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  • Liar, Liar, House on Fire! The Relationship Between Trees, Wildland Fire, and Damage to Homes (Spanish)
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Liar, Liar, House on Fire! The Relationship Between Trees, Wildland Fire, and Damage to Homes (Spanish)

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Fire
  • Fire
  • Natural Disaster
  • Tree
Illustration of a wooden house and smoky sky
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When lightning or other forms of ignition start a fire in a forest, there is a chance of a wildfire. Wildfires may be started by a natural cause, such as lightning, or they may be started accidently by human activities or on purpose by an ill-meaning person. When houses are built close to trees, the trees provide the fuel that wildfires need to spread. The question the scientist wanted to answer was: How close must flames come to a house’s outside wooden walls before those walls catch fire?

Liar, Liar, House on Fire! The Relationship Between Trees, Wildland Fire, and Damage to Homes (Spanish)

Part Of

Wildland Fire - Spanish

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  • The problem you will solve with this FACTivity is: What are the potential wildfire problems with a particular home’s landscape plan?

    FACTivity – Liar, Liar, House on Fire (Spanish)

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    The problem you will solve with this FACTivity is: What are the potential wildfire problems with a particular home’s landscape plan?
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    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)

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    Liar, Liar, House on Fire! The Relationship Between Trees, Wildland Fire, and Damage to Homes (Spanish)

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Glossary

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  • case study

    (kās stǝ dē): A particular event or story that is studied or analyzed as a learning tool.

  • combustible

    (kǝm bǝ stǝ bǝl): Capable of being burned; catching fire or burning easily.

  • data

    (dā tǝ or da tǝ): Factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation.

  • decompose

    (dē kǝm pōz): To rot or decay.

  • downwind

    (dau̇n wind): In the direction that the wind is blowing.

  • endangered

    (in dān jǝrd): Threatened with extinction.

  • firebrand

    (fī(ǝ)r brand): A piece of burning wood.

  • forest manager

    (fȯr ǝst ma ni jǝr): A person who manages a forest; in the Forest Service, forest managers focus on managing vegetation, restoring ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining forest health (definition from USDA Forest Service).

  • ignition

    (ig ni shǝn): The starting of a fire.

  • intense

    (in tens): Very strong or great.

  • landscape plan

    (lan(d) skāp plan): A plan to change or decorate (a natural landscape) by changing the plant cover.

  • nonflammable

    (nän fla mǝ bǝl): Not flammable; specifically, not easily ignited and not burning rapidly if ignited.

  • simulate

    (sim yǝ lāt): To make an imitation (or copy or model) by one system or process of the way in which another system or process works.

  • Jack Cohen working in the field

    Jack Cohen

    I like being a scientist because I am curious about nature and I like to ask questions. It’s great to have a job that pays me to find out how...
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  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
  • Education Files

Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Science, Technology, and Society

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

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What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

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  • Meet the Scientists

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  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.

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  • Method

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  • Findings & Discussion

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  • Reflection Section

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  • Number Crunches

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  • Glossary

    Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.

  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • FACTivity

    Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.


Science Education Standards

You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.


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Related Resources from the Natural Inquirer

  • When lightning or other forms of ignition start a fire in a forest, there is a chance of a wildfire. Wildfires may be started by a natural cause, such as lightning, or they may be started...

    Liar, Liar, House on Fire! The Relationship Between Trees, Wildland Fire, and Damage to Homes

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Fire
    • Fire
    • Natural Disaster
    • Tree
    When lightning or other forms of ignition start a fire in a forest, there is a chance of a wildfire. Wildfires may be started by a natural cause, such as lightning, or they may be started...
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Wildland Fire - Vol. 4 No. 1

  • Test your knowledge on case studies, decompositions, and endangered species.

    Word Search – Liar! Liar! House on Fire!

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Fire
    • Case Study
    • Data
    • Decompose
    • Endangered Species
    • Fire
    • Simulated
    • Vocabulary
    Test your knowledge on case studies, decompositions, and endangered species.
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF) Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF) Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Liar, Liar, House on Fire! The Relationship Between Trees, Wildland Fire, and Damage to Homes


Additional Resources

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The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, and other cooperators and partners.

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