Predicting fuel moisture in jack pine slash: a test of two systems

1984 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert J. Simard ◽  
James E. Eenigenburg ◽  
Richard W. Blank
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Wood Moisture ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Moisture Profiles

Observed jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) slash moisture was compared with U.S. National Fire-Danger Rating System (NFDRS) and Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) predictions. The NFDRS models underestimated wood and foliage moisture; the FWI models overestimated wood moisture but were accurate for foliage moisture. Differences in predictive accuracy between the two sets of regression equations were not significant. The NFDRS equations were somewhat more data dependent, however, and their residuals tended to be biased. Significant differences in moisture profiles were noted among three fuel size classes, between fuels with and without bark, and between litter and needles. Differences between fuels on the ground and above the ground were not significant. The results should be applicable to most fuels influenced by moist climates.

Comparing methods of predicting Jack pine slash moisture

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 793-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Simard ◽  
W. A. Main
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Moisture Contents ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Fine Fuels ◽  
Meteorological Elements

Moisture contents of fine fuels, litter, and duff from jack pine slash were recorded for three summers and compared with meteorological elements, the United States National Fire-Danger Rating System (NFDRS) roundwood moisture models, and the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) litter and duff moisture models. Predictions from the FWI models and some meteorological elements were superior to the NFDRS models for every fuel tested. It appears that the FWI models are well suited to moist climates, whereas the NFDRS models work better under dry conditions.

Prediction of forest-floor moisture content under diverse jack pine canopy conditions

1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 1483-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Chrosciewicz
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Moisture Contents ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Best Fitting ◽  
Pure Surface

Moisture contents of organic forest-floor materials were studied by strata in a semimature jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) stand in relation to their within-stand locations and changes in both duff moisture code and fine fuel moisture code, the two weather-based components of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System. The resulting best-fitting curvilinear regressions (Y = aebX) of the duff moisture code showed distinctive patterns of variation so that both the surface and subsurface forest-floor strata were consistently more moist in stand openings than under stand canopy. An initial moisture inversion between the surface and subsurface forest-floor materials manifested itself near the start of the regressions wherever live Schreber's moss (Pleuroziumschreberi (Brit.) Mitt.) and litter were the combined surface materials; otherwise, pure surface litter was consistently drier than the subsurface materials. Combinations of all these materials down to mineral soil showed intermediate moisture contents both in stand openings and under stand canopy. In contrast, the best-fitting regressions of the fine fuel moisture code just for surface forest-floor strata were of the straight line (Y = a + bX) category and had generally lower r2 values than those for the corresponding curvilinear regressions (Y = aebX) of the duff moisture code.

Fire weather index system components for large fires in the Canadian boreal forest

2004 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 391 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. D. Amiro ◽  
K. A. Logan ◽  
B. M. Wotton ◽  
M. D. Flannigan ◽  
J. B. Todd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
System Parameters ◽  
System Components ◽  
Large Fires ◽  
Canadian Boreal Forest

Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) System components and head fire intensities were calculated for fires greater than 2 km2 in size for the boreal and taiga ecozones of Canada from 1959 to 1999. The highest noon-hour values were analysed that occurred during the first 21 days of each of 9333 fires. Depending on ecozone, the means of the FWI System parameters ranged from: fine fuel moisture code (FFMC), 90 to 92 (82 to 96 for individual fires); duff moisture code (DMC), 38 to 78 (10 to 140 for individual fires); drought code (DC), 210 to 372 (50 to 600 for individual fires); and fire weather index, 20 to 33 (5 to 60 for individual fires). Fine fuel moisture code decreased, DMC had a mid-season peak, and DC increased through the fire season. Mean head fire intensities ranged from 10 to 28 MW m−1 in the boreal spruce fuel type, showing that most large fires exhibit crown fire behaviour. Intensities of individual fires can exceed 60 MW m−1. Most FWI System parameters did not show trends over the 41-year period because of large inter-annual variability. A changing climate is expected to create future weather conditions more conducive to fire throughout much of Canada but clear changes have not yet occurred.

An index for tracking sheltered forest floor moisture within the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Wotton ◽  
B. J. Stocks ◽  
D. L. Martell
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Moisture Index ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Overstory Trees

The Duff Moisture Code (DMC) component of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) System is used by fire management agencies across Canada as an indicator of the susceptibility of the forest floor to lightning fire ignition. However, this model was developed for the moisture content of the forest floor away from the sheltering influences of overstory trees, an area where lightning strikes usually ignite the forest floor. Through destructive sampling of the forest floor in a mature jack pine stand in northern Ontario over several summers, the moisture content of the forest floor in sheltered areas close to the boles of dominant overstory trees was found to be significantly lower than in other less heavily sheltered areas of the stand. Observations from a network of in-stand rain gauges revealed that rainfall penetration through the canopy (throughfall) was correlated with both open rainfall amount and the duration of a storm. Observed throughfall amounts were used to develop a throughfall relationship for extremely sheltered locations (within ~0.5 m of the boles) in a mature jack pine stand. This throughfall model was used, along with differences in forest floor drying rate, to develop a new duff moisture index for strongly sheltered areas of the forest floor. Calculated values of this new moisture model, which has the same daily weather observation requirements as the FWI System’s DMC model, were found to match observed moisture contents quite well.

