Fire Effects

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Fire Effects

The physical, biological, and ecological impacts of fire on the environment. (National Wildfire Coordinating Group/Fire Research And Management Exchange System)

The Fire Effects subject category contains resources and activities related to the study and management of the effect of wildland fire on the environment.

Background: The abiotic effects of fire include its role in changing air quality, water quality, soil properties, and nutrient cycling. Biotic effects include altering vegetation and related impacts on wildlife. Fire effects are the result of an interaction between the heat regime created by fire and ecosystem properties. The particular effect of fire on any one of these components (e.g., the fire severity) is not fixed, but will vary according to site characteristics and fire behavior.

Fire is a fundamental process of ecosystems that managers are challenged to address in order to meet resource and ecosystem management goals; land managers use fire to achieve beneficial effects and avoid unwanted results. [*]

*Exerpt From: Kennard, D.K. 2004. Fire Effects. In: The Forest Encyclopedia Network. http://www.forestencyclopedia.net, Encyclopedia Identification: 7652. [Date accessed: July 14, 2005].

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