Current International Perspectives on Wildland Fires, Mankind and the Environment

Current International Perspectives on Wildland Fires, Mankind and the Environment PDF Author: Brigitte Leblon
Publisher: Nova Science Publishers
ISBN: 9781634636827
Category : Fire ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Wildland fire has and continues to impact humans and our environment both positively and negatively. Being able to co-exist with fire on the landscape is becoming increasingly more important as man expands his use of the world's ecosystems. This book is the latest contribution dedicated towards the scholarship surrounding the subject of wildland fires. The present volume consists of a collection of essays covering fire science and technology topics that support the management of wildfires and prescribed fires written by specialists in their respective fields. The nine chapters cover the following: (i) the need of fire and the consequences of policies of attempted fire exclusion to try and manage the wildfire problem; (ii) a review of the current state-of-knowledge of the role of remote sensing technologies in managing wildfires; (iii) a description of how the Canadian system of forest fire danger rating has been introduced into Argentina; (iv) the rationale for adding an "QA" for anchor point(s) to the LCES (Lookout(s)-- Communication(s) -- Escape routes -- Safety zone(s)) safety system for wildland firefighters, thus denoting LACES; (v) a case study involving the use of cloud-based geographic information system on the 2013 Silver Fire in southern California; (vi) the deaths that have occurred amongst rural firefighters and members of the public in Greece since 1997; (vii and viii) two separate overviews of the history, ecology and management of two large Argentinian regions of South America; and (ix) an assessment undertaken of wildland firefighter fatalities in South Africa over the past twenty years or so.

Current International Perspectives on Wildland Fires, Mankind and the Environment

Current International Perspectives on Wildland Fires, Mankind and the Environment PDF Author: Brigitte Leblon
Publisher: Nova Science Publishers
ISBN: 9781634636827
Category : Fire ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Wildland fire has and continues to impact humans and our environment both positively and negatively. Being able to co-exist with fire on the landscape is becoming increasingly more important as man expands his use of the world's ecosystems. This book is the latest contribution dedicated towards the scholarship surrounding the subject of wildland fires. The present volume consists of a collection of essays covering fire science and technology topics that support the management of wildfires and prescribed fires written by specialists in their respective fields. The nine chapters cover the following: (i) the need of fire and the consequences of policies of attempted fire exclusion to try and manage the wildfire problem; (ii) a review of the current state-of-knowledge of the role of remote sensing technologies in managing wildfires; (iii) a description of how the Canadian system of forest fire danger rating has been introduced into Argentina; (iv) the rationale for adding an "QA" for anchor point(s) to the LCES (Lookout(s)-- Communication(s) -- Escape routes -- Safety zone(s)) safety system for wildland firefighters, thus denoting LACES; (v) a case study involving the use of cloud-based geographic information system on the 2013 Silver Fire in southern California; (vi) the deaths that have occurred amongst rural firefighters and members of the public in Greece since 1997; (vii and viii) two separate overviews of the history, ecology and management of two large Argentinian regions of South America; and (ix) an assessment undertaken of wildland firefighter fatalities in South Africa over the past twenty years or so.

Wildland Fires and Air Pollution

Wildland Fires and Air Pollution PDF Author: Andrzej Bytnerowicz
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080556094
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 688

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Book Description
Wildland fires are one of the most devastating and terrifying forces of nature. While their effects are mostly destructive they also help with regeneration of forests and other ecosystems. Low-intensity fires clear accumulating biomass reducing risk of catastrophic crown fires and can be used as an effective management tool. This book presents current understanding of wildland fires and air quality as well as their effects on human health, forests and other ecosystems. in the first section of the book the basics of wildland fires and resulting emissions are presented from the perspective of changing global climate, air quality impairment and effects on environmental and human health and security. in the second section, effects of wildland fires on air quality, visibility and human health in various regions of the Earth are discussed. The third section of the book deals with complex issues of the ecological impacts of fires and air pollution in forests and chaparral in North America. The fourth section discusses various management issues facing land and fire managers which are related to wildfires, use of prescribed fires, and air quality. This section also presents various modeling systems used for describing fire dangers and behavior as well as smoke and air pollution predictions applied in the risk assessment analysis. The book concludes with a series of expert recommendations for wildland fire and atmospheric research.

