Study on the Combustion Characteristics of Mountain Forest Vegetation

Abstract

Leaves from four common tree species in Chinese mountain forests, namely, Symplocos setchuensis Brand, Tarenna mollissima, Loropetalum chinense, and Castanopsis sclerophylla were studied to assess their ignitability. The microstructure of each sample was determined to investigate its effect on combustion performance. Differential thermogravimetric analysis–differential scanning calorimetry (DTA–DSC) was performed to characterize thermal decomposition processes and relate them to flammability and fire resistance. In addition, pyrolysis reaction kinetic models were built, and fitting results were obtained in order to estimate the ignitability of the different abovementioned tree types. In this paper, the activation energy of the lignin decomposition stage was used to determine the fire hazard and ignitability. Regression analysis and correlation tests of microstructural parameters were performed. The results indicated that Castanopsis sclerophylla possessed the greatest fire hazard, followed by Loropetalum chinense, Tarenna mollissima, and Symplocos setchuensis Brand. The results of this study can provide a practical basis for the selection of fire-resistant tree species and forest belts.