Current Research

My current research focuses on the study of physical processes in fire spread.  Use of laboratory and field experiments allows us to examine many of the fire behaviors that we do not understand and cannot predict today (such as thresholds in spread, crown fire). Another expression of my research includes fire simulation for purposes of fire risk assessment, which has been done in direct support of the development of two major fire management systems (WFDSS and FPA). The FSPro model is used in WFDSS to estimate the probability of impact of an ongoing large fire. A similar model (FSim) is used to estimate the burn probability and variability in fire behavior across large landscapes.  FSim is used for national, regional, and local risk modeling in the US.

Research Interests

My research interests include fundamental processes in fire spread as well as applications of fire behavior models for fire management decision support and actuarial risk assessment.

Past Research

Fire behavior fundamentals are key to understanding the opportunities for improving fire behavior modeling. Although there are many fire behavior models, there is llittle understanding of ther dynamical interactions of phyiscal processes that produces spread and behavior.  One consequence of this is that there is no ability to anticipate threshold-type behaviors of surface or crown fires (spread vs. no spread transitions). Only by understanding the physics of these behaviors can we hope to improve management and mitigation. Quantitative risk analysis is essential to evaluating cost-effective operations in fire management, whether those are fuel treatment operations or fire suppression operations. We must continue to use current modeling tools to address these issues while pursuing fundamental research that will ultimately lead to improved modeling.

Why This Research is Important

Principal importance of my research using fire behavior experiments is to understand fire behavior processes well enough to produce simplified physical models of fire beahvior that will improve operational predictions, planning and mitigation, as well as training.  We must explain fire behavior, not just model it, if we are to realize better opportunities of managing it and living with wildland fire.  For other research, quantiative risk analysis has now become practical and allows communication of wildfire risk and impacts to the public and agency audiences in ways not possible before.

Education

• Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, B.S. Forest Management, Fire Science 1984
• University of Washington, Seattle, M.S. Fire Ecology 1986
• University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. Wildland Fire Science 1991

Professional Experience

Awards & Recognition

Featured Publications & Products

• Finney, Mark A.; Smith, C. Todd; Maynard, Trevor B. 2019. Experiments on wildfire ignition by exploding targets.
• Finney, Mark A.; Cohen, Jack D.; Forthofer, Jason M.; McAllister, Sara S.; Gollner, Michael J.; Gorham, Daniel J.; Saito, Kozo; Akafuah, Nelson K.; Adam, Brittany A.; English, Justin D. 2015. Role of buoyant flame dynamics in wildfire spread.
• Finney, Mark A.; Maynard, Trevor B.; McAllister, Sara S.; Grob, Ian J. 2013. A study of ignition by rifle bullets.
• Finney, Mark A.; Forthofer, Jason; Grenfell, Isaac C.; Adam, Brittany A.; Akafuah, Nelson K.; Saito, Kozo. 2013. A study of flame spread in engineered cardboard fuelbeds: Part I: Correlations and observations.
• Finney, Mark A.; Cohen, Jack D.; McAllister, Sara S.; Jolly, W. Matt. 2012. On the need for a theory of wildland fire spread.
• Finney, Mark A.; McHugh, Charles W.; Grenfell, Isaac C.; Riley, Karin L.; Short, Karen C. 2011. A simulation of probabilistic wildfire risk components for the continental United States.
• Finney, Mark A.; McAllister, Sara S. 2011. A review of fire interactions and mass fires.
• Finney, Mark A.; Grenfell, Isaac C.; McHugh, Charles W.; Seli, Robert C.; Trethewey, Diane; Stratton, Richard D.; Brittain, Stuart. 2011. A method for ensemble wildland fire simulation.
• Finney, Mark A. 1998. FARSITE: Fire Area Simulator-model development and evaluation.

