Sensitivity of prescribed burn weather windows to atmospheric dispersion parameters over southeastern USA
Andrew M. Chiodi
A D , Narasimhan K. Larkin B , J. Morgan Varner B and J. Kevin Hiers C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington and NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA.
B Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, 400 North 34th Street, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98103, USA.
C Tall Timbers Research Station, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32312, USA.
D Corresponding author. Email: andy.chiodi@noaa.gov
International Journal of Wildland Fire 28(8) 589-600 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF18209
Submitted: 22 November 2018 Accepted: 30 May 2019 Published: 11 July 2019
Journal Compilation © IAWF 2019 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
Prescribed burning is an essential tool for forest and rangeland management that requires specific weather conditions to enable the efficient and safe application of fire. Prescribed burning is often limited by the ability to find suitable burn-days that fit within the identified weather parameters that balance good smoke dispersion and erratic fire behaviour. We analysed the sensitivity of the occurrence of widely used weather windows in the southeastern USA to modest changes in how they are defined. This analysis identified the most limiting prescription components and assessed where small changes in the prescription window can yield the greatest gains in additional burn-days. In the growing season (April–September), adjustments to mixing height offered the greatest such opportunity: a 12.5% increase in the upper-limit yields ~25% more burn-days during this period. During the dormant season (November–January), a 12.5% change in the upper-limit of transport wind yields ~20% more burn-days. Performing this analysis on the ventilation index revealed that comparable increases in burn-days were available by changing its upper limits. These results help inform ongoing discussions on potential changes to regional prescribed burn weather parameters that might help meet smoke management and treatment objectives in the southeastern USA and more broadly.
Additional keywords: fire behaviour, fire planning, mixing height, prescribed fire, smoke, transport winds, ventilation, wildland fire management.
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