P.

VISHNU PRIYA
311518104053
IV BE-CSE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
UNIT 5

CASE STUDY: FOREST FIRE

(AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE 2019-2020)

WHAT IS FOREST FIRE?

Wildfire, also called forest, bush or vegetation fire, can be described as any uncontrolled and
non-prescribed combustion or burning of plants in a natural setting such as 
 A forest
 Grassland
 Brush land  
 Tundra

which consumes the natural fuels and spreads based on environmental conditions
e.g., wind, topography

CASE STUDY: AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE

 In June 2019 the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service acting director warned of
the potential for an early start to the bushfire season which normally starts in August.
 The warning was based on the Northern Australia bushfire seasonal outlook noting
exceptional dry conditions and a lack of soil moisture, combined with early fires in
central Queensland. 
 Throughout the summer, hundreds of fires burnt, mainly in the southeast of the
country.
 The major fires peaked during December–January.
RISK 

 The risk of wildfires increases in extremely dry conditions, such as drought, and
during high winds. 
 Wildfires can disrupt transportation, communications, power and gas services, and
water supply. 
 They also lead to a deterioration of the air quality, and loss of property, crops,
resources, animals and people.

RISK OF FOREST FIRE IN AUSTRALIA

 Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world, and its
predominant eucalyptus forests have evolved to thrive on the phenomenon of
bushfire. 
 However, the fires can cause significant property damage and loss of both human and
animal life.
 It indicates that the ongoing drought, surface soil moisture, wind speed, relative
humidity, heat waves, dead and live fuel moisture, and land cover with certain
vegetation are the primary causes of the widespread bushfire.

VULNERABILITY

 Global Forest Watch Fires shows that more than 70% of the fires are burning on
forested landscapes, mainly different types of Eucalyptus woodlands. 
 Eucalyptus trees are naturally more flammable than many other species, and bushfires
in Australia are part of the natural ecology. 
  Australia's flora and fauna are adapted to fire through millennia of evolution, under
normal conditions.
 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.  
 Bushfires tend to occur when light and heavy fuel loads in Eucalypt forests have dried
out, usually following periods of low rainfall.

PRE-EFFECT
 Warmer temperatures over time are changing weather patterns and disrupting the usual
balance of nature. This poses many risks to human beings and all other forms of life on Earth.
 Volcanic eruptions can cause forest fires, which is basically a pre-effect of the disaster. 
 Air circulation and weather patterns also determine the occurrence of wildfires.
 Nearly all land areas are seeing more hot days and heat waves; 2020 was one of the hottest
years on record. Higher temperatures increase heat-related illnesses and can make it more
difficult to work and move around. 
 Wildfires start more easily and spread more rapidly when conditions are hotter.
 Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.

DURING DISASTER 

 The extreme bushfires that blazed across south eastern Australia in late 2019 and
early 2020 released 715 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air.
 More than double the emissions previously estimated from satellite data, according to
an analysis published today in Nature.
  Wildfires increase air pollution in surrounding areas and can affect regional air
quality. 
 The effects of smoke from wildfires can range from eye and respiratory tract irritation
to more serious disorders, including reduced lung function, bronchitis, exacerbation of
asthma and heart failure, and premature death.

POST DISASTER
1. Physical, direct impacts
 Over 18 million hectares have burned in the Australian bushfire season 2019–
2020 as of mid-January according to media reports, destroying over 5,900
buildings including over 2,800 homes. 
 In addition to human fatalities, many millions of animals are reported to have
been killed.

2.  Ongoing ecological and biodiversity impacts

 After initial devastation of the fires, impacts are ongoing. 
 An estimated billion animals, and many more bats and insects, are likely to die
in total over the coming weeks and months as a result of lost habitat and food
sources.

3. Public health
 As a result of intense smoke and air pollution stemming from the fires, in
January 2020 reports indicated that Canberra measured the worst air quality
index of any major city in the world. 
 Wildfires produce harmful smoke which can cause fatalities. 
 Wildfires produce fine particle air pollution, which directly threatens human
health even during relatively short exposures.
4. Economic costs

 The price tag to the Australian economy is still being analyzed, but it’s clear
that infrastructure has been damaged and that impacts extend to industries
such as farming and tourism.
  Some businesses and institutions have been forced to close their doors during
periods of excessive levels of air pollution.

5. Climate feedback loops

 The bushfires have not only been made more likely and intense by climate
change, they also add to it. 
 Until the 2019–2020 Australian bushfire season, the forests in Australia were
thought to reabsorb all the carbon released in bushfires across the country. 
 This would mean the forests achieved net zero emissions. 

CONCLUSION

 Bushfires are an intrinsic part of Australia's environment. 

 Natural ecosystems have evolved with fire, and the landscape, along with its
biological diversity, has been shaped by both historic and recent fires. 
 Many of Australia's native plants are fire prone and very combustible, while
numerous species depend on fire to regenerate.
 Indigenous Australians have long used fire as a land management tool and it
continues to be used to clear land for agricultural purposes and to protect properties
from intense, uncontrolled fires.