Publications

• Parisien, Marc-Andre ; Ager, Alan A.; Barros, Ana M.; Dawe, Denyse ; Erni, Sandy ; Finney, Mark A.; McHugh, Charles W.; Miller, Carol ; Parks, Sean A.; Riley, Karin L.; Short, Karen C.; Stockdale, Christopher A.; Wang, Xianli ; Whitman, Ellen . 2020. Commentary on the article Burn probability simulation and subsequent wildland fire activity in Alberta, Canada - Implications for risk assessment and strategic planning by J. L. Beverly and N. McLoughlin.
• Miller, Colin H.; Tang, Wei ; Sluder, Evan ; Finney, Mark A.; McAllister, Sara S.; Forthofer, Jason M.; Gollner, Michael J. 2018. Boundary layer instabilities in mixed convection and diffusion flames with an unheated starting length.
• Stephens, Scott L; Collins, Brandon M; Fettig, Christopher J; Finney, Mark A; Hoffman, Chad M; Knapp, Eric E; North, Malcolm P; Safford, Hugh; Wayman, Rebecca B. 2018. Drought, tree mortality, and wildfire in forests adapted to frequent fire.
• Gustenyov, Nikolay ; Akafuah, Nelson K.; Salaimeh, Ahmad ; Finney, Mark ; McAllister, Sara ; Saito, Kozo . 2018. Scaling nonreactive cross flow over a heated plate to simulate forest fires.
• Massman, W. J.; Forthofer, J. M.; Finney, M. A. 2017. An improved canopy wind model for predicting wind adjustment factors and wildland fire behavior.
• Grumstrup, Torben P.; McAllister, Sara S.; Finney, Mark A. 2017. Qualitative flow visualization of flame attachment on slopes.
• Kalabokidis, Kostas; Ager, Alan; Finney, Mark; Athanasis, Nikos; Palaiologou, Palaiologos; Vasilakos, Christos. 2016. AEGIS: a wildfire prevention and management information system.
• Lozano, Olga M.; Salis, Michele; Ager, Alan A.; Arca, Bachisio; Alcasena, Fermin J.; Monteiro, Antonio T.; Finney, Mark A.; Del Giudice, Liliana; Scoccimarro, Enrico; Spano, Donatella. 2016. Assessing climate change impacts on wildfire exposure in Mediterranean areas.
• McAllister, Sara; Finney, Mark. 2016. Burning rates of wood cribs with implications for wildland fires.
• Riley, Karin; Grenfell, Isaac C.; Finney, Mark A. 2016. Mapping forest vegetation for the western United States using modified random forests imputation of FIA forest plots.
• Cooke, Brian; Elliot, William; Miller, Mary Ellen; Finney, Mark; Thompson, Matthew. 2016. Protecting the source: Tools to evaluate fuel treatment cost vs. water quality protection.
• Werth, Paul A.; Potter, Brian E.; Alexander, Martin E.; Clements, Craig B.; Cruz, Miguel G.; Finney, Mark A.; Forthofer, Jason M.; Goodrick, Scott L.; Hoffman, Chad; Jolly, W. Matt; McAllister, Sara S.; Ottmar, Roger D.; Parsons, Russell A. 2016. Synthesis of knowledge of extreme fire behavior: volume 2 for fire behavior specialists, researchers, and meteorologists.
• McAllister, Sara; Finney, Mark. 2016. The effect of wind on burning rate of wood cribs.
• Salis, Michele; Ager, Alan A.; Alcasena, Fermin J.; Arca, Bachisio; Finney, Mark A.; Pellizzaro, Grazia; Spano, Donatella. 2015. Analyzing seasonal patterns of wildfire exposure factors in Sardinia, Italy.
• Thompson, Matthew P.; Haas, Jessica R.; Finney, Mark A.; Calkin, David E.; Hand, Michael S.; Browne, Mark J.; Halek, Martin; Short, Karen C.; Grenfell, Isaac C. 2015. Development and application of a probabilistic method for wildfire suppression cost modeling.
• Calkin, David E.; Thompson, Matthew P.; Finney, Mark A. 2015. Negative consequences of positive feedbacks in US wildfire management.
• Riley, Karin L.; Grenfell, Isaac C.; Finney, Mark A. 2015. Seeing the forest for the trees: utilizing modified random forests imputation of forest plot data for landscape-level analyses.
• Forthofer, Jason M.; Butler, Bret W.; McHugh, Charles W.; Finney, Mark A.; Bradshaw, Larry S.; Stratton, Richard D.; Shannon, Kyle S.; Wagenbrenner, Natalie S. 2014. A comparison of three approaches for simulating fine-scale surface winds in support of wildland fire management. Part II. An exploratory study of the effect of simulated winds on fire growth simulations.
