Pacific Southwest Research Station

Education

B.S. Geosciences, University of Hawaii
M.S. Meteorology, University of Hawaii
M.S. Statistics, Univeristy of California, Berkeley
Ph.D. Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside.

Research Interests/Duties

"Real-world outcomes can be difficult to predict," says meteorologist Francis Fujioka. "My reliance on statistical theory has made me more comfortable working with uncertainties of forecasts." Fujioka¹s long-time fascination with weather models reflects his drive to optimize predictions that factor into important decisions in fire management.

In collaboration with colleagues, Fujioka established the first long-range fire weather forecasting system from 1987 to 2003 as Project Leader, Fire Meteorology Project, USDA Forest Service Fire Laboratory, Riverside, CA. It was during this tenure that Fujioka began investigating high-resolution weather models for data input into fire-behavior models.

Since 1988, Fujioka has been a technical advisor to the National Fire Danger Working Team on implementation of research findings related to fire weather and fire climatology problems. In addition, Fujioka has worked with the Boise Interagency Fire Center, developing the monthly fire-weather forecasts that are incorporated into national projections of fire severity.

As a principal investigator under the National Fire Plan, Fujioka is one of six scientists funded to establish the Fire Consortia for Advanced Modeling of Meteorology and Smoke (FCAMMS), heading up the research program for California, Nevada, and Hawaii. In a new role, Fujioka is serving on the Committee on Agricultural Meteorology for the United Nations World Meteorological Organization, developing strategies for managing wildfire in developing countries. Fujioka gained forecasting experience by preparing weather forecasts for military operations as a member of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard in California and Hawaii.

Selected Publications

• Fujioka, Francis. (In press). Simulating Fire Spread as a Spatial Stochastic Process.
• Chu, Pao-Shin, Yan, Weiping, and Fujioka, Francis M. 2000. Prospects of Long-Lead Seasonal Wildland Fire Predictions For Oahu, Hawaii. In preprints, Third Symposium on Fire and Forest Meteorology. American Meteorological Society, 10-12 January 2000, Long Beach, CA. 141-142.
• Fujioka, Francis M., Weise, David R., and Burgan, Robert E. 2000. A High Resolution Fire Danger Rating System for Hawaii. In preprints, Third Symposium on Fire and Forest Meteorology. American Meteorological Society, 10-12 January 2000, Long Beach, CA. 103-106.
• Roads, John O., Chen S. C., Fujioka, Francis M., and Burgan, R. E. 2000. Development of a Seasonal Fire Severity Forecast for the Contiguous United States. In preprints, Third Symposium on Fire and Forest Meteorology. American Meteorological Society, 10-12 January 2000, Long Beach, CA. 99-102.
• Stevens, Duane E., Funayama, Derek, and Fujioka, Francis M. 2000. Numerical Weather Prediction for Fire Hazards on Oahu/Hawaii. In preprints, Third Symposium on Fire and Forest Meteorology. American Meteorological Society, 10-12 January 2000, Long Beach, CA. 55-58.