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Understanding where and how a wildfire is likely to burn saves
lives and money, and allows decisionmakers to strategically place
fuel-reduction treatments in areas where they are most likely to
modify fire behavior.
Fire behavior is influenced by weather, the amount and type of
available fuel, and topography. These factors determine the intensity
of the fire, how fast it will move, and in what direction. A dense,
dry stand where dead branches litter the ground and vegetation
and small trees create a continuous ladder of woody vegetation
to the upper canopy will burn differently than a dry stand where
mechanical thinning or a controlled, prescribed burn has reduced
the amount of available fuel.
Scientists at the Pacific Northwest Research Station study different
aspects of fire behavior. The information and tools based on this
research are being used locally, nationally, and internationally
to protect public health and manage for fire-resilient landscapes.
Research Examples:
A researcher stands in burned stand.
(Photo by Julia Biermann)
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Tools
Fuel Characteristic Classification System
(FCCS) v. 2.2
The Fuel Characteristic
Classification System (FCCS) was designed to build and catalog fuelbeds by using inventoried
fuel data, photo series,
or literature. Fuelbeds span the canopy to the ground and have
been mapped for the continental United States. The system predicts
surface fire behavior including reaction intensity, flame length,
and rate of spread; and surface fire behavior, crown fire, and
available fuel potential using a 9-point index. Version 2.2 was
released in 2011 with refined fire behavior equations, a total
carbon calculator, and options for both metric and English units.
Station scientists are working with the University of Aveiro, Portugal,
and the University of Alcala, Spain, to build FCCS fuelbeds representing
Portugal and the world.
The FCCS is used to build and characterize
fuels for specified areas at any scale of interest. FCCS fuelbeds
have been created
for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, central Oregon, the
Lake Tahoe Basin, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah
River Site. The associated fire behavior predictions and total
carbon represented by the fuelbeds for these areas also have been
mapped. This information is being used for fire hazard planning
and evaluating fuels treatment effectiveness.
How to get it: http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/fera/fccs/
------------------------------------------------------------- Consume v. 3.0 predicts fuel consumption, pollutant emissions,
and heat release
Consume
v. 3.0 is
software designed to assist resource managers in planning
for prescribed fire and wildfire. This latest version reflects
an improved understanding
of fuel consumption and emissions in wildland fire across
major fuel types in the United States. Consume predicts fuel consumption,
pollutant emissions, and heat release based on a number of
factors, including fuel loadings, fuel moisture, and other
environmental
factors. Using these predictions, resource managers can determine
when and where to conduct a prescribed burn or plan for a
wildland
fire to achieve desired objectives, while reducing the impact
on other resources.
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Digital Fuels Photo Series
The Digital
Photo Series is
an electronic version of the popular natural fuels photo series.
It allows users to assess to assess landscape conditions by appraising
live and dead fuels and stand characteristics. This information
can them be used in strategic planning, project implementation,
and modeling efforts. Although designed for online use, this photo
series can also be run from the computer desktop when an Internet
connection is unavailable. The application is robust and flexible,
allowing for additions of other published photo series or photo-accompanied
fuel data.
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