FIRE IN THE FOREST AND ON THE PRAIRIE EDUCATIONAL PACKET

Meets Education Standards

Indiana Standard 4: The Living Environment 5.47 and 7.414

Illinois Learning Standards:  Stage F – Science, 12B

Objective: To educate the student to the importance of using fire as a resource management tool.

After completing this lesson, the student should be able to:

• Understand the method of using prescribed burns for restoration and land management

• Identify the components of fire

• Understand what composes a fuel source

• Know what place fire has in a balanced ecosystem

• Be familiar with the adaptations of native prairie plants

• The effects of a burn on wildlife

• Know what happens during a controlled burn

Lesson Plan:

                        I           Fire Science

A.    What fire needs to burn

B.     Combustion chemistry

C.     Experiments with fire 

            1.  Activities 1 & 2 www.iit.edu/~smile/ch96m3.html

II         Animals and Plants on the Prairies

 www.bellmuseum.org/distancelearning/prairie/build/

III        Resource Management through Controlled Burns

A.    History of controlled burns

B.     Adaptations of native species

1.      Plant adaptations

2.      Animal adaptations

C.     Environmental Impact of a Controlled burn

1.      Plant

2.      Wildlife

3.      Air

4.      Soil and water

IV        Controlled Burn Management

1.      Pre-burn preparation

2.      During the burn

3.      Post-burn

4.      Emergency procedures

5.      Burn crew safety

6.      www.efieldltrips.org/fire  Download worksheet before viewing and

www.nps.gov/fire/utility/media/uti_casestudy_BAER.cfm

V         Self Test

IV        Just For Fun

1.      www.smokeybear.com

2.      Movie - Always, Rated PG, Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, 1989.

Elements of Fire

The three elements - fuel, heat and oxygen - form the fire triangle. If one part of the fire triangle is removed, the fire will go out.       

Fire-heat and light resulting from the rapid combination of oxygen, or in some cases gaseous chlorine, with other materials.

The light is in the form of flame, which is composed of glowing particles of the burning material and certain gaseous products that are luminous at the temperature of the burning material.

The conditions necessary for the existence of fire are the presence of a combustible substance, a temperature high enough to cause combustion (called the ignition temperature) and the presence of enough oxygen (usually provided by the air) or chlorine to enable rapid combustion to continue.

To have a fire, you must have fuel, heat, and oxygen. When these 3 elements are together in the correct amounts, a fire starts.

Gases are all around us. Oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide are in the air we breathe. Not all gases burn. Carbon dioxide is used to put out fires. Oxygen doesn’t burn but is needed to support a fire. But some gases do burn. The natural gas used in kitchen stoves, water heaters and furnaces burns. So does butane in lighters and propane in torches. These gases can be very dangerous, and when heat and oxygen are added they burn - even explode.

Flammable liquids will not burn until they are vaporized or changed into gas. Two flammable liquids that you often see are kerosene and gasoline. Kerosene does not turn into a gas at room temperature, but it does when heated. Gasoline gives off fumes at normal temperature and is hazardous when exposed to the open air and a source of heat. Always be very careful around gasoline.

By 4-H Member's Manual

Combustion

Combustion is a type of oxidation reduction (redox) reaction. When all of the elements of oxygen, fuel and heat are present along with a rapid combustion rate, redox occurs.  Oxidation is an exothermic reaction, meaning it released heat energy. Often this heat energy is fire.

The chemical equations for the oxidation of carbon and hydrogen are:

C+O₂  -->CO₂ (This reaction occurs when there is enough oxygen for the formation of carbon dioxide.)

2C+O₂--> (This reaction occurs when there is only enough oxygen for the formation of carbon monoxide.)

2H₂  +O₂--> 2H₂O

These reactions release the energy you feel as heat and light.

What is fire?
Answer: The rapid combustion of oxygen and other materials (Fuel) produces fire. The flame is a combination of luminous gases and burning material. In order for fire to exist, the combustion reaction rate must be rapid.

