'Curious Conversations' podcast: Adam Coates talks about wildfires
Adam Coates joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about the contributing factors of the recent wildfires in California, particularly related to their intensity and spread. He explained some of the science behind fire behavior, the role of landscape, and the challenges posed by urban areas to fire management. He also shared his insights related to preventative measures communities can take, including the use of prescribed burning.
Takeaways
Wildfires in California are influenced by unique climatic conditions, specifically previous seasons of above average rainfall leading to increased vegetation and the current season having low relative humidity, dry conditions, and high winds.
Fire behavior can be greatly affected by fuel type, weather, and topography as well as urban and suburban environments, which often enhance the fire’s intensity and rate of spread. While some of these factors can help predict a fire’s behavior, when combined, they can create unpredictable scenarios.
Community resilience in fire-prone areas can include homeowners creating defensible spaces around their properties, the use of fire-resistant materials when building, and prescribed fires, which can decrease fuels while also promoting ecosystem health.
About Coates
Coates is an associate professor of wildland fire ecology and management in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation for Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. Coates’ research focuses on the impacts of wildland fire on ecosystem processes and properties. That focus intersects with topics such as restoration ecology, fuels, fire behavior, silviculture, soils, wildlife habitat, and water quality.
Learn more
Expert shares factors increasing forest fire ignitions
Wildfire season heats up; expert offers advice for community preparedness
Burning Issues – Virginia Tech Magazine
About the podcast
"Curious Conversations" is a series of free-flowing conversations with Virginia Tech researchers that take place at the intersection of world-class research and everyday life. Produced and hosted by Travis Williams, assistant director of marketing and communications for the Office of Research and Innovation, university researchers share their expertise and motivations as well as the practical applications of their work in a format that more closely resembles chats at a cookout than classroom lectures. New episodes are shared each Tuesday.
