5 ms·
trees used to be used as wind breaks for farms, would it be possible to do some geo-engineering to prevent fires from spreading through passive design like gaps
by calvinmorrison 6y ago
trees used to be used as wind breaks for farms, would it be possible to do some geo-engineering to prevent fires from spreading through passive design like gaps or roadways or something?
- dhosek 6y agoFirebreaks are a long-standing fire management technique. The problem is that with an intense fire, it's possible for the flame to leap across the firebreak, even very wide ones when there are windy conditions (which an intense fire can exacerbate). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firebreak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firebreak
- dmckeon 6y agoA greater risk than flames crossing firebreaks is firebrands or cinders - flaming bits of bark, small branch, clumps of pine needles - being carried aloft by heat and falling past the firebreak into combustible dry grass or other fuel, or onto a wooden deck next to wooden siding of a house, or in a rain gutter full of pine needles and twigs next to a composition shingle roof edge.
- dhosek 6y agoYeah, sloppy language on my part. I should have said "fire" rather than "flame", the former encompassing firebrands/cinders/etc.
- bcrosby95 6y agoDuring the socal fires a few years back, the Santa Ana winds caused it to jump an 8 lane freeway. You're going to need one hell of a firebreak.
- NegativeLatency 6y agoA fire jumped the Columbia River (a large river) a couple of years ago https://www.opb.org/news/series/wildfires/oregon-columbia-river-gorge-wildfires-interstate-84/ https://www.opb.org/news/series/wildfires/oregon-columbia-ri...
- ummonk 6y agoI mean Santa Rosa got hit by fire after flames jumped the multi-lane I-5 freeway a few years ago, so I don’t think small gaps / roadways accomplish anything in some of these fires.