Humans have always been fascinated by fire. Even today, most of us will stare into a fireplace or campfire just as our prehistoric ancestors did. Large, dramatic wildfires such as those that swept across Yellowstone National Park in 1988 inspire a mixture of fear and wonder. Although fire is prevalent in wildland areas, only in the last few decades have we begun to study fire in natural systems.
In order to understand fireʼns ecological role, we need to understand some of the basic principles of fire. Carbon – the key element – is fixed in organic molecules by plants through uptake of carbon dioxide and photosynthesis. All carbon in organic compounds will be released into the atmosphere or soil. The occurs through oxidative processes, such as respiration and decomposition, that release carbon dioxide and other hydrocarbons. Fire is an oxidating process that describes the rapid release of energy stored in organic molecules (Cottrell, 1989).
At the most basic level, the necessary...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Albini, F. A., 1984. Wildland fires. Am. Sci., 72, 590–7.
Cottrell, W. H., 1989. The Book of Fire. Missoula, Mont.: Mountain Press, 70 pp.
Kozlowski, T. T., and Ahlgren, C. E. (eds), 1974. Fire and Ecosystems. New York: Academic Press, 542 pp.
Peterson, D. L., and Ryan, K. C., 1986. Modeling post fire conifer mortality for long-range planning. Environ. Manage., 10, 797–808.
Wright, H. A., and Bailey, A. W., 1982. Fire Ecology: United States and Southern Canada. New York: Wiley Interscience, 501 pp.
Cross-references
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this entry
Cite this entry
Peterson, D.L. (1999). Wildfire, forest fire, grass fire. In: Environmental Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4494-1_367
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4494-1_367
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-412-74050-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4494-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive