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Project ID:

09-S-03-1

Year:

2010

Date Started:

10/01/2009

Date Completed:

07/11/2013

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	David L. Peterson	Forest Service	PNW-Seattle-Managing Natural Disturbances
Co-Principal Investigator	Miguel G. Cruz	CSIRO-Commonwealth Scientific & Research Organization
Co-Principal Investigator	Nicole M. Vaillant	Forest Service	RMRS-Fire, Fuel & Smoke Science Program
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

Fire Science Exchange Network

Alaska

Appalachian

California

Great Basin

Great Plains

Lake States

Northern Rockies

Northwest

Oak Woodlands

Pacific

South

Southern Rockies

Southwest

Tallgrass

Level	State	Agency	Unit
NATIONAL	United States

Download

Title
Fire on Earth: An Introduction
Crown fires in conifer forests of the world: Do you have something to contribute or would like to kn	Download
Chapter 8 - Crown Fire Dynamics in Conifer Forests	Download
Towards the Understanding of Extreme Wildland Fire Behavior	Download
Synthesis of knowledge of extreme fire behavior: volume 2 for fire behavior	Download
Fire Management Today	Download
Forest Science	Download
International Journal of Wildland Fire	Download
International Journal of Wildland Fire	Download
The Forestry Chronicle	Download
Forest Ecology and Management	Download
International Journal of Wildland Fire	Download
The Forestry Chronicle	Download
Forestry	Download
Forest Science	Download

Project Deliverables

Final Report

("Results presented in JFSP Final Reports may not have been peer-reviewed and should be interpreted as tentative until published in a peer-reviewed source.")

	ID	Type	Title
	31199		Fire on Earth: An Introduction
	31259		Crown fires in conifer forests of the world: Do you have something to contribute or would like to kn
	31464		Chapter 8 - Crown Fire Dynamics in Conifer Forests
	32045		Towards the Understanding of Extreme Wildland Fire Behavior
	32371		Synthesis of knowledge of extreme fire behavior: volume 2 for fire behavior
	32472		Fire Management Today
	32473		Forest Science
	32774		International Journal of Wildland Fire
	32775		International Journal of Wildland Fire
	32776		The Forestry Chronicle
	32777		Forest Ecology and Management
	32687		International Journal of Wildland Fire
	32952		The Forestry Chronicle
	33395		Forestry
	33746		Forest Science
	33747		Forest Science
	34104		Fire Management Today
	34107		The Forestry Chronicle
	40551		IAWF 2013 Workshop material - Crown Fire Behavior in Conifer Forests
	34115		Environmental Modelling & Software
	34133		NRC Research Press
	34142		International Journal of Wildland Fire
	33591		Environmental Modelling & Software
	33596		International Journal of Wildland Fire
	37209		Use of fire behaviour models to support silvicultural and fuel management decision making in industr
	40110		IAWF 2013 Workshop agenda - Crown Fire Behavior in Conifer Forests
	40123		The 1958 Wandilo Forest fire tragety revisited - Extended Abstract
	39410		Crown Fires in Conifer Forests of the World: Do You Have Something to Contribute or Would Like to Know About Something?
	39737		Crown Fires in Conifer Forests of the World: Do You Have Something to Contribute or Would you Like to Know About Something?
	39772		The 1958 Wandilo Forest Fire Tragedy Revisited
	39106		JFSP Crown Fire Behavior Synthesis Project
	39107		What Kind of Fire Behavior is Required to Open Serotinous Cones of Jack Pine and Lodgepole Pine? - Abstract
	39108		What Kind of Fire Behavior is Required to Open Serotinous Cones of Jack Pine and Lodgepole Pine? - Presentation
	38531		JFSP Crown Fire Behavior Synthesis Project
	39126		Crown Fires in Conifer Forests of the World: Do You Have Something to Contribute or Would Like to Know About Something? - Abstract
	39127		Introducing the Canopy Fuel Stratum Characteristic Calculator
	39128		Towards a Crown Fire Synthesis: What Would You Like to Know and What Might You be Able to Contribute?
	39129		What are the Safety Implications of Crown Fires?
	39130		On the Value of Wildland Fire Behavior Case Studies
	39131		Project website
	39132		Crown Fire Initiation and Spread (CFIS) Software System website
	39133		My Fire Community Neighborhood website
	39174		VI Short Course on Fire Behaviour
	38392		Uncertainty in Model Predictions of Wildland Fire Rate of Spread
	38399		The JFSP Crown Fire Behavior Synthesis Project Wants Your Input!
	38724		The effect of pruning on crown fire behavior in a calabrian pine plantation, northeastern Turkey
	39019		On the Value of Wildland Fire Behavior Case Studies
	38752		Synthesizing knowledge on crown fire behavior in conifer forests: we could use your help!
	39071		Crown Fires in Conifer Forests of the World: Do You Have Something to Contribute or Would Like to Know About Something? - Poster
	39072		Crown Fires in Conifer Forests of the World: Do You Have Something to Contribute or Would Like to Know About Something? - Abstract
	39073		What are the Safety Implications of Crown Fires?
	39074		Introducing the Canopy Fuel Stratum Characteristic Calculator
	39075		Towards a Crown Fire Synthesis: What Would You Like to Know and What Might You Be Able to Contribute?
	40586		Synthesizing Knowledge on Crown Fire Behavior in Conifer Forests: We Could Use Your Help!
	40447		The 1958 Wandilo Forest Fire Tragedy Revisited - Abstract