Evaluation of the flammability of trees and shrubs used in the implementation of green barriers in southern Brazil

Antonio Carlos Batista; Daniela Biondi; Alexandre França Tetto; Rafaela de Assunção; Andressa Tres; Raquel Costa Chiao Travenisk; Bruna Kovalsyki

Treesearch

Evaluation of the flammability of trees and shrubs used in the implementation of green barriers in southern Brazil

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Antonio Carlos Batista, Daniela Biondi, Alexandre França Tetto, Rafaela de Assunção, Andressa Tres, Raquel Costa Chiao Travenisk, Bruna Kovalsyki

Year:

2013

Type:

General Technical Report

Station:

Pacific Southwest Research Station

Source:

In: González-Cabán, Armando, tech. coord. Proceedings of the fourth international symposium on fire economics, planning, and policy: climate change and wildfires. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-245 (English). Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 256-264

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Abstract

The purpose of green barriers, also known as green fuelbreaks, is to reduce the spread and intensity of fire, mainly by stopping it from spreading to the treetops, which facilitates fire control and suppression. A major difficulty in implementing green barriers is to identify suitable species for forming these structures. The aim of this study was to assess the flammability of some tree and shrub species used in urban forestry and along highways in Curitiba for use in green barriers in the rural-urban interface of cities in southern Brazil. To this end, fire behavior and flammability tests (epiradiator trials) were performed in the Forest Fire Laboratory at the Universidad Federal de Paraná on the following species: Magnolia grandiflora L., Michelia champaca L., Jasminum mesnyi Hance, Casearia sylvestris Sw. and Viburnum odoratissimum Ker Gawl. Test results showed that the species J. mesnyi is extremely flammable (FV = 5), M. grandiflora and C. sylvestris are highly flammable (FV = 4), and the species V. odoratissimum and M. champaca are moderately flammable (FV = 3) and low flammability, respectively.

Parent Publication

Proceedings of the fourth international symposium on fire economics, planning, and policy: climate change and wildfires

Keywords

epiradiator, flammability, fire prevention

Citation

Batista, Antonio Carlos; Biondi, Daniela; Tetto, Alexandre França; de Assunção, Rafaela; Tres, Andressa; Travenisk, Raquel Chiao, Costa; Kovalsyki, Bruna. 2013. Evaluation of the flammability of trees and shrubs used in the implementation of green barriers in southern Brazil In: González-Cabán, Armando, tech. coord. Proceedings of the fourth international symposium on fire economics, planning, and policy: climate change and wildfires. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-245 (English). Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 256-264.