NATURAL HAZARDS IN AUSTRALIA

BUSHFIRES





Year 9 Geography Miss Tran


The nature of bushfires

What is a bushfire?

Fire is a natural part of our environment. Fire has shaped Australias natural vegetation and has
had an impact on human societies, beginning with Indigenous Australians and continuing through
European settlement to the present.

Wildfire is a term adopted internationally to describe a fi re which is burning out of control in the
open. The term bushfire has a long history in Australia and is commonly used by people to
describe any firegrass, scrub or forestburning out of control.

For fire to occur, fuel, heat and oxygen must be present and
interact. If one of these components is removed the fire process
cannot continue.
This is often referred to as the fire triangle

Fuel for a bushfire can be twigs, leaves and bark.


Fire intensity refers to the heat generated
by a fire.

Observing the height of bushfire flames can
also give an indication of fire intensity.

As shown in figure 1.10, low intensity fires
have flames of less than 1.5 metres while
very high intensity fires will have an average
height greater than 14 metres.
Note that prevailing winds can influence
flames causing them to bend over and look
shorter.



CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING:
1. What is a bushfire?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Name three elements of a bushfire.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What does it mean by fire intensity?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the intensity of a fire that is
a. Between 1.5 metres and 7 metres in height? ____________________________________
b. Between 7 meters and 14 metres in height? ____________________________________
5. How can prevailing winds affect the appearance of the flames?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________


Types of bushfires

A bushfire is an unplanned vegetation fire in grass, scrub and forest areas. The three main types
of bushfire are:
ground fire: ______________________________________________________________
surface fire: ______________________________________________________________
crown fire: _______________________________________________________________



















Fires are also often described in terms of the environment in which they burn.

Grassfires occur mainly on grazing, farming or remote scrub country. They can destroy fences,
livestock and buildings and result in loss of human life. Grassfires can travel at speeds of up to 10
km/h but speeds above 30 km/h have been recorded.

Forest fires Forest fires occur in woodlands and forests, often in isolated mountain environments.
Under certain weather conditions, fires in Australian eucalypt forests cannot be stopped and often
destroy homes and settlements which border such areas. Rapid heating of forest fuels can create
tall flames which can flare up to three times the height of the forest. Clouds of dense smoke can
hide the fire front from both ground and aerial observation. Severe forest fires can produce large
amounts of embers and spread at speeds of up to 16 km/h.


ACTIVITIES:
1. Copy the above diagram into your Geography book. Remember to label ground fire, surface fire and crown
fire.

2. Where do grassfire normally occur?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Where do forest fires normally occur?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________

The causes of bushfires

Bushfires can be caused either naturally or by the actions of people, either accidentally or
deliberately. Although lightning is a common cause of bushfires, most are started by
people. During extreme bushfire weather any fire has the potential to be devastating.

Natural causes
Lightning strikes are the cause of almost all bushfires of
natural origin. There are, on average, more fires started
by lightning than any other cause.


Human causes
All other bushfires on public land are started as
a result of human activity.
Campfires: most of these fires start when
people leave campfires unattended or not
properly extinguished.

Burning off or agricultural burns: farmers may burn vegetation on their properties for a number of
reasons including weed control, burning of crop debris and rubbish removal. Unattended burns are most
likely to escape and become bushfires. These fires cause over 15 per cent of bushfires each year.

Equipment or machinery: any equipment or machinery that generates heat
or sparks is a potential cause of bushfires. Examples include: chainsaws,
slashers, welders and exhausts from vehicles. Power lines, rubbing against
tree branches in high winds, can also cause bushfires.

Deliberate: this includes all fires which are deliberately lit and develop into
bushfires. Examples include children playing with fire, farmers deliberately
lighting fires without necessary permits or fires lit with intent to damage or destroy property.

ACTIVITIES:
1. Complete following pie chart by colouring each segment to match with the correct legend:

Causes of bushfires in Victoria: 20 year average




















On 7 January 2003, lightning associated with
thunderstorms across eastern Victoria and
southern NSW was responsible for starting over
80 fires in Victoria and more than 40 fires in
NSW and the ACT. The resulting Alpine Fires in
Victoria burnt over one million hectares.
On 7 February 2009, five
major bushfires were
believed to have been
started from failed electrical
assets such as conductors
clashing or contacting trees.
2. In the box below, draw an informational poster showing the different causes of bushfires.























































The size and intensity of a bushfire is
influenced by many factors, including:

Wind speed and direction
Wind affects a fire by increasing the amount of oxygen available,
and affecting the rate of burning. If the wind is blowing in the
direction the fire is moving, burning material will fly ahead and
spread the fire more quickly. If the wind changes direction it can
turn the long flank of a fire into a wide front, increasing the
severity of the bushfire.


