forest fires research paper
When Lucy answer the phone, the sound of some person with a sense of urgency in their voice tells her to leave and travel far away. This is called a pre evacuation alert, and it notifies Lucy of an impending wildfire (Cooper). She has a short amount of time to pack any of her valuables and take herself and her family away. This puts a lot of emotional strain on Lucy and her family, leaving their house like that. When she comes back, she finds the smoldering remains of her house, and a lot of destroyed memories and feelings. Lucy didn’t do anything wrong, but sometimes, wildfires show no mercy. Every year, wildfires burn down thousands of acres of precious forest. They also burn down houses and cities, creating money problems for everyone. Recently, 19 firefighters lost their lives fighting the famous Arizona Wildfire (“Fire”). We can avoid all of these catastrophes easily. Taking better care of the wilderness and using safe methods of burning, we can drastically reduce the risk of wildfires. Because wildfires rage out of control year after year burning thousands of acres of forest, we should be more careful with fire and fight forest fires. Wildfires can start in a number of ways. Approximately 2/3 of wildfires are started by lightning or some other natural phenomenon (Cheney, Phil, and Ferguson). The storms that cause these lightning strikes could form in the mountains and spread to regions like California or Arizona (“Could”). However, a lot of fires are caused accidentally by humans. It could be as simple as throwing a cigarette out of a car window, or forgetting to put out a campfire (“Fire”). These acts seem harmless, but can destroy miles of forest. Some people even have brush fires, which consists of burning unwanted leaves and sticks. On a cool, damp day, this wouldn’t be a problem. But on a hot, dry day, it is a recipe for disaster. Burning brush is not only a bad idea, but it is also illegal without a permit. “A burning permit grants the individual
Cited: A.)Cheney, Phil, and Ian Ferguson. “Wildfires, not logging, causes landscape traps.” Australian Forestry 74.4 (2011): 362+. Academic OneFile. Web. 6 Sept. 2013. B.)Cooper, Brad. "Fire prevention: the choices you make may keep you from getting burned." PT in Motion July 2012: 50+. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. C.)“Could Arizona tragedy been prevented?” USA Today [Magazine] Aug. 2013: 7. Academic OneFile. Web. 6 Sept. 2013. D.)Drollette, Dan. “Fire Down Under: bushfire season pays Australia a hellish visit each year. Drought and climate change could be making the infernos worse.” Natural History Apr. 2005: 44+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. E.)"Fire fight." Natural History June 2013: 5. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. F.)Karlin-Resnick, Joshua. “All Fired Up About Wildfires.” The Chronicle of Higher Education 50.49 (2004). Academic OneFile. Web. 13 Sept. 2013 G.)Lethbridge, Amy. "Wildfire!" Legacy Magazine 24.3 (2013): 40. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.