• Canfield, J. M.; Linn, R. R.; Sauer, J. A.; Finney, M.; Forthofer, J. 2014. A numerical investigation of the interplay between fireline length, geometry, and rate of spread.
• Ager, Alan A.; A. Day, Michelle; Finney, Mark A.; Vance-Borland, Ken; Vaillant, Nicole M. 2014. Analyzing the transmission of wildfire exposure on a fire-prone landscape in Oregon, USA.
• Kalabokidis, Kostas; Palaiologou, Palaiologos; Finney, Mark A. 2014. Fire behavior simulation in Mediterranean forests using the minimum travel time algorithm.
• Calkin, David E.; Cohen, Jack D.; Finney, Mark A.; Thompson, Matthew P. 2014. How risk management can prevent future wildfire disasters in the wildland-urban interface.
• Riley, Karin L.; Grenfell, Isaac C.; Finney, Mark A.; Crookston, Nicholas L. 2014. Utilizing random forests imputation of forest plot data for landscape-level wildfire analyses.
• Ager, Alan A.; Day, Michelle A.; McHugh, Charles W.; Short, Karen; Gilbertson-Day, Julie; Finney, Mark A.; Calkin, David E. 2014. Wildfire exposure and fuel management on western US national forests.
• Thompson, Matthew P.; Calkin, David E.; Finney, Mark A.; Gebert, Krista M.; Hand, Michael S. 2013. A risk-based approach to wildland fire budgetary planning.
• Adam, Brittany A.; Akafuah, Nelson K.; Finney, Mark; Forthofer, Jason; Saito, Kozo. 2013. A study of flame spread in engineered cardboard fuelbeds: Part II: Scaling law approach.
• McAllister, S.; Finney, M. 2013. Effect of crib dimensions on burning rate.
• Maynard, Trevor; Finney, Mark; McAllister, Sara; Grob, Ian. 2013. Ignition potential of rifle bullets.
• Ager, Alan A.; Buonopane, Michelle; Reger, Allison; Finney, Mark A. 2013. Wildfire exposure analysis on the National Forests in the Pacific Northwest, USA.
• Ager, Alan A.; Vaillant, Nicole M.; Finney, Mark A.; Preisler, Haiganoush K. 2012. Analyzing wildfire exposure and source sink relationships on a fire prone forest landscape.
• Salis, Michele; Ager, Alan A.; Arca, Bachisio; Finney, Mark A.; Bacciu, Valentina; Duce, Pierpaolo; Spano, Donatella. 2012. Assessing exposure of human and ecological values to wildfire in Sardinia, Italy.
• Cochrane, M. A.; Moran, C. J.; Wimberly, M. C.; Baer, A. D.; Finney, M. A.; Beckendorf, K. L.; Eidenshink, J.; Zhu, Z. 2012. Estimation of wildfire size and risk changes due to fuels treatments.
• Graham, Russell; Finney, Mark; McHugh, Chuck; Cohen, Jack; Calkin, Dave; Stratton, Rick; Bradshaw, Larry; Nikolov, Ned. 2012. Fourmile Canyon Fire Findings.
• McAllister, S.; Grenfell, I.; Hadlow, A.; Jolly, W. M.; Finney, M.; Cohen, J. 2012. Piloted ignition of live forest fuels.
• Thompson, Matthew P.; Ager, Alan A.; Finney, Mark A.; Calkin, Dave E.; Vaillant, Nicole M. 2012. The science and opportunity of wildfire risk assessment (Chapter 6).
• Ager, Alan A.; Buonopane, Michelle; Reger, Allison; Finney, Mark A. 2012. Wildfire exposure to analysis on the national forests in the Pacific Northwest, USA.
• Malcolm, Karl; Thompson, Matthew; Calkin, Dave; Finney, Mark; Ager, Alan. 2012. Wildfire triage: Targeting mitigation based on social, economic, and ecological values.
• Calkin, David E.; Ager, Alan A.; Thompson, Matthew P.; Finney, Mark A.; Lee, Danny C.; Quigley, Thomas M.; McHugh, Charles W.; Riley, Karin L.; Gilbertson-Day, Julie M. 2011. A comparative risk assessment framework for wildland fire management: the 2010 cohesive strategy science report.
• Calkin, David E.; Thompson, Matthew P.; Finney, Mark A.; Hyde, Kevin D. 2011. A real-time risk assessment tool supporting wildland fire decisionmaking.
• McAllister, S.; Finney, M.; Cohen, J. 2011. Critical mass flux for flaming ignition of wood as a function of external radiant heat flux and moisture content.
