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Multiple Choice

In wildfire terminology, what are snags?

Snags are standing dead trees and dead limbs. After a fire, many trees die but remain upright, and those dead, upright trees are called snags. They matter because they represent vertical fuel that can continue to burn and may eventually fall, creating hazards for people and equipment and potentially producing embers that reignite areas. The other descriptions don’t fit the term: wind-born embers causing spot fires are firebrands, not snags; debris dropped from the air isn’t the standard term for snags; live trees weakened by heat are still alive and therefore not snags.

Snags are standing dead trees and dead limbs. After a fire, many trees die but remain upright, and those dead, upright trees are called snags. They matter because they represent vertical fuel that can continue to burn and may eventually fall, creating hazards for people and equipment and potentially producing embers that reignite areas. The other descriptions don’t fit the term: wind-born embers causing spot fires are firebrands, not snags; debris dropped from the air isn’t the standard term for snags; live trees weakened by heat are still alive and therefore not snags.