FOREST 1

What is the main argument made by Stephen J. Pyne regarding fire?

We should recognize ourselves as fire creatures and responsibly manage fire as a cultural choice.

What is the difference between wildfire and prescribed fire?

Wildfire occurs at the height of the dry season with uncontrolled spread, while prescribed fire is a controlled burn conducted in sub-optimal conditions.

What is combustion in relation to photosynthesis?

Combustion reverses photosynthesis, converting stored chemical energy back into CO2, H2O, heat, and light.

What are the three components of the Fire Triangle?

Oxygen, heat, and fuel.

Define fire frequency.

Fire frequency is the number of fires per year that occur at a given location.

What is a fire return interval?

The number of years between two successive fires in the same area, usually reported as an average interval.

What percentage of wildland fires are caused by people?

84% of wildland fires are caused by human activities.

What is fire intensity?

Fire intensity is the amount of energy released during a fire, often measured as temperature.

What does fire severity refer to?

Fire severity refers to the amount of organic matter lost, both above and below ground.

What are the three main controls of fire characteristics?

Weather, fuels, and topography.

How do El Niño and La Niña affect fire risk?

El Niño can lead to wet conditions and vegetation regrowth, while La Niña can create dry conditions, increasing fire risk.

What are surface fires?

Fires that burn surface litter and small vegetation on the forest floor.

What are crown fires?

Fires that burn from the top of trees or shrubs.

What role do fire scars play in understanding fire frequency?

Fire scars on trees provide a historical account of fire frequency in a given area.

What is spatial heterogeneity in fire behavior?

Spatial heterogeneity refers to how fire follows terrain and natural fuel patterns, affecting resource availability.

What adaptations do fireweed plants have for recovery after disturbance?

Fireweed has small seeds that travel far and rhizomes that can persist in the soil for decades.

What is the relationship between fire size and the number of fires?

The size of fires across the landscape is directly related to the number of fires, influenced by terrain and vegetation structure.

What is the significance of fuel moisture in fire behavior?

Fuel moisture determines flammability and combustibility, influenced by biological and environmental factors.

What is a ground fire?

A fire that burns organic materials beneath the surface litter of the forest floor.

What is the impact of fire on biodiversity?

Fire creates habitat diversity, which is essential for managing ecosystems and biodiversity.

How does temperature affect fire spread?

Higher temperatures can increase fire spread by drying out fuels and enhancing flammability.

What is the role of wind in fire behavior?

Wind carries and moves fire into the canopy, influencing its spread and intensity.

What is the significance of fire management in ecosystems?

Effective fire management is crucial for maintaining ecosystem health and preventing catastrophic wildfires.

What is the effect of drought on fire risk?

Drought conditions can significantly increase fire risk by drying out vegetation and increasing fuel availability.

What are ladder fuels?

Ladder fuels are fuels that allow fire to climb from the ground to the canopy, increasing the risk of crown fires.

What is the diameter range for 100-hr fuels?

1-3 inches

What is the diameter range for 1000-hr fuels?

3-8 inches

How does fuel moisture affect fire behavior?

Drier fuels increase fire spread rate, fireline intensity, and fuel consumption.

How does topography affect fire behavior?

Aspect, slope, position, shape, and elevation influence fire intensity and spread.

Which slopes burn hotter and faster?

South-facing slopes.

What are the global effects of human activity on fire occurrence?

Includes active fire suppression, transformation of ecosystems, and changes in fire frequency and intensity.

What are condition classes in fire management?

They indicate the departure from historic fire regimes.

What is prescribed burning used for?

Fuel load management, wildlife habitat maintenance, and site preparation before planting.

What are some adaptations plants have to resist fire?

Thick bark, self-pruning, rapid juvenile growth, serotinous cones, and deep rooting.

What is the benefit of seeds germinating after a fire?

It allows for rapid colonization of the area and can take advantage of nutrient-rich ash.

What is the significance of serotinous cones?

They open in response to heat, allowing seeds to germinate after a fire.

What is the impact of climate change on fire frequency?

Warmer climates and longer droughts increase the likelihood of high-intensity fires.

What was the cost of wildfire suppression in 2020?

Over $2.5 billion, accounting for more than 50% of the Forest Service budget.

What is the role of the fire triangle?

It illustrates the three elements needed for fire: heat, fuel, and oxygen.

What are the types of wildland fires?

Surface fires, crown fires, and ground fires.

What is fire severity?

It refers to the impact of fire on the ecosystem, including damage to vegetation and soil.

What is the difference between fire intensity and fire severity?

Fire intensity is the energy released during a fire, while fire severity is the ecological impact.

What are the effects of illegal land clearing on fire occurrence?

It can increase ignition potential and fuel load distribution, leading to more frequent fires.

What adaptations do longleaf and shortleaf pines have to fire?

Thick bark, ability to sprout rapidly, and serotinous cones.

What is the historical range of longleaf pine ecosystems?

Originally ~92 million acres, now less than 3 million acres remain.

