Forest Fire Management Questions and Answers

Answer: D

The cause that is not natural is spark from a railway engine.

Natural forest fires are started by lightning, by sparks from rolling stones striking each other on dry slopes, and by volcanic eruptions. A spark from a railway engine comes from human activity, so it is a man-made (anthropogenic) cause.

Lightning, rolling stones and volcanic eruptions are all natural causes, so they are not the answer.

Answer: D

The most destructive forest fire is the crown fire.

A crown fire burns the tops of trees and spreads rapidly from crown to crown, driven by wind. It kills whole stands of trees and is very hard to control, especially in conifer forests.

A surface fire burns the litter and undergrowth on the forest floor and usually spares the mature trees. A ground fire smoulders in the humus and peat below the surface; it is slow and persistent but does not spread through the canopy. 'Creeping fire' is a slow-moving surface fire.

Answer: B

Such a fire is a ground fire.

In the classification used in Indian forestry texts, a ground fire burns not only the surface vegetation but also the layer of humus and partly decayed organic matter on and in the forest floor. Because it smoulders in this layer, it spreads slowly but kills roots and is hard to put out.

A surface fire burns only the litter and undergrowth above the organic layer, a crown fire spreads through the tree canopy, and a creeping fire is a slow surface fire of low intensity.

Answer: D

The greatest source of damage and destruction to forests is man.

Human activities cause the largest losses: clearing forest for agriculture, settlements, mining, roads and dams; illicit felling; excessive lopping and grazing of livestock; encroachment; and most forest fires in India, which are started deliberately or carelessly by people.

Adverse climate (drought, frost, storms), wild animals, and insect pests and diseases do cause damage, but their effect is smaller and more local, and is often made worse by human disturbance.

Answer: D

The fire is a surface fire.

Forest fires are classified by the layer of fuel they burn. A surface fire runs along the forest floor, burning the litter and ground cover and also the undergrowth, small shrubs and young regeneration, without reaching the canopy. It is the commonest type of forest fire in India.

A ground fire burns slowly within the humus and organic matter below the surface, often without flames. A crown fire spreads through the tree tops. 'Creeping fire' describes the slow spread of a low fire along the floor and is not the standard class for a fire that also burns the undergrowth.

Answer: D

The key gives 37 degrees Celsius.

I could not find a source that names a critical temperature for forest fire risk in northern India, so this is not independently confirmed. The paper's forestry section uses the figure, and nothing I found gives another one. Higher figures such as 45 or 48 degrees are the summer maxima of the plains, and the question concerns the temperature above which fire risk keeps rising, which a lower value fits better.

Answer: D

The key's term for a slow, low-flame fire over the ground is creeping fire.

Forest fires are classed by where they burn. A crown fire races through the canopy; a ground fire smoulders below the surface in humus and peat with little or no flame; a surface fire burns the litter and undergrowth on the forest floor. A surface fire that spreads slowly with low flames, typically on a calm day or in light fuel, is called a creeping fire.

'Surface fire' is the broader class to which a creeping fire belongs, but the question describes the slow, low-flame form specifically, which is the creeping fire. A crown fire is fast and high, and a ground fire is flameless and below the surface.