[californiadisasters] Re: Fire Question

The ground in Nor Cal is still saturated, and the grass is already at least 6 inches high. It threatens a bad fire season unless we're really lucky.

--- In californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com, Rick Bates <HappyMoosePhoto@...> wrote:
>
> The simple answer is that in a wet year the grasses will grow taller and
> burn well. In dry years, they're not as tall, burn just as well but sooner
> in the season too. It basically doesn't matter for light fuels like grass.
>
>
>
> Fuels are broken down into hourly ratings of fuel moisture. Grasses are one
> hour fuels, they'll (when dead) follow the humidity by one hour. Thicker
> fuels take longer (10, 100, 1000 and 10k hour), live fuel moisture (can be
> more than 100%, based on cellular weight of the plant, water:cells) longer
> again. In dry years, the 10-1000 hour fuel moisture becomes more important
> than in 'wet' years but not by much. Fuels will burn in any year, they
> always dry out starting when the rain stops, so the length of the fire
> season is the variable.
>
>
>
> Ignition is the problem. Almost all wildland fires are human caused
> (lightning being the exception; critters don't leave glass litter, smoke or
> leave campfires or drive in tall grass.). Yes, this is way over simplified,
> please don't pick nits.
>
> Rick
>
>
>
>
>
> _____
>
> From: debbygirl55
>
>
>
> If we continue the "dry" spell until summer will our fire danger be more
> dangerous even though we have received the over-amounts of rainfall? I know
> it seems a silly question but the ground is pretty saturated here in
> Nor-cal.
>

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