Fuel treatment effects on modeled landscape-level fire behavior in the northern Sierra Nevada

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1751-1765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason J. Moghaddas ◽  
Brandon M. Collins ◽  
Kurt Menning ◽  
Emily E.Y. Moghaddas ◽  
Scott L. Stephens
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Flame Length ◽  
Fuel Treatment ◽  
Burn Probability ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Landscape Level

Across the western United States, decades of fire exclusion combined with past management history have contributed to the current condition of extensive areas of high-density, shade-tolerant coniferous stands that are increasingly prone to high-severity fires. Here, we report the modeled effects of constructed defensible fuel profile zones and group selection treatments on crown fire potential, flame length, and conditional burn probabilities across 11 land allocation types for an 18 600 ha study area within the northern Sierra Nevada, California. Fire modeling was completed using FlamMap and FARSITE based on landscape files developed with high-resolution aerial (IKONOS) imagery, ground-based plot data, and integrated data from ARCFUELS and the Forest Vegetation Simulator. Under modeled 97th percentile weather conditions, average conditional burn probability was reduced between pre- and post-treatment landscapes. A more detailed simulation of a hypothetical fire burning under fairly severe fire weather, or “problem fire”, revealed a 39% reduction in final fire size for the treated landscape relative to the pre-treatment condition. To modify fire behavior at a landscape level, a combination of fuel treatment strategies that address topographic location, land use allocations, vegetation types, and fire regimes is needed.

scholarly journals Evaluating potential trade‐offs among fuel treatment strategies in mixed‐conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada

Ecosphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens T. Stevens ◽  
Brandon M. Collins ◽  
Jonathan W. Long ◽  
Malcolm P. North ◽  
Susan J. Prichard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Fuel Treatment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests

scholarly journals FIRE MODELLING TO ASSESS SPATIAL PATTERNS OF WILDFIRE EXPOSURE IN ARDABIL, NW IRAN

2019 ◽  
Vol XLII-4/W18 ◽  
pp. 577-581
Author(s):  
R. Jahdi ◽  
M. Salis ◽  
M. Arabi ◽  
B. Arca
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Fire Hazard ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Flame Length ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Fire Exposure ◽  
Nw Iran ◽  
Burn Probability ◽  
Fire Modelling

Abstract. Fire exposure describes the spatial juxtaposition of values with fire behaviour in terms of likelihood and intensity. Wildfire exposure analysis is based on the estimation of the potential wildfire intensity and on the burn probability. Fire modelling can produce spatially explicit information on fire spread and behaviour, and offers a feasible method to simulate, map, and analyse fire exposure. FlamMap Minimum Travel Time (MTT) algorithm (Finney, 2006) was used to conduct wildfire simulations considering historical data of fuel moisture conditions and winds, as well as the most frequent wind directions and historical ignition locations (2005-2018). Analysis was conducted on spatial and quantitative variations in selected fire hazard and exposure factors, namely Burn Probability (BP), Conditional Flame Length (CFL) and Fire Size (F). We observed pronounced spatial variations among and between municipalities in the factors, especially for those in the northern and southern parts of Ardabil. The variations across the burnable area of the municipalities can be fundamentally related to a number of factors, including spatial variation in ignition locations, fuel moisture and load, weather conditions, and topography of the terrain. The findings can provide information and support in wildfire management planning and fire risk mitigation activities.

scholarly journals AEGIS: a wildfire prevention and management information system

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 643-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kostas Kalabokidis ◽  
Alan Ager ◽  
Mark Finney ◽  
Nikos Athanasis ◽  
Palaiologos Palaiologou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire Hazard ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
End Users ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Fire Control ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Ignition Point ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Management Platform ◽  
Burn Probability

