Fire results from a combination of factors:
1) Fuels (living and dead biomass)
2) Ignition source
3) Environmental conditions (dry weather, wind)
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Fire results from a combination of factors: 1) Fuels (living and dead biomass) 2) Ignition source 3) Environmental conditions (dry weather, wind)
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The
continuity of fuels across a landscape determines the rate that a fire spreads.
In dense conifer stands, crowns are close together, and thus fires spread
fast. These are sometimes referred
to as stand replacement fires, because most or all of the overstory trees are
killed. Ladder fuels, which consist
of dead branches and crowns (sometimes vines), move the fire upward into the
overstory.
The rate of fire spread depends more on the quantity and arrangement of fine fuels, than on the accumulation of down logs and deep organic matter. The flammability of fine fuels is influenced by their moisture content and chemical composition.
