Due to much of our environment now needing to be actively managed by Man (as a result of development, introduction of alien plants, fragmentation of land, and land use), the management of fuel loads has now become necessary. High intensity fires (hot fires) can be extremely destructive, causing damage to seedbeds located underground, the killing of plants that would normally re-sprout after the fire, the death of burrowing animals, and the changing of the upper soil structure (baking the soil) that affects the germination potential of some seeds.Ĭold fires too can be counter-productive to the environment, with not enough heat being generated to cause some seeds to germinate, not being able to burn enough older plants to allow space for young plants to grow, or not being able to remove sufficient fuel loads which could result in a destructive hot fire next time. The intensity of a fire has a dramatic impact on the environment. There is, of course, a large variation between these two extremes, and the general factor that determines a hot or cold fire is the amount and type of fuel present.įuel refers to the amount of combustible vegetation, usually in the form of dead or dry shrubs and trees, but can include plants that have volatile compounds such as oils (many Fynbos species) and tannins (Gum trees). In contrast, a cold fire would be one that moves very quickly, is not as hot, and leaves some of the heavier fuels (plant material such as tree trunks) behind. In fire management circles, we use the terms “hot fires”, and “cold fires”.Ī hot fire is one that burns at a very high temperature, moves very slowly, and as a result tends to burn all the material present. When you exercise, your muscles are very inefficient and only 25 of the energy is used for movement. You develop a light sweat after about 10 minutes of activity. Hot workouts The ideal body temperature is around 37C. Climate change is already increasing the intensity and frequency of heatwaves. Fire intensity is the term used to describe how hot the fire has burned. Here are clues that your exercise intensity is at a moderate level: Your breathing quickens, but youre not out of breath. Heatwaves kill more people worldwide than any other extreme weather event.
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