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Project ID: 09-S-03-1

Year: 2010

Date Started: 10/01/2009

Ending Date:  06/30/2013

Title: Crown Fire Behavior Characteristics and Prediction in Conifer Forests: A State of Knowledge Synthesis

Project Proposal Abstract: The focus of the proposed project will be on synthesizing the available information on crown fire behavior related to conifer forests (e.g., the onset of crowning, type of crown fire and the associated spread rate and fireline intensity, convection column development, spotting, fire-induced vortices). A critical synthesis on crown fire behavior must rest upon as solid a foundation of knowledge as is possible at this time. A sufficient body of scientific, peer-reviewed literature of a practical nature to undertake a synthesis on crown fire behavior presently exists. The literature includes articles published in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research, International Journal of Wildland Fire, Forest Science, Forestry Chronicle, and Australian Forestry. Many of the specific target articles can currently be viewed on the Firehouse website. Input and operational experiences from fire and land managers will also be surveyed and assessed as well as non-refereed publications. The synthesis will be global in nature and is intended for multiple audiences ranging from the general public to college students to fire and land managers to university professors). Publication of the synthesis will be patterned after the popular Australian book Grass Fires: Fuel, Weather and Fire Behaviour published by CSIRO (2nd ed. 2008) and accompanied by a multimedia DVD featuring video imagery and other supporting documentation (e.g., references cited). It is presently envisioned that the book will consist of some 19 chapters ranging from the nature, general characteristics and classification of crown fires to current knowledge regarding crown fire cessation to the operational prediction of crown fire behavior. Data and information, including video footage, obtained during wildfire monitoring and documentation by the USDA Forest Services Adaptive Management Enterprise Services Team (AMEST) fire behavior assessment unit during the past six years will be utilized in the preparation of the DVD and in evaluating existing models for predicting crown fire behavior. AMEST wildfire monitoring activities during the 2010-2012 fire seasons will accordingly be cognizant of certain features associated with crown fire dynamics that should be looked for. A special issue of Fire Management Today devoted to crown fire behavior will serve to highlight the main conclusions and findings contained in the book. A number of outreach activities are planned to solicit input from land managers about the project using the network of fire research and management contacts developed by the project investigators. For example, establishment of a crown fire behavior synthesis neighborhood on MyFireCommunity.Net created by the Widland Fire Lessons Learned Center. An active dialogue on all aspects of the project will be maintained with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Fire Behavior Committee, including a critique of the crown fire component of the S-190, S-290, S-390 and S-490 fire behavior courses. Completion of the manuscripts associated with the two major synthesis documents is expected to take 36 months (October 2009-September 2012). The JFSP Board has approved for funding Project 09-2-01-11 led by P.A. Werth. This project will undoubtedly have a heavy focus on the meteorological and related topographic interactions associated with extreme fire behavior given the backgrounds and experience of the investigators. The present proposal is designed to compliment, not duplicate these efforts. The proposed project will focus solely on crown fire dynamics in conifer forests with a greater emphasis on the fuel component of the fire environment (e.g., moisture content, quantity, bulk density, vertical and horizontal arrangement). The ability to predict fire spread rates and fireline intensities in other fuel complexes (grasslands, shrublands, and activity fuels) will be compared against the knowledge available on crown fires in conifer forest fuel types

Principal Investigator: Martin E. Alexander

Agency/Organization: University of Alberta

Branch or Dept: Department of Renewable Resources

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Co-Principal Investigator	Miguel G. Cruz	CSIRO-Commonwealth Scientific & Research Organization
Co-Principal Investigator	David L. Peterson	Forest Service	PNW-Seattle-Managing Natural Disturbances
Co-Principal Investigator	Nicole M. Vaillant	Forest Service	PNW-Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Ctr
Federal Cooperator	David L. Peterson	Forest Service	PNW-Seattle-Managing Natural Disturbances
Federal Fiscal Representative	Rebecca A. Slick	Forest Service	PNW-Pacific Northwest Research Station
Technical Contact	Laura L. Burris	Forest Service	PNW-Pacific Northwest Research Station

Project Locations

Consortium

Alaska

Appalachian

California

Great Basin

Great Plains

Lake States

Oak Woodlands

Northern Rockies

Northwest

Pacific

South

Southern Rockies

Southwest

Tallgrass

Level	State	Agency	Unit
NATIONAL		N/A

Project Deliverables

There is no final report available for this project.

