Pre-fire and post-fire surface fuel and cover measurements collected in the south-eastern United States for model evaluation and development – RxCADRE 2008, 2011 and 2012
Roger D. Ottmar A D , Andrew T. Hudak B , Susan J. Prichard C , Clinton S. Wright A , Joseph C. Restaino C , Maureen C. Kennedy C and Robert E. Vihnanek A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A US Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, 400 North 34th Street, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98103, USA.
B US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 1221 South Main Street, Moscow, ID 83843, USA.
C School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
D Corresponding author. Email: rottmar@fs.fed.us
International Journal of Wildland Fire 25(1) 10-24 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF15092
Submitted: 13 September 2014 Accepted: 11 August 2015 Published: 13 October 2015
Abstract
A lack of independent, quality-assured data prevents scientists from effectively evaluating predictions and uncertainties in fire models used by land managers. This paper presents a summary of pre-fire and post-fire fuel, fuel moisture and surface cover fraction data that can be used for fire model evaluation and development. The data were collected in the south-eastern United States on 14 forest and 14 non-forest sample units associated with 6 small replicate and 10 large operational prescribed fires conducted during 2008, 2011, and 2012 as part of the Prescribed Fire Combustion and Atmospheric Dynamics Research Experiment (RxCADRE). Fuel loading and fuel consumption averaged 6.8 and 4.1 Mg ha–1 respectively in the forest units and 3.0 and 2.2 Mg ha–1 in the non-forest units. Post-fire white ash cover ranged from 1 to 28%. Data were used to evaluate two fuel consumption models, CONSUME and FOFEM, and to develop regression equations for predicting fuel consumption from ash cover. CONSUME and FOFEM produced similar predictions of total fuel consumption and were comparable with measured values. Simple linear models to predict pre-fire fuel loading and fuel consumption from post-fire white ash cover explained 46 and 59% of variation respectively.
Additional keywords: ash, fire effects, fuel consumption, fuel loading, longleaf pine, prescribed fire.
References
Agee JK (1993) ‘Fire ecology of Pacific Northwest forests.’ (Island Press: Washington, DC)Agee JK, Skinner CN (2005) Basic principles of forest fuel reduction treatments. Forest Ecology and Management 211, 83–96.
| Basic principles of forest fuel reduction treatments.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Alexander ME, Cruz MG (2013) Are applications of wildland fire behaviour models getting ahead of their evaluation again? Environmental Modelling & Software 41, 65–71.
| Are applications of wildland fire behaviour models getting ahead of their evaluation again?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Baskerville GL (1972) Use of logarithmic regression in the estimation of plant biomass. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 2, 49–53.
| Use of logarithmic regression in the estimation of plant biomass.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bodí MB, Martin DA, Balfour VN, Santín C, Doerr SH, Pereira P, Cerdá A, Mataix-Solera J (2014) Wildland fire ash: production, composition and eco-hydro-geomorphic effects. Earth-Science Reviews 130, 103–127.
| Wildland fire ash: production, composition and eco-hydro-geomorphic effects.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Brown JK (1974) Handbook for inventorying downed woody material. USDA Forest Service Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station General Technical Report INT-16. (Ogden, UT)
Brown JK, Reinhardt ED, Fischer WC (1991) Predicting duff and woody fuel consumption in northern Idaho prescribed fires. Forest Science 37, 1550–1566.
Butler B, Teskey C, Jimenez D, O’Brien J, Sopko P, Wold C, Vosburgh M, Hornsby B, Loudermilk E (2015) Observations of energy transport and spread rates from low-intensity fires in long leaf pine habiatat – RxCADRE 2012. International Journal of Wildland Fire
| Observations of energy transport and spread rates from low-intensity fires in long leaf pine habiatat – RxCADRE 2012.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Clements CB, Lareau N, Seto D, Contezac J, Davis B, Teske C, Butler B, Jimenez D (2015) Meteorological measurements and fire weather conditions – RxCADRE. International Journal of Wildland Fire , in press.
