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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 13(4)

Fire weather index system components for large fires in the Canadian boreal forest

B. D. Amiro A D , K. A. Logan B , B. M. Wotton B C , M. D. Flannigan B , J. B. Todd A , B. J. Stocks B and D. L. Martell C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, 5320-122 Street, Edmonton, AB, T6H 3S5, Canada.

B Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada.

C Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B3, Canada.

D Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Soil Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada. Telephone: +1 204 474 9155; email: brian_amiro@umanitoba.ca

International Journal of Wildland Fire 13(4) 391-400 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF03066
Submitted: 16 September 2003  Accepted: 27 July 2004   Published: 15 December 2004

Abstract

Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) System components and head fire intensities were calculated for fires greater than 2 km2 in size for the boreal and taiga ecozones of Canada from 1959 to 1999. The highest noon-hour values were analysed that occurred during the first 21 days of each of 9333 fires. Depending on ecozone, the means of the FWI System parameters ranged from: fine fuel moisture code (FFMC), 90 to 92 (82 to 96 for individual fires); duff moisture code (DMC), 38 to 78 (10 to 140 for individual fires); drought code (DC), 210 to 372 (50 to 600 for individual fires); and fire weather index, 20 to 33 (5 to 60 for individual fires). Fine fuel moisture code decreased, DMC had a mid-season peak, and DC increased through the fire season. Mean head fire intensities ranged from 10 to 28 MW m−1 in the boreal spruce fuel type, showing that most large fires exhibit crown fire behaviour. Intensities of individual fires can exceed 60 MW m−1. Most FWI System parameters did not show trends over the 41-year period because of large inter-annual variability. A changing climate is expected to create future weather conditions more conducive to fire throughout much of Canada but clear changes have not yet occurred.

Additional keywords: drought; duff moisture; fire intensity; forest fire; seasonality; taiga; trends.


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