	ID	Type	Title
	10300	Refereed Publication	Are the Applications of Wildland Fire Behaviour Models Getting Ahead of Their Evaluation Again?
	10202	Refereed Publication	Assessing the effect of foliar moisture on the spread rate of crown fires
	10394	Refereed Publication	Comment on Estimating canopy fuel characteristics in five conifer stands in the western United States using tree and stand measurements
	9716	Refereed Publication	Interdependencies Between Flame Length and Fireline Intensity in Predicting Crown Fire Initiation and Crown Scorch Height
	9891	Refereed Publication	Fuels and Fire Behavior Dynamics in Bark-Beetle Attacked Forests in Western North America and Implications for Fire Management
	9890	Refereed Publication	Graphical aids for visualizing Byram’s fireline intensity in relation to flame length and crown scorch height
	9889	Refereed Publication	Modelling the Impacts of Surface and Crown Fire Behaviour on Serotinous Cone Opening in Jack Pine and Lodgepole Pine Forests
	9888	Refereed Publication	A Mathematical Model for Predicting the Maximum Potential Spotting Distance from a Crown Fire
	9721	Refereed Publication	Crown Fire Dynamics in Conifer Forests
	9717	Refereed Publication	Evaluating Regression Model Estimates of Canopy Fuel Stratum Characteristics in Four Crown Fire-Prone Fuel Types in Western North America
	9743	NonRefereed Publication	Towards the Understanding of Extreme Wildland Fire Behavior
	9726	NonRefereed Publication	A Synthesis on Crown Fires in Conifer Forests is Underway
	9892	Invited Paper/Presentation	VI Short Course on Fire Behaviour
	9720	Invited Paper/Presentation	JFSP Crown Fire Behavior Synthesis Project
	9719	Invited Paper/Presentation	JFSP Crown Fire Behavior Synthesis Project
	10301	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Synthesizing Knowledge on Crown Fire Behavior in Conifer Forests: We Could Use Your Help!
	10299	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	IAWF 2013 Workshop material - Crown Fire Behavior in Conifer Forests
	10167	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	The 1958 Wandilo Forest Fire Tragedy Revisited
	10395	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	IAWF 2013 Workshop agenda - Crown Fire Behavior in Conifer Forests
	10203	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	The 1958 Wandilo Forest Fire Tragedy Revisited
	9730	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Crown Fires in Conifer Forests of the World: Do You Have Something to Contribute or Would Like to Know About Something?
	9724	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	On the Value of Wildland Fire Behavior Case Studies
	9736	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	What are the Safety Implications of Crown Fires?
	9735	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Towards a Crown Fire Synthesis: What Would You Like to Know and What Might You be Able to Contribute?
	9733	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Introducing the Canopy Fuel Stratum Characteristic Calculator
	9728	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Crown Fires in Conifer Forests of the World: Do You Have Something to Contribute or Would Like to Know About Something? - Abstract
	9734	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Towards a Crown Fire Synthesis: What Would You Like to Know and What Might You Be Able to Contribute?
	9732	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Introducing the Canopy Fuel Stratum Characteristic Calculator
	9731	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	What are the Safety Implications of Crown Fires?
	9729	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Crown Fires in Conifer Forests of the World: Do You Have Something to Contribute or Would Like to Know About Something? - Abstract
	9727	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	Crown Fires in Conifer Forests of the World: Do You Have Something to Contribute or Would Like to Know About Something? - Poster
	9725	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	On the Value of Wildland Fire Behavior Case Studies
	9723	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	What Kind of Fire Behavior is Required to Open Serotinous Cones of Jack Pine and Lodgepole Pine? - Presentation
	9722	Conference/Symposia/Workshop	What Kind of Fire Behavior is Required to Open Serotinous Cones of Jack Pine and Lodgepole Pine? - Abstract

Supporting Documents

There are no supporting documents available for this project.

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