Inflammability valuation of <i>Ligustrum lucidum</i> Aiton (Oleaceae) for potential use on fuelbreaks in south region of Brazil

Abstract

Ligustrum lucidum Aiton (Oleaceae) is one of the most planted species in urban sarborization and in highways at the South and the Southeastern region of Brazil. It’s a fast growth rustic tree, with wide and dense crown, extensively used in fences. These characteristics, besides the low inflammability, are very important fuelbreaks. The objective of this research was to evaluate the characteristics of Ligustrum lucidum inflammability to use in fuelbreaks on urban area/forest area interface and on the edges of highways with high fire risk. The evaluation of inflammability was made through the observations of the rate of spread and the intensity of fire in experimental burnings of 1 m² parcels made of L. lucidum leaves and branches in two levels of humidity: humidity of the material just collected of the tree and humidity of the dry material oven dried at 75 °C for 48 hours. Results indicate that the inflammability of the studied species is low, even in reduced conditions of humidity, although it would be necessary more investigations about the inflammability characteristics of the species in conditions of high intensity fire.