Earth Observation of Wildland Fires in Mediterranean Ecosystems

Earth Observation of Wildland Fires in Mediterranean Ecosystems PDF Author: Emilio Chuvieco
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642017541
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
Wildland fires are becoming one of the most critical environmental factors affecting a wide range of ecosystems worldwide. In Mediterranean ecosystems (including also South-Africa, California, parts of Chile and Australia), wildland fires are recurrent phenomena every summer, following the seasonal drought. As a result of changes in traditional land use practices, and the impact of recent climate warming, fires have more negative impacts in the last years, threatening lives, socio-economic and ecological values. The book describes the ecological context of fires in the Mediterranean ecosystems, and provides methods to observe fire danger conditions and fire impacts using Earth Observation and Geographic Information System technologies.

Ecology of Fire-Dependent Ecosystems

Ecology of Fire-Dependent Ecosystems PDF Author: Devan Allen McGranahan
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429944942
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Ecology of Fire-Dependent Ecosystems is brimming with intriguing ecological stories of how life has evolved with and diversified within the varied fire regimes that are experienced on earth. Moreover, the book places itself as a communication between students, fire scientists, and fire fighters, and each of these groups will find some familiar ground, and some challenging aspects in this text: something which ultimately will help to bring us closer together and enrich our different approaches to understanding and managing our changing planet. -- Sally Archibald, Professor, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Most textbooks are as dry as kindling and about as much fun to sink your teeth into. This is not that kind of textbook. Devan Allen McGranahan and Carissa L. Wonkka have taken a complex topic and somehow managed to synthesize it into a comprehensive, yet digestible form. This is a book you can read cover to cover – I know, I did it. As a result, I took an enlightening journey through the history and fundamentals of fire and its role in the natural and human world, ending with a thoughtful review of the evolving relationship between humans and wildland fire. -- Chris Helzer, Nebraska Director of Science, The Nature Conservancy, and author of The Prairie Ecologist blog Ecology of Fire-Dependent Ecosystems: Wildland Fire Science, Policy, and Management is intended for use in upper-level courses in fire ecology and wildland fire management and as a reference for researchers, managers, and other professionals involved with wildland fire science, practice, and policy. The book helps guide students and scientists to design and conduct robust wildland fire research projects and critically interpret and apply fire science in any management, education, or policy situation. It emphasizes variability in wildland fire as an ecological regime and provides tools for students, researchers, and managers to assess and connect fire environment and fire behaviour to fire effects. Fire has not only shaped social and ecological communities but pushed ecosystems beyond previous boundaries, yet understanding the nature and effects of fire as an ecological disturbance has been slow, hampered by the complexity of the dynamic interactions between vegetation and climate and the fear of the destruction fire can bring. This book will help those who study, manage, and use wildland fire to develop new answers and novel solutions, based on an understanding of how fire functions in natural and social environments. It reviews literature, synthesizes concepts, and identifies research gaps and policy needs. The text also explores the interaction of fire and human culture, demonstrating how fire policy can be made adaptable to cultural and socio-ecological objectives.

Fire Phenomena and the Earth System

Fire Phenomena and the Earth System PDF Author: Claire M. Belcher
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118529561
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 407

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Book Description
Fire plays a key role in Earth system processes. Wildfires influence the carbon cycle and the nutrient balance of our planet, and may even play a role in regulating the oxygen content of our atmosphere. The evolutionary history of plants has been intimately tied to fire and this in part explains the distribution of our ecosystems and their ability to withstand the effects of natural fires today. Fire Phenomena and the Earth System brings together the various subdisciplines within fire science to provide a synthesis of our understanding of the role of wildfire in the Earth system. The book shows how knowledge of fire phenomena and the nature of combustion of natural fuels can be used to understand modern wildfires, interpret fire events in the geological record and to understand the role of fire in a variety of Earth system processes. By bringing together chapters written by leading international researchers from a range of geological, environmental, chemical and engineering disciplines, the book will stimulate the exchange of ideas and knowledge across these subject areas. Fire Phenomena and the Earth System provides a truly interdisciplinary guide that can inform us about Earth’s past, present and beyond. Readership: Advanced students and researchers across a wide range of earth, environmental and life sciences, including biogeochemistry, paleoclimatology, atmospheric science, palaeontology and paleoecology, combustion science, ecology and forestry.

