Table 4 Dominant fuel models and potential fire behavior by treatment following the Fire and Fire Surrogate Study’s fuel treatments in 2002 (immediately after treatment) and in 2016 (following the 2005 to 2012 regional mountain pine beetle outbreak). Fuel models and fire behavior were determined using the Fire and Fuels Extension of the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FFE-FVS) Predicted fire behavior is based on standard severe fire weather conditions (FFE-FVS “severe” category: 4% 10-h fuel moisture, 21.1 °C, and 32.2 km h−1 6.1 m wind speed. Fuel model numbers refer to those developed by Albini (1976). Predicted fire type refers to categories outlined by Scott and Reinhardt (2001)
From: Fuel dynamics after a bark beetle outbreak impacts experimental fuel treatments
Year | Treatment | Primary fuel model | Surface flame length (m) | Predicted fire type | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | Surface | Conditional | Passive | Active | |||
Percent occurence | Percent occurence | |||||||||
2002 | Control | 67 (3) | 27 (7) | 7 (3) | 0 (0) | 0.83 (0.01) | 63 (13) | 23 (12) | 13 (3) | 0 (0) |
2002 | Burn-only | 93 (3) | 7 (3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.43 (0.06) | 80 (10) | 20 (10) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
2002 | Thin-only | 53 (3) | 30 (0) | 17 (3) | 0 (0) | 1.54 (0.03) | 87 (3) | 0 (0) | 13 (3) | 0 (0) |
2002 | Thin+Burn | 93 (3) | 3 (3) | 3 (3) | 0 (0) | 0.71 (0.13) | 100 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
2016 | Control | 33 (20) | 40 (15) | 23 (19) | 3 (3) | 1.56 (0.32) | 40 (15) | 17 (12) | 40 (15) | 3 (3) |
2016 | Burn-only | 37 (9) | 50 (10) | 13 (3) | 0 (0) | 1.50 (0.13) | 70 (12) | 7 (7) | 23 (7) | 0 (0) |
2016 | Thin-only | 70 (6) | 30 (6) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.11 (0.03) | 83 (3) | 0 (0) | 17 (3) | 0 (0) |
2016 | Thin+Burn | 60 (0) | 40 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.47 (0.11) | 90 (6) | 0 (0) | 10 (6) | 0 (0) |