What is the impact of population growth on fire management?

It increases the urban-wildland interface, leading to more fire risks.

How do droughts affect tree health and fire risk?

Droughts weaken trees, making them more susceptible to fire damage.

What is the significance of the General Sherman tree?

It is endangered due to drought, bark beetles, and fire threats.

What is the role of smoke management in fire management?

It involves controlling smoke dispersion to minimize health impacts and visibility issues.

What can interactions between organisms provide?

Interactions between organisms can determine their survival

What is correlation?

Correlation is just a random circumstance of happening, no real science behind it with no real causation for the relationship

What is causality?

Causality has science behind it, makes sense, cause coming before effect

What is biology?

It’s the study of an organism, it’s history or physiology

What is a population?

It’s a group organisms belong to the same species

What is a community?

It includes different populations (species) in the same area

What is an environment?

An area that includes both abiotic and biotic factors interacting with one another

What is ecology?

It’s the science of the interrelationships of organisms and their environment

What does ecology study?

Ecology studies the abundance, dynamics and distribution or organisms and their interactions with their living and nonliving environment

What is science?

It’s a systematic discipline that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe

How does science work?

It works through observing and asking a question

Predict or hypothesize

Test predictions then develop theory

What is your dependent variable?

It’s the variable that is effected, observed, dependent on the independent variable

Y axia

What is your independent variable?

Variable that affects the dependent variable

X variable

Fluke correlations?

Give enough samples. even the unlikeliest things are observed

Ephemeral correlations?

Process evolves, extended dataset shows different patterns

Uncorroborated correlations

coincidences, lacking “domain science” evidence

Artifactual correlations

propagating the error

Wrongheaded correlations

pseudo-science error propagation

Hyped correlations

exaggerating the importance of a relationship

Do scientists prove a hypothesis is “true”?

Repeated failure to reject a hypothesis lends support to support to the hypothesis and theory

What is environmentalism?

A value system and a social movement

Who is the father wildlife ecology & land ethic concept?

Aldo Leopold

What is the Gaia hypothesis?

That Earth is a self-regulating system, a super-organism

Seeming to conflict with the theory of evolution

Valued as a metaphor

What did Lovelock do?

Studied potential life on Mars using electron capture detector, “Earth IS life”

What did Margulis study?

Found symbiogenesis, the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts as separate organisms in cells

Things we measure in ecology?

Number of individuals and species

Distribution of species

Amount of biomass or elements in plants, soil, and organisms

Exchange of energy and matter between individuals or groups of organisms and the soil, atmosphere, or water

Autecology?

The study of the life history and the response to its environment of a single species

Physiological ecology

studies the physiology of an organism as it responds to its environment

Population ecology

studies of the abundance, productivity, and/or dynamics of a group of organisms of the same species

Community Ecology?

Studies of the description and quantification of some aspect of a natural assemblage of different species of organisms

Ecosystem Ecology

Studies the interactions between populations of different organisms, and how they reinforce or destabilize interactions

Biogeochemistry

Studies the flow of energy and matter between the atmosphere, soil, populations, and communities

Landscape Ecology

Studies ecological processes at the landscape level, generally use geographic information system (GIS) or remote sensing

Forest Ecology

Focused on trees or animals that live among or depend on trees And many, many more subdisciplines

What are secondary forests?

Are cut at least 2x more than primary forests

Used as farmland

What problems does deforestation create?

Soil erosion

Accelerated hydrologic cycle, drought, floods, fires

Climate imbalance

Greenhouse effect

Habitat & biodiversity loss

Food scarcity

Causes of deforestation?

Agriculture

Forestry

Urbanization

Mining

Wildfire

Soil erosion

Problems created from agriculture?

Cattle and crops

Problems created by forestry?

Plantations: timber, fiber, palm oil

Illegal loggin

How much of TX is forested or wooded?

37%(63M acres)

How much of TX is productive timberland?

7%(12M acres)

Economic impacts of forest industry?

Valued at $107.5 billion (2016)

Employs ~1.3M people (2.9M now) ($55B)

.4% of Mfg. GDP in Texas, 5.7% nationally

Services of forests?

160 million visits to National Forests for recreation

Forests contain 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity (WWF)

>50% of US population receive their drinking water from forested watersheds

82% of carbon stored in land plants is contained in forests

How old is the Cretaceous coastal plain?

145-65M years

Population?

A group of individuals of the same species who live in the same place

Community?

A group of interacting species

Ecosystem?

A community and the environmental and physical factors that act on it

Biome?

Geographical region with a distinct climate, vegetation, animals and other life forms, that constitute specific ecosystems

Structure of an ecosystem?

Ecosystems are made up of biotic and abiotic subcomponents. These components are distributed in three-dimensions.

Function of an ecosystem?

Constant exchange of matter and energy between the physical environment (abiotic) and the living (biotic) community

No fixed definition of spatial dimensions?

”Ecosystem" focuses on the structure & function rather than on the geographical boundaries of the system…but we still create fuzzy boundaries.