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International Journal of Wildland Fire

International Journal of Wildland Fire

International Journal of Wildland Fire publishes articles on basic and applied aspects of wildland fire science including, but not confined to, ecological impact, modelling fire and its effects, and management of fire. Read more about the journalMore

Editors-in-Chief: Susan G. Conard and Stefan Doerr

Publishing Model: Open Access

Download our Journal Flyer (PDF, 956KB)

Latest

These articles are the latest published in the journal. International Journal of Wildland Fire has moved to a continuous publication model. More information is available on our Continuous Publication page.

Published online 28 June 2024

WF23207Spot ignition of a wildland fire and its transition to propagation

Supan Wang, Maria Thomsen, Xinyan Huang 0000-0002-0584-8452 and Carlos Fernandez-Pello
 

Photographs showing wildfire propagation from a spot ignition (left) to a wildfire (right).

Wildland fires are often initiated by small spot ignition sources. Their transition into wildfire spread has an initial acceleration phase, and the growth of a burned area of the fuel bed follows a power law dependence in time. Such a trend is almost independent of the ignition source and can be extended over relatively long times.

WF23207 Abstract  |  WF23207 Full Text  | WF23207PDF (7.4 MB)  | WF23207Supplementary Material (20.6 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 26 June 2024

WF23167Effect of live/dead condition, moisture content and particle size on flammability of gorse (Ulex europaeus) measured with a cone calorimeter

Katharine O. Melnik 0000-0002-0258-4965, Andres Valencia 0000-0002-3588-5270, Marwan Katurji 0000-0002-3368-1469, Daniel Nilsson 0000-0003-3127-7152, Greg Baker 0000-0001-8676-0139, Oleg M. Melnik 0000-0003-3238-9623, H. Grant Pearce 0000-0002-4876-2683 and Tara M. Strand
 

This study compares the flammability of live and dead vegetation at a range of moisture contents and particle sizes. Live fuel took longer to ignite but burned faster and more intensely than dead fuel of the same moisture content, emphasising the importance of live fuel flammability in fire prediction models.

WF23167 Abstract  |  WF23167 Full Text  | WF23167PDF (3.6 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 19 June 2024

WF23138Future fire events are likely to be worse than climate projections indicate – these are some of the reasons why

Mika Peace 0000-0003-2038-0816 and Lachlan McCaw
 

Heatwaves, dynamic fire–atmosphere interactions and increased fuel availability caused by drought are likely to amplify fire behaviour under climate change. We review meteorological dynamics contributing to enhanced fire behaviour during heatwaves using examples from the 2019–20 Australian Black Summer bushfires and examine potential challenges posed for future fire management.

WF23138 Abstract  |  WF23138 Full Text  | WF23138PDF (4.7 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 18 June 2024

WF23097Wildland fire evacuations in Canada from 1980 to 2021

Amy Cardinal Christianson, Lynn M. Johnston, Jacqueline A. Oliver, David Watson, David Young, Heather MacDonald, John Little, Bruce Macnab and Noemie Gonzalez Bautista
 

This paper summarises data on wildland fire evacuations in Canada between 1980 and 2021. There were 1393 wildland fire evacuation events with 576,747 people evacuated, costing approximately CAD4.6 billion CDN including productivity losses.

WF23097 Abstract  |  WF23097 Full Text  | WF23097PDF (6.1 MB)  | WF23097Supplementary Material (420 KB)   Open Access Article

Published online 13 June 2024

WF23120Evaluation and comparison of simple empirical models for dead fuel moisture content

Jason J. Sharples 0000-0002-7816-6989, P. Jyoteeshkumar Reddy 0000-0001-9490-2483, Victor Resco de Dios, Rachael H. Nolan 0000-0001-9277-5142, Matthias M. Boer and Ross A. Bradstock
 

Five models for the moisture content of fine dead fuels were evaluated using empirical datasets. Simple functions of the difference between air temperature and relative humidity were shown to perform as well as, if not better than exponential models based on vapour pressure deficit.

