a lot of safety precautions and research
done and is certainly much less dangerous than uncontrolled
wildfires. The top concerns when it comes to wildfires are loss of life,
injury, and destruction of property. And if the use of prescribed fires
can prevent those three things, they should be used. With prescribed
fires, there are some of the same risks on people and the
environment. However, the fire is much more controlled, much
smaller. There is no way to completely prevent wildfires, it is one of
those things that we have to accept and do our best to limit the
damage. The only way to stop wildfires is to stop humans from
causing them, but that does not seem to be happening as more
wildfires are occurring as time goes on. As long as people are near
vegetation, there will be people causing fires, but prescribed burning
is the best way to limit the damage, destruction, and loss of life.

References
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ca.water.usgs.gov/wildfires/wildfires-water-quality.html.

How Smoke from Fires Can Affect Your Health,

www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=smoke.index.

“Benefits of Prescribed Fire.” Southern Forests,

www.southernforests.org/fire/prescribed-fire/benefits-of-prescribed-fire.

Smoke from Wildfires Can Have Lasting Climate Impact.” Phys.org,

phys.org/news/2017-05-wildfires-climate-impact.html.