Thermo- and physicochemical properties of native and exotic forest species of Valparaíso, Chile, as essential information for fire risk management
Fabián Guerrero A E , Mario Toledo A , Nicolás Ripoll
A , Lorena Espinoza A , Rodrigo Morales A , Ariel Muñoz B , Lautaro Taborga C and Yulian Carrasco D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Avenida España 1680, 2340000 Valparaíso, Chile.
B Laboratory of Dendrochronology and Environmental Studies, Institute of Geography, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avenida Brasil 2241, 2340000 Valparaíso, Chile.
C Natural Products Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Avenida España 1680, 2340000 Valparaíso, Chile.
D Forestry Department, Faculty of Forest and Agricultural Sciences, Universidad de Pinar del Río, Calle Martí 300, CP 20100 Pinar del Río, Cuba.
E Corresponding author. Email: fabian.guerreroc@usm.cl
International Journal of Wildland Fire 29(8) 675-685 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF19086
Submitted: 11 June 2019 Accepted: 24 March 2020 Published: 24 April 2020
Abstract
Wildfires in the Valparaíso region (Chile) account for one of the main threats to local biodiversity, ecosystem services and infrastructure. This study focused on producing an initial record of thermo- and physicochemical properties of local forest species. For this purpose, leaf samples of species found in the Peñuelas Lake National Reserve, namely Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus globulus, Acacia dealbata, Quillaja saponaria and Cryptocarya alba, were collected and analysed. Higher and lower heating value, flash point, density and moisture content tests were performed for each sample. Overall results showed that lower heating values measured for both native and exotic species could indicate a high energy release source in wildfires. However, differences in the flash point between species indicated that C. alba and E. globulus had a lower ignition resistance than other species tested, possibly due to a lower flash point. In contrast, Q. saponaria and A. dealbata had the highest flash point for native and exotic species respectively. Finally, all presented data and procedures were aimed at establishing a foundation for a national database of critical forest species properties to be used in wildfire simulation tools. This database will enhance forest fire management effectiveness in Chile.
Additional keywords: calorific value, Cryptocarya alba, flash point, forest fires, forest fuel, moisture content, Quillaja saponaria, wildfires.
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