WF23120 Abstract  |  WF23120 Full Text  | WF23120PDF (3.6 MB)  | WF23120Supplementary Material (1.8 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 13 June 2024

WF23159Multi-century times-since-fire and prior fire interval determine biomass carbon stocks in obligate-seeder eucalypt woodlands

Carl R. Gosper 0000-0002-0962-5117, Colin J. Yates, Georg Wiehl, Alison O’Donnell and Suzanne M. Prober
 

Quantifying the effect of time-since-fire and prior fire interval on biomass carbon.

Fire regimes can have a significant bearing on terrestrial carbon stocks, with carbon markets potentially providing a mechanism to support land management activities. We quantify the effect of time-since-fire and prior fire interval on biomass carbon in the world’s largest extant Mediterranean-climate woodland, located in south-western Australia. Photographs by C. Gosper.

WF23159 Abstract  |  WF23159 Full Text  | WF23159PDF (3.1 MB)  | WF23159Supplementary Material (216 KB)   Open Access Article

Published online 06 June 2024

WF24061When soil becomes fuel: identifying a safe window for prescribed burning of Tasmanian vegetation growing on organic soils

Lynda D. Prior 0000-0002-5511-2320, Kathryn Storey, Grant J. Williamson 0000-0002-3469-7550 and David M. J. S. Bowman 0000-0001-8075-124X
 

We propose a method to identify the climate window when prescribed burning in Tasmania, Australia is unlikely to lead to organic soil combustion, using observations of when organic soil fires occurred, and vegetation is dry enough to burn.

WF24061 Abstract  |  WF24061 Full Text  | WF24061PDF (2.1 MB)  | WF24061Supplementary Material (1.3 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 30 May 2024

WF23177Uncharted territory: governance opportunities for wildfire management and the case of Cyprus

Judith A. Kirschner 0000-0002-2720-165X, Toddi A. Steelman 0000-0001-7492-8635, Iris Charalambidou 0000-0003-3154-4169, Salih Gücel 0000-0001-5331-8379, Petros Petrou 0000-0002-5638-7174, Kostakis Papageorgiou, Achilleas Karayiannis and George Boustras 0000-0003-2133-9575
 

Global change is pushing fire activity and impact beyond known trajectories. We reviewed the literature to bring forward five themes of attention for governance systems. The initial framing was then applied to the case of Cyprus, to exemplify the potential and urgency for change in wildfire thinking and action globally.

WF23177 Abstract  |  WF23177 Full Text  | WF23177PDF (4.2 MB)  | WF23177Supplementary Material (33 KB)   Open Access Article

Published online 29 May 2024

WF24033Long-term post-fire succession of reptiles in an urban remnant in south-western Australia

Robert A. Davis 0000-0002-9062-5754 and Michael D. Craig 0000-0002-5411-165X
 

Reptile responses to fire are poorly understood in urban remnants. We examined reptile responses in the first 15 years post-fire and compared them to studies in contiguous vegetation. There were no long-term impacts of fire on reptiles after 3 years post-fire.

WF24033 Abstract  |  WF24033 Full Text  | WF24033PDF (2 MB)  | WF24033Supplementary Material (543 KB)   Open Access Article

Published online 24 May 2024

WF23130Remote sensing applications for prescribed burn research

Anna LoPresti 0000-0003-4801-1529, Meghan T. Hayden 0000-0003-2929-1078, Katherine Siegel 0000-0001-6294-2130, Benjamin Poulter 0000-0002-9493-8600, E. Natasha Stavros 0000-0001-6657-7310 and Laura E. Dee 0000-0003-0471-1371
 

Remote sensing is frequently used in fire ecology and management, but its applications for prescribed burning are not well established. We review studies that use remote sensing for prescribed burn research, finding that wildfire remote sensing approaches are not optimised for small, short-duration and low-severity burns typical of prescribed fire.

WF23130 Abstract  |  WF23130 Full Text  | WF23130PDF (1.9 MB)  | WF23130Supplementary Material (360 KB)   Open Access Article

Published online 13 May 2024

WF23100The 1986 Annaburroo experimental grassland fires: data

James S. Gould, Miguel G. Cruz 0000-0003-3311-7582 and Andrew L. Sullivan 0000-0002-8038-8724
 

The 1986 Annaburroo grassland fire experiments conducted in the Northern Territory, Australia, created a unique dataset of fire behaviour across a range of fuel and burning conditions. This dataset, comprising detailed observations of fuels, weather and fire behaviour in 121 plots, is now publicly available via the CSIRO Data Access Portal.

