Table 3 Characteristics of alternate simulation approaches in fire effects modeling.
From: First-Order Fire Effects Models for Land Management: Overview and Issues
Simulation Approach | Mechanistic / process | Statistical | Stochastic |
|---|---|---|---|
Temporal scale | Seconds to hours | Year to decades | Centuries |
Spatial scale | Individual organism to stand | Stand to watershed | Region |
Data requirements | Moderate to high | Low | High |
Processing time | Moderate to high | Low | High |
Explanatory ability | High | Low | Low |
Advantages | Lend insight into underlying process. Extrapolate well to changing conditions. Provide robust building block for linkage to other models. | Associated estimates of error. High accuracy when used within range. | Relatively easy to develop. May provide measure of variability. |
Disadvantages | Difficult to develop and calibrate for natural systems that are intrinsically variable. May have extensive input requirements. | May be inapplicable under novel (e.g., new species or ecosystems) or changing conditions (e.g., climate change). | Need for repeated simulations. Difficulty of interpreting model output. |