Cruz MG, Alexander ME (2010) Assessing crown fire potential in coniferous forests of western North America: a critique of current approaches and recent simulation studies. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19, 377–398.
| Assessing crown fire potential in coniferous forests of western North America: a critique of current approaches and recent simulation studies.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
de Groot WJ, Landry R, Kurz WA, Anderson KR, Englefield P, Fraser RH, Hall RI, Banfield E, Raymond DA, Decker V, Lynham TJ, Pritchard JM (2007) Estimating direct carbon emissions from Canadian wildland fires. International Journal of Wildland Fire 16, 593–606.
| Estimating direct carbon emissions from Canadian wildland fires.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2sXht1eqsrjO&md5=9ae45ab7010d9edeebf5ade5eb6b2e78CAS |
de Groot WJ, Pritchard J, Lynham TJ (2009) Forest floor fuel consumption and carbon emissions in Canadian boreal forest fires. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 39, 367–382.
| Forest floor fuel consumption and carbon emissions in Canadian boreal forest fires.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD1MXjtlyntbs%3D&md5=83d2cc8fad68004ff95f34f6fd804796CAS |
Drew MB, Kirkman LK, Gholson AK (1998) The vascular flora of Ichauway, Baker County, Georgia: a remnant longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem. Castanea 63, 1–24.
Florea LJ, Vacher HL (2009) The southeastern coastal plain: an overview. In ‘Caves and karst of the USA’. (Ed. A. N. Palmer) pp. 181–184. Available at http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/geog_fac_pub/22 [Verified 24 July 2015]
Goebel PC, Palik BJ, Kirkman LK, West L (1997) Field guide: landscape ecosystem types of Ichauway. Technical Report 97–1. (Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center: Newton, GA)
Hardy CC, Ottmar RD, Peterson JL, Core JE, Seamon P (2001) Smoke management guide for prescribed and wildland fire: 2001 edn. (National Wildfire Coordination Group: Boise ID) Available at http://www.nwcg.gov/sites/default/files/products/pms420-2.pdf [Verified 1 September 2015]
Hendricks JJ, Wilson CA, Boring LR (2002) Foliar litter position and decomposition in a fire-maintained longleaf pine–wiregrass ecosystem. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 32, 928–941.
| Foliar litter position and decomposition in a fire-maintained longleaf pine–wiregrass ecosystem.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hiers JK, O’Brien JJ, Will RE, Mitchell RJ (2007) Forest floor depth mediates understory vigor in xeric Pinus palustris ecosystems. Ecological Applications 17, 806–814.
| Forest floor depth mediates understory vigor in xeric Pinus palustris ecosystems.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 17494398PubMed |
Hollis JJ, Matthews S, Ottmar RD, Prichard SJ, Slijepcevic A, Burrows ND, Ward B, Tolhurst KG, Anderson WR, Gould JS (2010) Testing woody fuel consumption models for application in Australian southern eucalypt forest fires. Forest Ecology and Management 260, 948–964.
| Testing woody fuel consumption models for application in Australian southern eucalypt forest fires.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hudak AT, Morgan P, Bobbitt MJ, Smith AMS, Lewis SA, Lentile LB, Robichaud PR, Clark JT, McKinley RA (2007) The relationship of multispectral satellite imagery to immediate fire effects. Fire Ecology 3, 64–90.
| The relationship of multispectral satellite imagery to immediate fire effects.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hudak AT, Ottmar R, Vihnanek B, Brewer N, Smith AMS, Morgan P (2013a) The relationship of post-fire white ash cover to surface fuel consumption. International Journal of Wildland Fire 22, 780–785.
| The relationship of post-fire white ash cover to surface fuel consumption.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC3sXhtlyqurfN&md5=db04c1d95f209f2718c3f4812ad03afaCAS |
Hudak AT, Ottmar RD, Vihnanek RE, Wright CS (2013b) Relationship of post-fire ground cover to surface fuel loads and consumption in longleaf pine ecosystems. In ‘Proceedings of the 4th Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference’, 18–22 February 2013, Raleigh, NC. (Eds DD Wade, RL Fox) International Association of Wildland Fire, pp. 235–240. (Missoula, MT)
Hudak AT (2014) RxCADRE 2008, 2011, and 2012: ground cover fractions. USDA Forest Service, Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2014-0029. Available at http://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/Product/RDS-2014-0029/ [Verified 8 September 2015]
Hudak A, Dickinson M, Bright B, Kremens R, Loudermilk L, O’Brien J, Ottmar R, Hornsby B, Ottmar RD (2015) Measurements to relate fire radiative energy density and surface fuel consumption – RxCADRE 2011 and 2012. International Journal of Wildland Fire
| Measurements to relate fire radiative energy density and surface fuel consumption – RxCADRE 2011 and 2012.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jenkins BM, Baxter LL, Miles TR, Miles TR (1998) Combustion properties of biomass. Fuel Processing Technology 54, 17–46.
