Videos

Researchers from the US Forest Service - Southern Research Station (SRS-4952), the University of Florida and the National Institute of Standards and Technology conducted a flammability study of four mulches commonly used around homes: pine straw, shredded cypress, small pine bark and large pine bark. Many people use these mulches directly up to and in contact with their homes, yet little is known about their flammability. The information from this study will help homeowners determine the best mulch types to have around their homes in the event of fire threat.

The following videos were taken of the mulch flammability studies in May of 2010 at the University of Florida’s Ordway-Swisher Biological Station and demonstrate how each mulch type burned under three different moisture regimes: (1) watered on a weekly basis; (2) mimicking rainfall conditions for a 15-day drought; and (3) mimicking rainfall conditions for a 30-day drought.

For more information about flammability visit our Fact Sheets section.

Researchers at the U.S. Forest Service, University of Florida, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted a shrub flammability study of 34 southern shrub species using three different flammability categories to indicate how easily and intensely each shrub will burn: high, moderate, and low. The 34 shrubs shown here were selected for testing based on responses to a survey from fire professionals across the southern United States.

These videos of the shrub burns were taken in the spring of 2004, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Many measurements of flammability were taken while the shrubs were burning, including: time until ignition, heat release rate, and maximum flame height. These videos demonstrate how the different shrubs burned in controlled conditions.

For more information about plant flammability visit our Fact Sheets section.

Here you will find videos about our Kids in the Woods project with Westwood Middle School. Learn about the Hogtown Creek Watershed and see fun clips and photos from our bird observation study. You can also view a recycling video we developed with Littlewood Elementary's Green Team.