Got to burn to learn: the effect of fuel load on grassland fire behaviour and its management implications
Miguel G. Cruz A B , Andrew L. Sullivan A , James S. Gould A , Richard J. Hurley A and Matt P. Plucinski A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: miguel.cruz@csiro.au
International Journal of Wildland Fire 27(11) 727-741 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF18082
Submitted: 6 June 2018 Accepted: 5 September 2018 Published: 1 October 2018
Abstract
The effect of grass fuel load on fire behaviour and fire danger has been a contentious issue for some time in Australia. Existing operational models have placed different emphases on the effect of fuel load on model outputs, which has created uncertainty in the operational assessment of fire potential and has led to end-user and public distrust of model outcomes. A field-based experimental burning program was conducted to quantify the effect of fuel load on headfire rate of spread and other fire behaviour characteristics in grasslands. A total of 58 experimental fires conducted at six sites across eastern Australia were analysed.
We found an inverse relationship between fuel load and the rate of spread in grasslands, which is contrary to current, untested, modelling assumptions. This result is valid for grasslands where fuel load is not a limiting factor for fire propagation. We discuss the reasons for this effect and model it to produce a fuel load effect function that can be applied to operational grassfire spread models used in Australia. We also analyse the effect of fuel load on flame characteristics and develop a model for flame height as a function of rate of fire spread and fuel load.
Additional keywords: fire behaviour modelling, fire danger, fire experiments, flame height, grassfires, headfire, rate of spread.
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