An essay on bushfires as natural hazards

A bush wake up is a firre gelding out of control inthe arousedid. Bushfires canful set on fire using grass,scrub or forest (or a combination of these) forfuel. Unless cursorily controlled, bushfires underside become large, spreading to affect forests,wildlife, crops, houses and otherwise buildings,and human life. In Australia, both(prenominal) bushfires contribute become major disasters. Fires argon not a recent advancerence in Australia. Since the last wish-wash Age, bushfires draw influencedthe development of the Australian land. Fires aran essential element in some Australian ecosystems,which need the intense heat of bushfires torelease the seeds from plants and replenishgrowth. Australian Aborigines employ fires to sanctionthem in their hunting activities. It is believedthat the fire activities of Aborigines contributedto the development of an open woodland ecosystemin split of south-eastern Australia. Early European settlers used fire to assist inthe clearing of land for crops and as a authority ofremoving drinking straw fol first gearing cropping. However, inmore recent times, laws possess been passedrestricting the light up of fires for these purposes. This has led to a more dense vegetation in m anyrural argonas and a greater accumulation of leaf andba rk litter on the ground. The litterprovides a evidential amount of fuelfor fires if they do start. Bushfires argon wholeness of the roughly destructiveforces of nature. Firefighters risktheir lives distributively year to control andeventually extinguish them. Eventhough bushfires can occur naturally, primary(prenominal)ly as a result of lightning strikesand spontaneous combustion, most(prenominal) arestarted by the activities of people. Thisincludes cigarettes and matches beingcarelessly discarded, electricity cables,sparks from machinery and tools, andburning off. Arson has been the causeof some of the worst bushfires. BUSHFIRESWHAT CAUSESBUSHFIRES?Eucalypts and bushfiresThere are two main types of bushfires:· Surface b! ushfires burn in grass, low shrubs andground litter. They can strike at high speed butare comparatively easy to control. · pinch bushfires occur when heat and flamesfrom a locate flre ignite the crowns of channelizes. ceiling fires spread rapidly if there are strengthened, racy winds and very teetotal vegetation. Hugeamounts of ¯ammable eucalyptus vapour,transpired from leaves, can throw firebrandsthat engulf the tree crowns up of the firefront. This makes crown fires very dangerousand effortful to control. As the map shows, bushfires commonly occurin the less arid parts of Australia. Arid body politics tend not to have enough fuel to sustainfires for any length of time. SoutheasternAustralia is particularly render tobushfires. There are several(prenominal) reasons for this,including the following:1. Large areas are c overed with sclerophyll vegetation. The dominant trees are eucalypts,which have highly combustible oil in theirbranches. Eucalypts burn readily and canb ecome so hot during fires that their sap boilsand the whole tree or shrub can explode inflames. This is not a problem for the plantspecies as most eucalypt varieties burn hotand libertine as a means of releasing seeds onto thefire-cleared ground. Some burnt trees simplysend up new shoots from their stumps or rootsand grow to full-size trees again. 2.

The area is also subject to protract periods ofbelow average rainfall and droughts. some(prenominal) ofthe most severe bushfires have occurredduring droughts and El Niño events. Bushfiresand drought much occur together. 3. South-eastern Australia is also subject toheatwaves and strong northerly winds duringthe summer months. ! 2 or three geezerhood ofheatwave weather can often provide conditionssuitable for bushfires to occur. Bushfires can toy massive destruction, loss oflife and individualised hardship to families and communities. Individuals, fellowship-based groupsand governings have responded to this hazardin galore(postnominal) another(prenominal) ways. There are over 70 000 individuals who are volunteermembers of bushfire brigades. They domost of the fighting of bushfires. During times ofsevere bushfires they can be on duty for age at atime, sometimes confront extreme danger. Theymake a highly significant contribution to makingour communities safer. The government has set up many agenciesthat work to protect the community when bush-fires occur. These include ®re brigades, constabulary andambulance services, welfare agencies and theState Emergency Service. Governments can provideemergency financial assistance in severebushfires. The Bureau of Meteorology providesshort- and long-term wea ther forecasts to warnof bushfire dangers. http://clearlyexplained.com/nature/ earth/disasters/bushfires.htmlhttp://www.bom.gov.au/inside/services_policy/fire_ag/bushfire/bushfire.htm If you necessity to get a full essay, arrange it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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