Table 2 Research needs in prescribed fire science
From: Prescribed fire science: the case for a refined research agenda
Science topics | Priority questions |
|---|---|
Fuel characterization | What spatial scale does variation in fuel influence fire behavior? |
What drives scale-relevant fuel moisture dynamics? | |
Fire effects | How does ignition pattern affect tree stress and survival? |
How do variations in season, intensity, and frequency affect plant, animal, and soil community responses? | |
Fire behavior | How does ignition pattern influence interaction of fire lines? |
How can we model manipulation of fire lines and other backing and flanking ignition patterns? | |
Fire meteorology and climatology | How well do relevant fuels track traditional metrics of atmospheric moisture and solar radiation? |
How much annual variation is there in atmospheric conditions that allow prescribed fire? | |
What are opportunities to expand or modify prescribed burning windows to meet objectives without compromising safety? | |
Smoke behavior and management | How do plumes differ in low-intensity, small prescribed fires in comparison to higher-intensity, larger wildfires? |