Weather conditions
Fires tend to be more severe on hot days with low relative humidity. Humidity refers to the degree of
moisture in the air. Low humidity dries out the fuel, making it more easily flammable.


Topography
Fire usually travels faster uphill
than on level ground or downhill.

The rate of spread of a fire
doubles with every ten degrees
of increase of the slope.


Type of fuel
Different fuels create different types of fires. Moist fuel creates low-intensity fires. Dry fuel creates high
intensity fires.

State of the fuel
A period of high vegetation growth followed by hot, dry weather can dry out vegetation, and provide for a
more intense fire.

Nature of the fire
Fire may be a ground fire (slow, smouldering fire with no flame and little smoke), surface fire (where it is
the litter and low-lying vegetation burning), or crown fire (where the fire moves rapidly through the canopy
of the overstorey or top layer of vegetation). All three types may be present at the one time.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING:
1. List SIX different factors that affect the intensity of a bushfire:
- __________________________________ - __________________________________
- __________________________________ - __________________________________
- __________________________________ - __________________________________

2. Fill in the blanks:
Wind affects a fire by increasing the amount of ___________ available, and affecting the rate of burning.
Fires tend to be more severe on _________ days with __________ relative humidity.
Fire usually travels faster _____________.
Dry fuel creates ___________ intensity fires.
The speed of a fire front advancing will __________ for every 10 degree increase in slope so that on a 20
degree slope, its speed is __________ times greater.

Bushfires in Australia
Where do bushfires occur in Australia?

The Australian climate is generally hot, dry and prone to drought. At any time of the year, some parts of
Australia are prone to bushfires with the widely varied fire seasons reflected in the continents different
weather patterns.


Refer to the Fire seasons map on the left, identify the fire
seasons for the following locations:
1. New South Wales ___________________________
2. Victoria ___________________________________
3. Perth _____________________________________
4. Alice Spring _______________________________
5. Sydney ___________________________________
6. Tasmania _________________________________

Why does Australia experience bushfire?

The distribution of bushfire areas depends on the
vegetation and climatic conditions of the region.

Vegetation
- Desert: the vast desert regions of Australia, which
cover more than 50 per cent of the continent, have
little or no vegetation available to burn.
- Grassland: The central and mid north-west of
Australia are grassland regions where farming of
crops and cattle occurs. These areas experience
bushfire from time to time.
- Forest: The remaining 4 per cent of the continents
vegetation is forest and can easily burn when dry.

Climate and weather
- In Australia, areas which experience a temperate climate tend to have the most bushfires. The
conditions associated with a temperate climate occur throughout the south-eastern and south-western
regions of Australia. Severe bushfires often occur in south-eastern Australia.

- Strong northerly winds blow across the desert region of central Australia in summer, bringing hot, dry air
to south-eastern Australia. These winds reduce the moisture content of the grasslands and forests and
create the conditions for fires to burn. Strong, gusty winds also create rapid fire spread.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING:
1. Which areas in Australia tend to have the most bushfires? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. How do strong northerly winds contribute to bushfires?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Impacts of bushfires

THINK-PAIR-SHARE ACTIVITY
Brainstorm the environmental, economic and social impacts of bushfire. Share your thoughts with
the person next to you then write down the answers in the space below. You will be asked to
discuss the answer with the rest of the class later.

Environmental impacts: (What are the impacts of bushfires on the natural environment?)
Impact on.. Immediate impacts Longer-term impacts
Plants
Animals




Soil
Water
Air

Economic impacts: ($$$)
Impact on.. Immediate impacts
Properties
Infrastructure



Farm
Business
Other?


