Fig. 2
From: Vegetation’s influence on fire behavior goes beyond just being fuel
Phenological influences on vegetation structure and moisture characteristics can influence microclimate, winds and fluid drag during a low-intensity surface fire. Pictures are from a frequently burned woodland at the Hitchiti Experimental Forest in the Piedmont region of Georgia, USA, with an overstory of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and understory of deciduous hardwoods (Quercus, Acer, Liquidambar spp.) during leaf-off (a) and leaf-on (b). Leaf-off (a) illustrates less obstruction to fluid flow (less drag causing more wind entrainment and aeration), lower vegetation moisture (more solar penetration and heating), and lower live:dead fuels (more available dead fuels), than leaf-on (b). All of these can increase fire intensity and spread in a, even though surface vegetative biomass may be higher in b