Reanalysis of ECMWF data for updating the Fire Weather Index for the Indonesia Fire Danger Rating System (InaFDRS)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andri Purwandani ◽  
Marina C. G. Frederik ◽  
Reni Sulistyowati ◽  
Lena Sumargana ◽  
Fanny Meliani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire Danger ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Fire Danger Rating System

Relationships between the moisture content of fine woody fuels in lodgepole pine slash and the Fine Fuel Moisture Code of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Trowbridge ◽  
M. C. Feller
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Index System ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Moisture Contents

Unsuccessful attempts to ignite slash resulting from the mechanical knocking down of lodgepole pine in west central British Columbia led to a short-term investigation of the relationship between the Fine Fuel Moisture Code of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System and the moisture content of various fine fuel components <1 cm in diameter. Of the types of fuel sampled, the moisture contents of B.C. Forest Service fuel moisture sticks and aged slash were similar to, and well correlated (r = 0.79 and 0.81, respectively) with, the equivalent moisture content calculated from the Fine Fuel Moisture Code. The Fine Fuel Moisture Code was not designed to relate to the moisture content of uncured fuels. Thus, the moisture contents of fresh living slash (material from knocked down trees still attached to living roots) and of fresh dead slash (material unattached to living trees that had not yet experienced a complete fire season in which to fully cure) were poorly correlated with moisture content (r = 0.16 and 0.42, respectively). The moisture content of the progressively curing, needle-bearing fresh dead slash was relatively high at the beginning of the fire season, but became similar to the moisture content during the first half of July. This suggests that the Fine Fuel Moisture Code can also be used to predict the moisture content of such fine slash after these fuels have cured for approximately 3 months during the snow-free period.

A laboratory study of weather effects on the drying rate of jack pine litter

1979 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Van Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Jack Pine ◽  
Absolute Temperature ◽  
Drying Rate ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Free Moisture ◽  
External Conditions ◽  
Drying Rates ◽  
Two Stages

This paper describes the variation in the drying rate of jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) litter with external conditions. Temperature, relative humidity (RH), and wind were varied separately. Drying runs were carried out in a cabinet with controlled temperature and humidity and also in the open laboratory. Most runs followed the exponential pattern, and the drying rates were measured in terms of the slope of the semilog graph of free moisture content versus time. The logarithm of this slope was found to be inversely proportional to the reciprocal of absolute temperature. The drying rate varied with 100 – RH at high RH but increased only slightly below 60% RH owing to the limiting effect of the wax and resin content on the rate of internal diffusion. Drying in wind proceeded in two stages, the first faster than the second. Wind was important at low speeds, and the drying rate increased but little above 2 km/h. These principles were used in the design of the drying equations of the Fine Fuel Moisture Code of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index.

scholarly journals APLICACIÓN DEL ÍNDICE METEOROLÓGICO DE INCENDIOS CANADIENSE EN UN PARQUE NACIONAL DEL CENTRO DE MÉXICO

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 25-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lourdes Villers-Ruiz ◽  
Emilio Chuvieco ◽  
Inmaculada Aguado
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fire ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Fire Danger Rating System ◽  
Para Determinar ◽  
Forest Fire Danger

Entre los sistemas de alerta temprana de incendios forestales destaca el desarrollado por el Servicio Forestal de Canadá, denominado Fire Weather Index (FWI). Con el fin de contribuir a la creación de un sistema de alerta temprana, se utilizó este índice para determinar las condiciones de peligro a incendios en el Parque Nacional Malinche a partir de una serie de datos diarios de enero 2004 a octubre 2009 de cinco estaciones meteorológicas automáticas instaladas en el parque a una altitud de 3,000 m, se hicieron los cálculos de los elementos que contiene el índice; para ello, se empleó la versión automatizada del Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System. Se realizaron correlaciones y se crearon cuatro categorías con los valores de los componentes, según la frecuencia de incendios y el área siniestrada. También, se señalaron, los valores de temperatura máxima y mínima, humedad relativa y lluvia por categoría. Se constituyeron los umbrales mínimos de gran peligrosidad a incendios para cada uno de los elementos. En el caso del código de humedad de los combustibles finos, el umbral se estableció en 80 puntos; de superarse este valor, el número de incendios por día se incrementa sustancialmente. El código de sequía, el Índice de dispersión inicial del fuego; así como, el Índice acumulado fueron los más significativos en relación a la frecuencia de incendios, por lo que se calculó la probabilidad de estos eventos, para ciertos intervalos de los elementos considerados.

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