Abstract. We describe a Web-GIS wildfire prevention and management platform (AEGIS) developed as an integrated and easy-to-use decision support tool to manage wildland fire hazards in Greece (http://aegis.aegean.gr). The AEGIS platform assists with early fire warning, fire planning, fire control and coordination of firefighting forces by providing online access to information that is essential for wildfire management. The system uses a number of spatial and non-spatial data sources to support key system functionalities. Land use/land cover maps were produced by combining field inventory data with high-resolution multispectral satellite images (RapidEye). These data support wildfire simulation tools that allow the users to examine potential fire behavior and hazard with the Minimum Travel Time fire spread algorithm. End-users provide a minimum number of inputs such as fire duration, ignition point and weather information to conduct a fire simulation. AEGIS offers three types of simulations, i.e., single-fire propagation, point-scale calculation of potential fire behavior, and burn probability analysis, similar to the FlamMap fire behavior modeling software. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were utilized for wildfire ignition risk assessment based on various parameters, training methods, activation functions, pre-processing methods and network structures. The combination of ANNs and expected burned area maps are used to generate integrated output map of fire hazard prediction. The system also incorporates weather information obtained from remote automatic weather stations and weather forecast maps. The system and associated computation algorithms leverage parallel processing techniques (i.e., High Performance Computing and Cloud Computing) that ensure computational power required for real-time application. All AEGIS functionalities are accessible to authorized end-users through a web-based graphical user interface. An innovative smartphone application, AEGIS App, also provides mobile access to the web-based version of the system.

Swine manure biogas production improvement using pre-treatment strategies: lab-scale studies and full-scale application

2021 ◽  
pp. 100716
Author(s):  
Deisi Cristina Tápparo ◽  
Daniela Cândido ◽  
Ricardo Luis Radis Steinmetz ◽  
Christian Etzkorn ◽  
André Cestonaro do Amaral ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biogas Production ◽  
Swine Manure ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Production Improvement ◽  
Pre Treatment

scholarly journals Understanding the Impact of Different Landscape-Level Fuel Management Strategies on Wildfire Hazard in Central Portugal

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 522
Author(s):  
Akli Benali ◽  
Ana C. L. Sá ◽  
João Pinho ◽  
Paulo M. Fernandes ◽  
José M. C. Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Treatment Area ◽  
Fuel Treatment ◽  
The North ◽  
Wildfire Hazard ◽  
Central Portugal ◽  
The Impact

The extreme 2017 fire season in Portugal led to widespread recognition of the need for a paradigm shift in forest and wildfire management. We focused our study on Alvares, a parish in central Portugal located in a fire-prone area, which had 60% of its area burned in 2017. We evaluated how different fuel treatment strategies may reduce wildfire hazard in Alvares through (i) a fuel break network with different extents corresponding to different levels of priority and (ii) random fuel treatments resulting from a potential increase in stand-level management intensity. To assess this, we developed a stochastic wildfire simulation system (FUNC-SIM) that integrates uncertainties in fuel distribution over the landscape. If the landscape remains unchanged, Alvares will have large burn probabilities in the north, northeast and center-east areas of the parish that are very often associated with high fireline intensities. The different fuel treatment scenarios decreased burned area between 12.1–31.2%, resulting from 1–4.6% increases in the annual treatment area and reduced the likelihood of wildfires larger than 5000 ha by 10–40%. On average, simulated burned area decreased 0.22% per each ha treated, and cost-effectiveness decreased with increasing area treated. Overall, both fuel treatment strategies effectively reduced wildfire hazard and should be part of a larger, holistic and integrated plan to reduce the vulnerability of the Alvares parish to wildfires.

scholarly journals Using the Landsat Burned Area Products to Derive Fire History Relevant for Fire Management and Conservation in the State of Florida, Southeastern USA

Fire ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Casey Teske ◽  
Melanie K. Vanderhoof ◽  
Todd J. Hawbaker ◽  
Joe Noble ◽  
John Kevin Hiers
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Behavior Modeling ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Burned Areas ◽  
Burn Probability

Development of comprehensive spatially explicit fire occurrence data remains one of the most critical needs for fire managers globally, and especially for conservation across the southeastern United States. Not only are many endangered species and ecosystems in that region reliant on frequent fire, but fire risk analysis, prescribed fire planning, and fire behavior modeling are sensitive to fire history due to the long growing season and high vegetation productivity. Spatial data that map burned areas over time provide critical information for evaluating management successes. However, existing fire data have undocumented shortcomings that limit their use when detailing the effectiveness of fire management at state and regional scales. Here, we assessed information in existing fire datasets for Florida and the Landsat Burned Area products based on input from the fire management community. We considered the potential of different datasets to track the spatial extents of fires and derive fire history metrics (e.g., time since last burn, fire frequency, and seasonality). We found that burned areas generated by applying a 90% threshold to the Landsat burn probability product matched patterns recorded and observed by fire managers at three pilot areas. We then created fire history metrics for the entire state from the modified Landsat Burned Area product. Finally, to show their potential application for conservation management, we compared fire history metrics across ownerships for natural pinelands, where prescribed fire is frequently applied. Implications of this effort include increased awareness around conservation and fire management planning efforts and an extension of derivative products regionally or globally.