History of Controlled Burns

Life with Fire

Much of life on earth evolved with fire. Native Americans set fire to the prairie to help hunt buffalo. As the fire swept across the prairie, the buffalo and other animals ran before it, making hunting much easier. Native Americans also set fires to help keep the woods open from undergrowth. This would improve visibility for hunting and so they would be alerted to enemy intrusion. Later as European immigrants moved here to farm, fire was used to clear the land.

Fire has been used as an ally during times of war. A retreating army would set fire to destroy supplies and food sources to keep them from falling into an enemy’s hands.

Adaptations of Native Species

Plant Adaptations

Over time, plants in frequent burn areas called, fire-dependent/fire-influenced ecosystems, have developed their own unique adaptations. Many prairie grasses and plants have a deep, fibrous root system that allows them to survive the heat of a fire and resist drought. Many plants flourish in areas that have been burned. The nutrients from the burned plants are released into the soil, making it very rich. Such a rich soil will support many different types of plants and in turn will support wildlife. Some conifer trees produce cone that will only release the seeds when the cone has reached a very high temperature.

In addition, large grazing animals feed on the prairie grasses and fertilize the soil with their droppings. An area that has been grazed allows forbs to grow maintaining prairie plant diversity and improving the grazing area.

Animal Adaptations

Animals that live in fire-dependent/fire-influenced ecosystem have diets that favor the type of edible plants that are found in area. In turn, predatory animals favor a diet of the plant-eating animals. When fire occurs, most animals run away from the fire. Some insects will burrow into the soil until the fire line has passed.

Birds and small animals will gradually return to a burned area to feed upon the newly exposed forbs and seeds. As the grasses grow in, larger animals return to the site.

Prescribed fire is the skillful management of fire that has been set for the purpose of maintaining the integrity of an ecosystem. Setting a fire must be done with care under the proper weather conditions, taking into consideration the fuel source of the area to be burned and monitoring the surrounding areas.

In highly populated area of southern and western Lake Michigan, it is important to maintain a good relationship with the community and governing agencies. Because burn operations are under close examination, by regulatory agencies, the burn plan should include motivations to these agencies. A successful burn operation would work with local government, fire departments, highway officials, railroad and utility companies.

On the day of the burn, weather reports will be closely monitored for the right conditions. Temperature is very important to consider because fuel will burn faster and hotter on a

90 degree day than a 30 degree day. Relative humidity is also a factor. Humidity over

50 degrees makes burning difficult. Wind velocity and direction are an important factor. Wind can fan a small fire into a raging blaze. Smoke from the fire can cause a potential hazard if the atmosphere is not stable.

The area to be burned would be inspected and compared to the aerial photograph to identify and potential hazards not visible on the photograph. All members of a burn crew should be issued a copy of the site map. The burn plan should be visible and with clear instructions for the crewmembers.

It is important the communications be kept open for all members. In addition all crew members should stay with in line of sight of each other. All crew members are assigned a partner or buddy before the start of a burn. They should know where their buddy is at all time and be within vocal range

A burn crewmember will use a variety of fire fighting equipment, such as:

• Drip torch – to start a fire in a given area

• Cutting tools: to remove vegetation from fire line – brush hook, single-bit axe, double bit axe, Pulaski, bush hook, or Sanvik

• Scraping tools – to move soil and vegetation, usually following a cutting crew – shovel, McLeod, fire rake, barron, council fire rake, adze (hazel) hoe, or wire broom.

• Smothering tools: extinguish low flames and smoldering vegetation – flapper, backpack water pump.

After the burn an assessment will be taken of the job. It will be decided if the burn has been prescribed the burn has been completed. It is not unusual to burn area over several different periods of time to complete the job.

Emergency Procedures

Because of the high moisture content of the soil and relative humidity in the Great Lakes area, wildfires a very rare. However in a urban environment there is a threat to life or property. Most fire related injuries are burns, but some are due to falls, smoke inhalation or heat stress.

Escaped fires require the added help of local fire department who would have larger fire fighting equipment.

Members of burn crews keep safe by:

• Wearing fire resistant clothing

• Using the proper equipment at the proper time

• Training

• Keeping in constant communication with other crew members

• Keeping alert and watching for potentially dangerous situations