Living with Fire

Living with Fire PDF Author: Sara E. Jensen
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 9780520255890
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
Fire, both inevitable and ubiquitous, plays a crucial role in North American ecosystems. But as necessary as fire is to maintaining healthy ecosystems, it threatens human lives and livelihoods in unacceptable ways. This volume explores the rich yet largely uncharted terrain at the intersection of fire policy, fire science, and fire management in order to find better ways of addressing this pressing dilemma. Written in clear language, it will help scientists, policy makers, and the general public, especially residents of fire-prone areas, better understand where we are today in regard to coping with wildfires, how we got here, and where we need to go. Drawing on abundant historical and analytic information to shed new light on current controversies, Living with Fire offers a dynamic new paradigm for coping with fire that recognizes its critical environmental role. The book also tells how we can rebuild the important ecological and political processes that are necessary for finding better ways to cope with fire and with other complex policy dilemmas.

Global Application of Prescribed Fire

Global Application of Prescribed Fire PDF Author: John R. Weir
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
ISBN: 1486312497
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Global Application of Prescribed Fire provides a first-hand perspective of the various methods and ways people around the world view and use prescribed fire. It covers the logistics, constraints and social dynamics surrounding the intentional use and application of fire by humans, and demonstrates how, why, when and where prescribed fire is used in different regions. Written by international experts, the book has four key objectives: explore new techniques, ideas and thoughts on how to apply prescribed fire from a global perspective; provide regional case studies covering issues that may constrain or enhance prescribed fire projects; stimulate cross-cultural conversations about how fires function in ecosystems; and relate prescribed fire to wildfire regimes with implications for protecting life and property, as well as sustaining local fire cultures and unique fire-dependent flora and fauna. Global Application of Prescribed Fire enhances our understanding and knowledge about the application of prescribed fire. This comprehensive book will provide fire practitioners, researchers, agencies and policymakers with key ecological and managerial insight of how prescribed fires are conducted around the globe.

Wildland Fires and the Environment

Wildland Fires and the Environment PDF Author: Joel S. Levine
Publisher: UNEP/Earthprint
ISBN: 9280717421
Category : Fire ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Book Description


Wildfire Policy

Wildfire Policy PDF Author: Dean Lueck
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136520600
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
During the five decades since its origin, law and economics has provided an influential framework for addressing a wide array of areas of law ranging from judicial behaviour to contracts. This book will reflects the first-ever forum for law and economics scholars to apply the analysis and methodologies of their field to the subject of wildfire. The only modern legal work on wildfire, the book brings together leading scholars to consider questions such as: How can public policy address the effects of climate change on wildfire, and wildfire on climate change? Are the environmental and fiscal costs of ex ante prevention measures justified? What are the appropriate levels of prevention and suppression responsibility borne by private, state, and federal actors? Can tort liability provide a solution for realigning the grossly distorted incentives that currently exist for private landowners and government firefighters? Do the existing incentives in wildfire institutions provide incentives for efficient private and collective action and how might they be improved?

Tropical Fire Ecology

Tropical Fire Ecology PDF Author: Mark Cochrane
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540773819
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 696

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Book Description
The tropics are home to most of the world’s biodiversity and are currently the frontier for human settlement. Tropical ecosystems are being converted to agricultural and other land uses at unprecedented rates. Land conversion and maintenance almost always rely on fire and, because of this, fire is now more prevalent in the tropics than anywhere else on Earth. Despite pervasive fire, human settlement and threatened biodiversity, there is little comprehensive information available on fire and its effects in tropical ecosystems. Tropical deforestation, especially in rainforests, has been widely documented for many years. Forests are cut down and allowed to dry before being burned to remove biomass and release nutrients to grow crops. However, fires do not always stop at the borders of cleared forests. Tremendously damaging fires are increasingly spreading into forests that were never evolutionarily prepared for wild fires. The largest fires on the planet in recent decades have occurred in tropical forests and burned millions of hectares in several countries. The numerous ecosystems of the tropics have differing levels of fire resistance, resilience or dependence. At present, there is little appreciation of the seriousness of the wild fire situation in tropical rainforests but there is even less understanding of the role that fire plays in the ecology of many fire adapted tropical ecosystems, such as savannas, grasslands and other forest types.