• Noonan-Wright, Erin; Opperman, Tonja S.; Finney, Mark A.; Zimmerman, Tom; Seli, Robert C.; Elenz, Lisa M.; Calkin, David E.; Fiedler, John R. 2011. Developing the U.S. Wildland Fire Decision Support System.
• Thompson, Matthew P.; Calkin, David E.; Finney, Mark A.; Ager, Alan A.; Gilbertson-Day, Julie W. 2011. Integrated national-scale assessment of wildfire risk to human and ecological values.
• Ager, Alan A.; Vaillant, Nicole M.; Finney, Mark A. 2011. Integrating fire behavior models and geospatial analysis for wildland fire risk assessment and fuel management planning.
• Calkin, David C.; Finney, Mark A.; Ager, Alan A.; Thompson, Matthew P.; Gebert, Krista M. 2011. Progress towards and barriers to implementation of a risk framework for US federal wildland fire policy and decision making.
• Werth, Paul A.; Potter, Brian E.; Clements, Craig B.; Finney, Mark A.; Goodrick, Scott L.; Alexander, Martin E.; Cruz, Miguel G.; Forthofer, Jason A.; McAllister, Sara S. 2011. Synthesis of knowledge of extreme fire behavior: volume I for fire managers.
• McHugh, Charles W.; Finney, Mark A.; Bradshaw, Larry S. 2010. An assessment of climate and fire danger rating in the Northern Rockies during the 1910 fire season.
• Finney, Mark A.; Cohen, Jack D.; Grenfell, Isaac C.; Yedinak, Kara M. 2010. An examination of fire spread thresholds in discontinuous fuel beds.
• Yedinak, Kara M.; Cohen, Jack D.; Forthofer, Jason M.; Finney, Mark A. 2010. An examination of flame shape related to convection heat transfer in deep-fuel beds.
• Cohen, Jack D.; Finney, Mark A. 2010. An examination of fuel particle heating during fire spread.
• Calkin, Dave; Thompson, Matthew P.; Ager, Alan A.; Finney, Mark. 2010. Barriers to implementation of risk management for federal wildland fire management agencies in the United States.
• Cathcart, Jim; Ager, Alan A.; McMahan, Andrew; Finney, Mark; Watt, Brian. 2010. Carbon benefits from fuel treatments.
• Arca, Bachisio; Pellizzaro, Grazia; Duce, Pierpaolo; Salis, Michele; Bacciu, Valentina; Spano, Donatella; Ager, Alan; Finney, Mark. 2010. Climate change impact on fire probability and severity in Mediterranean areas.
• Finney, Mark A.; McHugh, Charles W.; Grenfell, Isaac; Riley, Karin L. 2010. Continental-scale simulation of burn probabilities, flame lengths, and fire size distribution for the United States.
• McAllister, Sara; Finney, Mark; Cohen, Jack. 2010. Critical mass flux for flaming ignition of dead, dry wood as a function of exernal radiant heat flux.
• McAllister, Sara; Finney, Mark; Cohen, Jack. 2010. Critical mass flux for flaming ignition of dead, dry wood as a function of external radiant heat flux and oxidizer flow velocity.
• Jimenez, Dan; Finney, Mark A.; Cohen, Jack. 2010. Design and construction of gas-fed burners for laboratory studies of flame structure.
• Ager, A.A.; Finney, M.A.; McMahan, A.; Carthcart, J. 2010. Measuring the effect of fuel treatments on forest carbon using landscape risk analysis.
• Lignell, David O.; Monson, Elizabeth I.; Finney, Mark A. 2010. Modeling flame structure in wildland fires using the one-dimensional turbulence model.
• Grenfell, Isaac C.; Finney, Mark; Jolly, Matt. 2010. Simulating spatial and temporally related fire weather.
• Finney, Mark A.; Jimenez, Dan; Cohen, Jack D.; Grenfell, Isaac C.; Wold, Cyle. 2010. Structure of diffusion flames from a vertical burner.
• Jolly, Matt; McAllister, Sara; Finney, Mark; Hadlow, Ann. 2010. Time to ignition is influenced by both moisture content and soluble carbohydrates in live Douglas fir and Lodgepole pine needles.
• Parisien, Marc-Andre; Miller, Carol; Ager, Alan A.; Finney, Mark A. 2010. Use of artificial landscapes to isolate controls on burn probability.
• Ager, Alan A.; Finney, Mark A. 2009. Application of wildfire simulation models for risk analysis.
• Haston, David V.; Finney, Mark A.; Horcher, Andy; Yates, Philip A.; Detrich, Kahlil. 2009. Ignition potential of muzzle-loading firearms: An exploratory investigation.