Social impacts: (What are the impacts of bushfires on the peoples lives and the community?)
Impact on.. Immediate impacts
People
Community





































Response to bushfires
Unjumble the words in brackets:
Bushfires can bring massive (teiodrucstn) _____________, loss of life and personal hardship
to families and communities. Individuals, community-based groups and governments have
responded to this (hazard) in many ways.
There are over 70 000 (iisnaldiduv) _____________ who are volunteer members of bushfire
brigades. They do most of the fighting of bushfires. During times of (eseevr) _________
bushfires they can be on duty for days at a time, sometimes facing extreme danger. They
make a highly significant contribution to
community (afetys) ________.



Bushfire brigade volunteers risk their lives to save
people, animals and property from bushfires.


Different groups also provide humanitarian responses through direct relief efforts or fundraising
and (atioonsdn) ______________.



The
(ern
mve
ngot)
__________
has set up
many agencies that work to protect the community when
bushfires occur. These include fire brigades, (police) and
ambulance services, welfare agencies and the State
Emergency (riSceve) __________. Governments can
provide emergency financial assistance in severe bushfires.
The Bureau of Meteorology provides short- and long-term
weather forecasts to warn of bushfire (degsran) ___________.








Management of bushfires
The two main methods of controlling bushfires in Australia actually involve lighting fires.
Hazard reduction (also known as controlled or prescribed burning). Lighting low-intensity
fires in the cooler months of the year during favourable climatic conditions will reduce the
threat of bushfires.

Back burningThis is the method used to
contain and extinguish bushfires. It involves
lighting fires in unburnt areas so that the fire
front burns into the areas already burnt.

These fires are usually lit at night when
environmental conditions are more
favourable. They are generally small and are
able to hold back a bigger fire.


CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING:
1. What is the difference between prescribed burning and back burning?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. Brainstorm the advantages and disadvantages of prescribed burning and write your answer in the
table below:
Advantages of prescribed burning Disadvantages of prescribed burning

PRESCRIBE BURNING

One big issue in management is the question of fuel reduction burning controlled periodic fires to
reduce litter so that later natural fires will be less intense and extensive.

The newspaper headline below shows one of the reasons why that issue is important many fires start in
national park areas, and escape to neighbouring farms.


If the nature of the fires can be controlled within the national park, the chances of it escaping can be
reduced.

A meeting has been called in a town in a fire- prone area. Here are eight different people at that meeting,
and their major concerns:

Person Perspective
Park ranger Wants to conserve the environment
Government official Burns are costly and difficult
Logger Needs access to good timber for logging
Wilderness Club member Nature must be allowed to find its own way
Tourist operator People want to enjoy the area
Town resident Wants safety and clean air
Farmer Wants safety from fire escapes from the national park and state forest
Bushwalker Wants access to all areas
Volunteer fire-fighter Wants to be able to get to fires quickly and safely to fight them
Ecologist Wants both fire-dependent and fire-vulnerable plants to be able to survive


Decide whether each of the above perspectives is FOR or AGAINST prescribed burning. Copy them down
under the correct column in the table below:

FOR AGAINST
Park ranger
Government official
Logger
FARMERS TO SUE GOVERNMENT FOR FIRE ESCAPES FROM NATIONAL PARKS
Wilderness Club
member

Tourist operator
Town resident
Farmer
Bush walker
Volunteer fire-fighter
Ecologist

Individuals prevention:
Fill in the blanks:
Bushfires ____________ property and lives in Australia each year. It is essential that people in fire-
prone areas of Australia prepare their property _________ the fire season arrives. Research shows
that ______________ home owners stand a good chance of protecting their ______ from destruction
in the event of a bushfire.
Simple steps such as removing leaf litter from _________, clearing plants from touching the house,
keeping __________ short and green, fitting shutters to _____________ and storing flammable
chemicals ___________ from the house can all reduce the risk of fires.

WORDBANK:
windows grass away before homes threaten well-prepared gutters


Use the diagram in Figure 2.57 to complete the bushfire prevention tips below:
- Be aware of ________________ in your yard that may ____________.
- Ensure easy access to ____________ _______________.
- Where possible eliminate _________ ___________ in gutters.
- Remove ____________ close to your home.
- Fit ___________ or __________ screens to windows.
- Fill gutter with _____________ when a ___________ approaches.
- Check that ________ coverings fits tightly with no _____________ so that sparks cannot enter.
- Regularly __________ and clear dead material from under ___________ and ___________.