Fire ignition patterns to manage prescribed fire behavior: Application to Mediterranean pine forests

Molina, Juan Ramón; Ortega, María Liliana Muñoz; Silva, Francisco Rodríguez y

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114052

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Each group of tasks is important in terms of minimizing damage from forest fires. This is equally true for the Russian Federation, Canada, Australia or the countries of Southern Europe [111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119][120][121][122][123][124][125]. Perhaps, for the Mediterranean region, these tasks are even more important, since catastrophic forest fires have been observed there in recent years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematical Simulation of Forest Fuel Pyrolysis and Crown Forest Fire Impact for Forest Fire Danger and Risk Assessment

Baranovskiy

Kirienko

2022

Processes

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In order to predict and assess the danger from crown forest fires, it is necessary to study the thermal degradation of different forest fuels in a high-temperature environment. In this paper, the main characteristics of pyrolysis accompanied by moisture evaporation in a foliage sample of angiosperms (birch) were investigated within conditions typical for a crown forest fire. The heat and mass transfer in the forest fuel element is described by the system of non-stationary non-linear heat conduction equations with corresponding initial and boundary conditions. The considered problem is solved within the framework of the three-dimensional statement by the finite difference method. The locally one-dimensional method was used to solve three-dimensional equations for heat conduction. The simple iteration method was applied to solve nonlinear effects caused by the forest fuel pyrolysis and moisture evaporation. The fourth kind of boundary conditions are applicable at the interface between the sub-areas. Software implementation of the mathematical model is performed in the high-level programming language Delphi in the RAD Studio software. The characteristic changes in the sample temperature field and the phase composition under high-temperature exposure from a forest fire are presented. The induction period of the thermal decomposition of dry organic matter in the sample was determined. Recommendations are made about key features of accounting for the pyrolysis and evaporation processes when predicting forest fire danger. The research results can be used in the development and improvement of systems for predicting forest fire danger and environmental consequences of the forest fires.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematical Simulation of Forest Fuel Pyrolysis and Crown Forest Fire Impact for Forest Fire Danger and Risk Assessment

Baranovskiy

Kirienko

2022

Processes

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“…For example, there are many similarities between the Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest system and the Mediterranean pine forests of Spain dominated primarily by Pinus pinaster Ait. (e.g., [70]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Juvenile Stand Development and Fire Risk of Post-Fire Planted Forests under Variations in Thinning and Fuel Treatments Using FVS–FFE

Allen

Pawlikowski

Chhin

et al. 2023

Forests

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In the past, the dry mixed conifer forests of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains experienced frequent low to mixed severity fires. However, due to fire suppression and past management, forest structure has changed, and the new fire regimes are characterized by large, high severity fires which kill a majority of the overstory trees. These new disturbance patterns require novel approaches to regenerate the forest as they are not adapted to large, high severity fires. We forecasted growth and fire behavior of young plantations for 100 years into the future using the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) and its Fire and Fuels Extension (FFE). In these simulations, we tested combinations of different fuel treatments (mastication only, mastication with prescribed burning, and no fuels treatments) with different overstory thinning intensities (residual densities of 370 SDI (stand density index), 495 SDI, 618 SDI (TPH), and no overstory thinning) on stand growth and potential fire behavior using analysis of variance. We compared growth and crowning index at the end of the simulation and the simulation age when the flame length, basal area mortality, and fire type reached low severity between fuel treatment, thinning intensity, and original management of stands (plantation with PCT [precommercial thinning], plantation without PCT, and natural regenerating stands). These comparisons are essential to identify which fuel treatment categories reduce fire risk. We found an overall pattern of decreasing crown fire occurrence and fire induced mortality across all simulations due to increasing canopy base height and decreasing canopy bulk density. In particular, stands with mastication and prescribed burning transitioned from crown fire types to surface fires 10 years earlier compared to mastication only or no fuel treatment. Furthermore, pre-commercially thinned stands transitioned from crown fire states to surface fires 10 years earlier in the simulations compared to un-thinned and naturally regenerating stands. Stands with mastication and burning went below 25% reference threshold of basal area mortality 11 and 17 years earlier before the mastication only and no fuel treatment, respectively. In addition, pre-commercially thinned stands went below 25% basal area mortality 9 and 5 years earlier in the simulation compared to un-thinned or naturally regenerated stands, respectively. Mastication with prescribed burning (MB) was the most effective treatment for quickly reducing fire behavior by consuming surface fuels, thus drastically lowing flame length (e.g., surface flame length of MB was 0.6 m compared to mastication only [1.3 m] and no treatment [1.4 m]). Furthermore, intensive thinning reduced risk of active crown fires spreading through the stand. Prioritizing prescribed burning, when possible, and thinning (both pre-commercially and from below) are the most effective ways to quickly improve fire resistance in mixed conifer plantations. Our results highlight the different stressors that post-fire planted forests experience and how different silvicultural treatments interact over time to reduce fire risk, which demonstrates the importance of treating stands early and the effectiveness of surface fuel treatments.

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“…Often, prescribed fire results in lower burn severity -defined here as the loss of or change in aboveground and belowground organic matter, while recognising that individual studies use various metrics to measure severity (Keeley 2009). Prescribed burns may have multiple ignition points (Molina et al 2022) and may be implemented when conditions are optimal for containment (Baijnath-Rodino et al 2022), potentially leading to different duration, seasonality, spatial patterns and progression than wildfires (Boer et al 2009). As a result of unique physical characteristics, prescribed burns and wildfire differ in their landscape-scale effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote sensing applications for prescribed burn research

LoPresti,

Hayden,

Siegel

et al. 2024

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Prescribed burning is a key management strategy within fire-adapted systems, and improved monitoring approaches are needed to evaluate its effectiveness in achieving social-ecological outcomes. Remote sensing provides opportunities to analyse the impacts of prescribed burning, yet a comprehensive understanding of the applications of remote sensing for prescribed burn research is lacking. We conduct a literature review of 120 peer-reviewed publications to synthesise the research aims, methodologies, limitations and future directions of remote sensing for the analysis of prescribed fire. Studies evaluating management outcomes found prescribed burning effective for wildfire risk reduction, yet few analysed co-benefits or trade-offs with other management goals. Most studies use passive, spaceborne, low spatial resolution sensors, characterised in the literature as consistent and accessible data sources but limited in detecting small, low-severity and short-duration fires characteristic of prescribed burns. In contrast, active remote sensing approaches including LiDAR are less frequently employed, but show promise for highly accurate, spatially explicit 3D vegetation and fuel load mapping. Remote sensing advances toward higher spatial resolution, more frequent revisit, denser spectral sampling and more data across the electromagnetic spectrum are critical to advancing prescribed fire research, addressing current methodological gaps, and improving fuels and fire management capacity.

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Fire ignition patterns to manage prescribed fire behavior: Application to Mediterranean pine forests

Cited by 13 publications

References 39 publications

Mathematical Simulation of Forest Fuel Pyrolysis and Crown Forest Fire Impact for Forest Fire Danger and Risk Assessment

Mathematical Simulation of Forest Fuel Pyrolysis and Crown Forest Fire Impact for Forest Fire Danger and Risk Assessment

Modeling Juvenile Stand Development and Fire Risk of Post-Fire Planted Forests under Variations in Thinning and Fuel Treatments Using FVS–FFE

Remote sensing applications for prescribed burn research

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