WF23100 Abstract  |  WF23100 Full Text  | WF23100PDF (2.3 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 03 May 2024

WF23193Framework for a savanna burning emissions abatement methodology applicable to fire-prone miombo woodlands in southern Africa

Jeremy Russell-Smith, Cameron Yates, Roland Vernooij, Tom Eames, Diane Lucas, Keddy Mbindo, Sarah Banda, Kanembwa Mukoma, Adrian Kaluka, Alex Liseli, Jomo Mafoko, Othusitse Lekoko, Robin Beatty, Mirjam Kaestli, Guido van der Werf and Natasha Ribeiro
 

We develop a robust greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting framework for miombo woodland savannas covering ~2 million  km2 of southern Africa that typically burn under fairly severe late dry season conditions. We demonstrate that prescribed early dry season fire treatments can reduce GHG emissions by up to half.

This article belongs to the Collection Savanna burning.

WF23193 Abstract  |  WF23193 Full Text  | WF23193PDF (10.5 MB)  | WF23193Supplementary Material (2.5 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 01 May 2024

WF23117Near-term fire weather forecasting in the Pacific Northwest using 500-hPa map types

Reed Humphrey 0000-0003-2313-1399, John Saltenberger, John T. Abatzoglou 0000-0001-7599-9750 and Alison Cullen 0000-0003-2389-859X
 

This study assesses the predictive value of synoptic-scale upper-air map types in near-term fire weather forecasting in the US Pacific Northwest. A set of 13 patterns of 500-hPa geopotential heights are associated with spatially heterogeneous variation in wildfire activity within the region.

WF23117 Abstract  |  WF23117 Full Text  | WF23117PDF (5.2 MB)   Open Access Article

Published online 26 April 2024

WF23055An efficient, multi-scale neighbourhood index to quantify wildfire likelihood

Douglas A. G. Radford 0000-0003-2237-4807, Holger R. Maier, Hedwig van Delden, Aaron C. Zecchin and Amelie Jeanneau
 

The index is calculated by summing landscape properties within spatial neighbourhoods of different scale and direction.

Wildfire likelihood is quantified in a computationally efficient manner using a multi-scale ‘neighbourhood index’. This is achieved by aggregating fire behaviour properties across multiple neighbourhood scales. The index is much more computationally efficient than alternative approaches and considers contagious and directionally specific fire behaviour properties across multiple spatial ‘neighbourhood’ scales.

This article belongs to the Collection Fire & Climate.

WF23055 Abstract  |  WF23055 Full Text  | WF23055PDF (4.8 MB)   Open Access Article

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These articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. They are still in production and have not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

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Collections

Celebrating 30 Years of Wildland Fire Science Publication

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of International Journal of Wildland Fire (IJWF), the official journal of the International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF), we have put together this Collection that includes a selection of review papers published in IJWF over the past 12 years, a compilation that highlights the wide range of disciplines in wildland fire research. In line with our commitment to diversity, authors and co-authors come from at least seven countries, and the corresponding authors on six of the 15 papers are female. We invite you to explore the full breadth of topics included in this Collection.

Collection Editors
Susan G. Conard, Stefan Doerr, and Jenny Foster

Last Updated: 27 May 2021

25 Years of International Journal of Wildland Fire

To celebrate 25 years of publication of International Journal of Wildland Fire, we present this Collection that includes some of the most-cited Research Papers we have published over the years. This Collection includes two papers from each five-year period, starting in 1991. One of these is the paper from each period that has received the most citations to date. To highlight the geographic scope of IJWF publications, the second paper is the most-cited paper where the lead author is from a different country than the highest-cited one.

Last Updated: 05 Dec 2016

Atmospheric Research

This Collection of International Journal of Wildland Fire covers the theme of Atmospheric Research, and was launched to coincide with the 2016 International Smoke Symposium (Long Beach, California) and the AGU Fall Meeting (San Francisco, California). This collection showcases a diverse array of topics from a variety of geographical areas, including methods for tracking, modelling and inventory, social implications, climate implications, current and future research needs, and practical field management techniques for smoke.

Last Updated: 27 Oct 2016

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All non-OA journal content published prior to 2024 can be accessed by IAWF members through the IAWF Members-Only site.

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