• Finney, Mark; Grenfell, Isaac C.; McHugh, Charles W. 2009. Modeling containment of large wildfires using generalized linear mixed-model analysis.
• Kim, Young-Hwan; Bettinger, Pete; Finney, Mark. 2009. Spatial optimization of the pattern of fuel management activities and subsequent effects on simulated wildfires.
• Seli, Robert C.; Ager, Alan A.; Crookston, Nicholas L.; Finney, Mark A.; Bahro, Berni; Agee, James K.; McHugh, Charles W. 2008. Incorporating landscape fuel treatment modeling into the Forest Vegetation Simulator.
• Kennedy, Maureen C.; Ford, E. David; Singleton, Peter; Finney, Mark; Agee, James K. 2008. Informed multi-objective decision-making in environmental management using Pareto optimality.
• Finney, Mark A.; Seli, Rob C.; McHugh, Charles W.; Ager, Alan A.; Bahro, Bernhard; Agee, James K. 2008. Simulation of long-term landscape-level fuel treatment effects on large wildfires.
• Andrews, Patricia; Finney, Mark; Fischetti, Mark. 2007. Predicting wildfires.
• Finney, Mark A. 2006. A computational method for optimizing fuel treatment locations.
• Ager, Alan; Finney, Mark; McMahan, Andrew. 2006. A wildfire risk modeling system for evaluating landscape fuel treatment strategies.
• Finney, Mark A. 2006. An Overview of FlamMap Fire Modeling Capabilities.
• Opperman, Tonja; Gould, Jim; Finney, Mark; Tymstra, Cordy. 2006. Applying fire spread simulators in New Zealand and Australia: Results from an international seminar.
• Finney, Mark A.; Seli, Rob C.; McHugh, Charles W.; Ager, Alan A.; Bahro, Berni; Agee, James K. 2006. Simulation of Long-Term Landscape-Level Fuel Treatment Effects on Large Wildfires.
• Butler, Bret W.; Finney, Mark; Bradshaw, Larry; Forthofer, Jason; McHugh, Chuck; Stratton, Rick; Jimenez, Dan. 2006. WindWizard: A New Tool for Fire Management Decision Support.
• Finney, Mark A.; Bartlette, Roberta; Bradshaw, Larry; Close, Kelly; Collins, Brandon M.; Gleason, Paul; Hao, Wei Min; Langowski, Paul; McGinely, John; McHugh, Charles W.; Martinson, Erik; Omi, Phillip N.; Shepperd, Wayne; Zeller, Karl. 2003. Fire behavior, fuel treatments, and fire suppression on the Hayman Fire.
• Finney, Mark A.; McHugh, Charles W.; Bartlette, Roberta; Close, Kelly; Langowski, Paul. 2003. Fire behavior, fuel treatments, and fire suppression on the Hayman Fire - Part 2: Description and interpretations of fire behavior.
• McHugh, Charles W.; Finney, Mark A. 2003. Fire behavior, fuel treatments, and fire suppression on the Hayman Fire - Part 4: Relation of roads to burn severity.
• Agee, James K.; Bahro, Bernie; Finney, Mark A.; Omi, Philip N.; Sapsis, David B.; Skinner, Carl N.; van Wagtendonk, Jan W.; Weatherspoon, C. Phillip. 2000. The use of shaded fuelbreaks in landscape fire management.
• Keane, Robert E.; Garner, Janice L.; Schmidt, Kirsten M.; Long, Donald G.; Menakis, James P.; Finney, Mark A. 1998. Development of input data layers for the FARSITE fire growth model for the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Complex, USA.
• Finney, Mark A. 1995. FARSITE: a fire area simulator for fire managers.

Research Highlights

Highlight	Title	Year
RMRS-2011-16	A practical approach to using fire simulations for operational planning and ecological research Station scientists have developed a simulation system designed to estimate the probabilistic components of wildfire risk for Fire Planning Units ...	2011
RMRS-2015-92	Role of Buoyant Flame Dynamics in Wildfire Spread The phrase “spreads like wildfire” is well-known but until recent discoveries through experiments, it wasn’t well-known how wildfires actu ...	2015
RMRS-2011-12	Understanding the physical processes of fire spread The latest research suggests a completely new approach to understanding and modeling the spread of forest fires - creating new opportunities for ...	2011