| Combustion properties of biomass.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXitlSrs7s%3D&md5=749dfc9e4c5bf01b874d6d40bbb69a8bCAS |
Joint Fire Science Program (2014) Data set for fuels, fire behavior, smoke, and fire effects model development and evaluation – the RxCADRE Project. Available at http://www.firescience.gov/projects/11-2-1-11/project/11-2-1-11_final_report.pdf [Verified 24 July 2015]
Lewis SA, Hudak AT, Lentile LB, Ottmar RD, Cronan JB, Hood SM, Robichaud PR, Morgan P (2011) Using hyperspectral imagery to estimate forest floor consumption from wildfire in boreal forests of Alaska, USA. International Journal of Wildland Fire 20, 255–271.
| Using hyperspectral imagery to estimate forest floor consumption from wildfire in boreal forests of Alaska, USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
McNab WH, Avers PE (1994) Ecological subregions of the United States: section descriptions. USDA Forest Service, Administrative Publication WO-WSA-5. (Washington, DC)
Morgan P, Keane RE, Dillon GK, Jain TB, Hudak AT, Karau EC, Sikkink PG, Holden ZA, Strand EK (2014) Challenges of assessing fire and burn severity using field measures, remote sensing and modelling. International Journal of Wildland Fire 23, 1045–1060.
| Challenges of assessing fire and burn severity using field measures, remote sensing and modelling.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
O’Brien J, Loudermilk L, Hornsby B, Hudak A, Bright B, Dickinson M, Hiers JK, Teske C, Ottmar RD (2015) High-resolution infrared thermography for capturing fire behavior in wildland fire behavior. International Journal of Wildland Fire
| High-resolution infrared thermography for capturing fire behavior in wildland fire behavior.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ottmar RD (2013) Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: modeling fuel consumption. Forest Ecology and Management 317, 4–50.
| Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: modeling fuel consumption.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ottmar RD, Restaino JC (2014) RxCADRE 2008, 2011, and 2012: ground fuel measurements from prescribed fires. USDA Forest Service, Research Data Archive
Ottmar RD, Sandberg DV (2003) Predicting forest floor consumption from wildland fire in boreal forests of Alaska – preliminary results. Tall Timbers Research Station Miscellaneous Publication 13, pp. 218–224. (Tall Timbers Research Station: Tallahassee, FL)
Ottmar RD, Dickinson MB, Reinhardt E (2012) Validation of fuel consumption models for smoke management planning in the eastern regions of the United States. Available at http://www.firescience.gov/projects/08-1-6-01/project/08-1-6-01_final_report.pdf [Verified 24 July 2015]
Ottmar RD, Vihnanek RE, Wright CS, Hudak AT (2013) Ground measurements of fuel and fuel consumption from experimental and operational prescribed fires at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. In ‘Proceedings of the 4th Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference’, 18–22 February 2013, Raleigh, NC. (Eds DD Wade, RL Fox) International Association of Wildland Fire, pp. 227–234. (Missoula, MT)
Overing JD, Weeks HH, Wilson JP, Sullivan J, Ford RD (1995) ‘Soil survey of Okaloosa County, Florida.’ (USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service: Washington, DC)
Parsons R, Jolly MW, Hoffman C, Ottmar R (in press) The role of fuels in extreme fire behavior. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station General Technical Report PNW-GTR-891. (Portland, OR)
Peterson DL, Johnson MC, Agee JK, Jain TB, McKenzie D, Reinhardt ER (2005) Forest structure and fire hazard in dry forests of the western United States. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station General Technical Report PNW-GTR-628. (Portland, OR)
Prichard SJ, Ottmar RD, Anderson GK (2007) CONSUME user’s guide and scientific documentation. Available at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/fera/research/smoke/consume/consume30_users_guide.pdf [Verified 24 July 2015]
Prichard SJ, Karau EC, Ottmar RD, Kennedy MC, Cronan JB, Wright CS, Keane RE (2014) Evaluation of the CONSUME and FOFEM fuel consumption models in pine and mixed hardwood forests of the eastern United States. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 44, 784–795.
| Evaluation of the CONSUME and FOFEM fuel consumption models in pine and mixed hardwood forests of the eastern United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
R Development Core Team (2012) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. (R Foundation for Statistical Computing: Vienna, Austria) Available at http://www.Rproject.org [Verified 24 July 2015]
Reid AM, Robertson KM, Hmielowski TL (2012) Predicting litter and live herb fuel consumption during prescribed fires in native and old-field upland pine communities of the south-eastern United States. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 42, 1611–1622.
