Mondal, Nandita and Sukumar, Raman (2014) Fire and soil temperatures during controlled burns in seasonally dry tropical forests of southern India. In: CURRENT SCIENCE, 107 (9). pp. 1590-1594.
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Abstract
Fire and soil temperatures were measured during controlled burns conducted by the Forest Department at two seasonally dry tropical forest sites in southern India, and their relationships with fuel load, fuel moisture and weather variables assessed using stepwise regression. Fire temperatures at the ground level varied between 79 degrees C and 760 degrees C, with higher temperatures recorded at high fuel loads and ambient temperatures, whereas lower temperatures were recorded at high relative humidity. Fire temperatures did not vary with fuel moisture or wind speed. Soil temperatures varied between <79 degrees C and 302 degrees C and were positively correlated with ground-level fire temperatures. Results from the study imply that fuel loads in forested areas have to be reduced to ensure low intensity fires in the dry season. Low fire temperatures would ensure lower mortality of above-ground saplings and minimal damage to root stocks of tree species that would maintain the regenerative capacity of a tropical dry forest subject to dry season wildfires.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Publication: | CURRENT SCIENCE |
| Publisher: | INDIAN ACAD SCIENCES |
| Additional Information: | Copyright for this article belongs to the INDIAN ACAD SCIENCES, C V RAMAN AVENUE, SADASHIVANAGAR, P B #8005, BANGALORE 560 080, INDIA |
| Keywords: | Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary; fuel load; fuel moisture; Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary; temperature indicating lacquers; weather |
| Department/Centre: | Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences Division of Mechanical Sciences > Divecha Centre for Climate Change |
| Date Deposited: | 29 Dec 2014 04:52 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Dec 2014 04:52 |
| URI: | http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/50526 |
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