Effect of drying temperature on fuel moisture content measurements
Stuart MatthewsA Climate Adaptation Flagship – CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Bellenden Street, Crace, ACT 2911, Australia. Email: stuart.matthews@csiro.au
B Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, The University of Sydney, Biomedical building, 1 Central Avenue, Eveleigh, NSW 2015, Australia.
International Journal of Wildland Fire 19(6) 800-802 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF08188
Submitted: 10 November 2008 Accepted: 9 January 2010 Published: 17 September 2010
Abstract
Oven-drying of fuel samples is often used to determine fuel moisture content. In this study, laboratory measurements are used to demonstrate that drying temperature has a significant effect on the oven-dry mass of dead grass, pine and eucalyptus fuels. Differences between oven-dry masses of fuels dried at 60 and 105°C of up to 3.5% were measured. This is a large enough difference to have a significant effect on fire behaviour predictions. Samples should be dried at 105°C.
Additional keywords: Eucalyptus globulus, fire behaviour, Pinus radiata, Poa labillardieri, volatile organic compound.
Acknowledgements
Constructive comments from three anonymous reviewers helped to improve the experimental design and presentation of this paper.
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