| Predicting litter and live herb fuel consumption during prescribed fires in native and old-field upland pine communities of the south-eastern United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Reinhardt ED, Keane RE, Brown JK (1997) First Order Fire Effects Model: FOFEM 4.0, users guide. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station General Technical Report INT-GTR-344. (Ogden, UT)
Robinson AP (2013) R package ‘equivalence’. Available at http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/equivalence/equivalence.pdf [Verified 24 July 2015]
Robinson AP, Froese RE (2004) Model validation using equivalence tests. Ecological Modelling 176, 349–358.
| Model validation using equivalence tests.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rowell EM, Seielstad CA, Ottmar RD (2015) Development and validation of fuel height models for terrestrial lidar – RxCADRE 2012. International Journal of Wildland Fire , in press.
Ryan KC, Knapp EE, Varner JM (2013) Prescribed fire in North American forests and woodlands: history, current practice, and challenges. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 11, e15–e24.
| Prescribed fire in North American forests and woodlands: history, current practice, and challenges.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Sandberg DV (1980) Duff reduction by prescribed underburning in Douglas-fir. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station Research Paper PNW-272. (Portland, OR)
Santín CA, Doerr SH, Preston CM, González-Rodríguez G (2015) Pyrogenic organic matter production from wildfires: a missing sink in the global carbon cycle. Global Change Biology 21, 1621–1633.
| Pyrogenic organic matter production from wildfires: a missing sink in the global carbon cycle.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Scholl ER, Waldrop TA (1999) Photos for estimating fuel loading before and after prescribed burning in the Upper Coastal Plain of South-east. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station General Technical Report GTR-SRS-26. (Asheville, NC)
Smith AMS, Hudak AT (2005) Estimating combustion of large downed woody debris from residual white ash. International Journal of Wildland Fire 14, 245–248.
| Estimating combustion of large downed woody debris from residual white ash.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Smith AMS, Lentile LB, Hudak AT, Morgan P (2007) Evaluation of linear spectral unmixing and dNBR for predicting post-fire recovery in a North American ponderosa pine forest. International Journal of Remote Sensing 28, 5159–5166.
| Evaluation of linear spectral unmixing and dNBR for predicting post-fire recovery in a North American ponderosa pine forest.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | [Letter].
Strand T, Gullet B, Urbanski S, O’Neill S, Potter B, Aurell J, Holder A, Larkin N, Moore M, Rorig M (2015) Smoke and emissions measurements – RxCADRE 2012. International Journal of Wildland Fire , in press.
Stronach NRH, McNaughton SJ (1989) Grassland fire dynamics in the Serengeti ecosystem, and a potential method of retrospectively estimating fire energy. Journal of Applied Ecology 26, 1025–1033.
| Grassland fire dynamics in the Serengeti ecosystem, and a potential method of retrospectively estimating fire energy.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Sullivan BT, Fettig CJ, Otrosina WJ, Dalusky MJ, Berisford CW (2003) Association between severity of prescribed burns and subsequent activity of conifer-infesting beetles in stands of longleaf pine. Forest Ecology and Management 185, 327–340.
| Association between severity of prescribed burns and subsequent activity of conifer-infesting beetles in stands of longleaf pine.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Urbanski SP, Hao WM, Nordgren B (2011) The wildfire emissions inventory: western US emissions estimates and an evaluation of uncertainty. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 11, 12 973–13 000.
| The wildfire emissions inventory: western US emissions estimates and an evaluation of uncertainty.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC38XjsV2ru7c%3D&md5=9f16e79f1f86788f237d58cb203d2775CAS |
Waldrop TA, Goodrick SL (2012) Introduction to prescribed fires in the Southern ecosystems. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station Science Update SRS-054. (Asheville, NC)
Wilson CA, Mitchell RJ, Hendricks JJ, Boring LR (1999) Patterns and controls of ecosystem function in longleaf pine–wiregrass savannas: II. Nitrogen dynamics. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 29, 752–760.
| Patterns and controls of ecosystem function in longleaf pine–wiregrass savannas: II. Nitrogen dynamics.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wright CS (2013a) Fuel consumption models for pine flatwoods fuel types in the south-eastern United States. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry 37, 148–159.
| Fuel consumption models for pine flatwoods fuel types in the south-eastern United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Wright CS (2013b) Models for predicting fuel consumption in sagebrush-dominated ecosystems. Rangeland Ecology and Management 66, 254–266.
| Models for predicting fuel consumption in sagebrush-dominated ecosystems.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