scholarly journals Modeling interactions between fire and atmosphere in discrete element fuel beds

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodman Linn ◽  
Judith Winterkamp ◽  
Jonah J. Colman ◽  
Carleton Edminster ◽  
John D. Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Canopy Structure ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Convective Heating ◽  
Initial Attempt ◽  
Fuel Density ◽  
Porous Element ◽  
Tree Data ◽  
Fuel Elements

In this text we describe an initial attempt to incorporate discrete porous element fuel beds into the coupled atmosphere–wildfire behavior model HIGRAD/FIRETEC. First we develop conceptual models for use in translating measured tree data (in this case a ponderosa pine forest) into discrete fuel elements. Then data collected at experimental sites near Flagstaff, Arizona are used to create a discontinuous canopy fuel representation in HIGRAD/FIRETEC. Four simulations are presented with different canopy and understory configurations as described in the text. The results are discussed in terms of the same two discrete locations within the canopy for each simulation. The canopy structure had significant effects on the balance between radiative and convective heating in driving the fire and indeed sometimes determined whether a specific tree burned or not. In our simulations the ground fuel density was the determining factor in the overall spread rate of the fire, even when the overstory was involved in the fire. This behavior is well known in the fire meteorology community. In the future, simulations of this type could help land managers to better understand the role of canopy and understory structure in determining fire behavior, and thus help them decide between the different thinning and fuel treatment strategies available to them.

scholarly journals Opportunities for winter prescribed burning in mixed conifer plantations of the Sierra Nevada

Fire Ecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. York ◽  
Jacob Levine ◽  
Kane Russell ◽  
Joseph Restaino
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Shrub Cover ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Planted Forests ◽  
Conifer Plantations

Abstract Background Young, planted forests are particularly vulnerable to wildfire. High severity effects in planted forests translate to the loss of previous reforestation investments and the loss of future ecosystem service gains. We conducted prescribed burns in three ~35-year-old mixed conifer plantations that had previously been masticated and thinned during February in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of winter burning, which is not common in the Sierra Nevada, California. Results On average, 59% of fine fuels were consumed and the fires reduced shrub cover by 94%. The average percent of crown volume that was damaged was 25%, with no mortality observed in overstory trees 1 year following the fires. A plot level analysis of the factors of fire effects did not find strong predictors of fuel consumption. Shrub cover was reduced dramatically, regardless of the specific structure that existed in plots. We found a positive relationship between crown damage and the two variables of Pinus ponderosa relative basal area and shrub cover. But these were not particularly strong predictors. An analysis of the weather conditions that have occurred at this site over the past 20 years indicated that there have consistently been opportunities to conduct winter burns. On average, 12 days per winter were feasible for burning using our criteria. Windows of time are short, typically 1 or 2 days, and may occur at any time during the winter season. Conclusions This study demonstrates that winter burning can be an important piece of broader strategies to reduce wildfire severity in the Sierra Nevada. Preparing forest structures so that they can be more feasible to burn and also preparing burn programs so that they can be nimble enough to burn opportunistically during short windows are key strategies. Both small landowners and large agencies may be able to explore winter burning opportunities to reduce wildfire severity.

scholarly journals Effect of Solar Radiation on the Drying Parameters of Mint (Mentha Spicata L.) Dried in Natural Convective Solar Dryer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
SEBIHA REHMAN ◽  
SEEMIN RUBAB
Keyword(s):  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Quality Parameter ◽  
Drying Process ◽  
Kashmir Valley ◽  
Rehydration Ratio ◽  
Drying Time ◽  
Mentha Spicata ◽  
Solar Dryer ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Kinetics Of

Abstract The paper presents a kinetic study of solar dried mint (Mentha spicata L.) without any pre-treatment. Mint grows effortlessly in Kashmir valley but is not obtainable throughout the year because of inconsiderate weather conditions. The genus belongs to the Labiatae family and includes large varieties with different properties. A significant quality parameter is its colour. The drying kinetics of mint leaves dried in Domestic Solar Dryer in terms of colour attributes, moisture content, drying time, non enzymatic browning, water activity, rehydration ratio was studied. This study is very useful for household scale drying of mint leaves to optimize drying process and to achieve superior quality dried product at home maintaining its colour and aroma.

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