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Take a look at some of our ‘captured’ fire science presentations below, find them all on our VIMEO CHANNEL

Featured

Prescribed Fire and Avian Conservation: Why Scale Matters

By Dwayne Elmore, Oklahoma State University

From the Fire Management and Oak Woodland Restoration in Eastern Texas workshop held at Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area, near Palestine, TX. on January 26, 2016

Prescribed Fire

Prescribed Fire, Invasive species

Demographic responses of Microstegium vimineum to prescribed fires and herbicide

Prescribed Fire, Invasive species

By Sarah Emery, University of Louisville

From the Japanese Stiltgrass, Fire Management, and Ecosystem Services workshop held February, 20, 2014 in Harrisburg, IL

Prescribed Fire, Invasive species

Fire Regimes, Fire Ecology & Effects

Missouri’s Woodlands: Ecology, Management & Restoration

Fire Regimes, Fire Ecology & Effects

By Lee Hughs, Missouri Department of Conservation

From MDC’s Woodland Workshop, May 30-31, 2012 in Columbia, MO

Fire Regimes, Fire Ecology & Effects

Fire Ecology & Effects

Fire Injury and Wood Discoloration and Decay

Fire Ecology & Effects

By Kevin Smith, USFS Northern Research Station

From the Timber Quality/Prescribed Fire Workshop, October 2012

Fire Ecology & Effects

Fire Ecology & Effects, Fire and economics, Prescribed Fire

Timber Product Value Losses Due to Prescribed Fire Injuries in Red Oaks

Fire Ecology & Effects, Fire and economics, Prescribed Fire

By Joe Marschall, University of Missouri

From the Timber Quality/Prescribed Fire Workshop, October 2012

Fire Ecology & Effects, Fire and economics, Prescribed Fire

Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

Refining the Oak-Fire Hypothesis

Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

By: Mary Arthur, University of Kentucky

From the Timber Quality/Prescribed Fire Workshop, October 2012

Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

Fire Ecology & Effects

Tree species composition, structure, and dynamics of woodlands

Fire Ecology & Effects

By John Kabrick, USFS Northern Research Station

From the “Prescribing Fire For Woodland Restoration: How Is Success Measured?” workshop at the Missouri Natural Resources Conference 2013

Fire Ecology & Effects

Floristic quality as a measure of success

Fire Ecology & Effects

By Allison Vaughn, Missouri Department of Conservation

From the “Prescribing Fire For Woodland Restoration: How Is Success Measured?” workshop at the Missouri Natural Resources Conference 2013

Fire Ecology & Effects

Fire Ecology & Effects, Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems

What animal species benefit from woodland restoration? Examples from case studies and life history requirements

Fire Ecology & Effects, Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems

By Mike Leahy, Missouri Department of Conservation

From the “Prescribing Fire For Woodland Restoration: How Is Success Measured?” workshop at the Missouri Natural Resources Conference 2013

Fire Ecology & Effects, Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), Prescribed Fire

Burning in the shadows of the nation’s largest metroplexes: challenges and management recommendations

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), Prescribed Fire

By Glen Gillman, Texas Wildlife and Parks Department

From the Fire Ecology and Management of Texas Oak Woodlands symposium at the 66th annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, February 4, 2013 in Oklahoma City, OK

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), Prescribed Fire

Fire Ecology & Effects, Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems

Using fire to manage endangered species habitat in Texas: the US Fish and Wildlife Service example

Fire Ecology & Effects, Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems

By Wade Harrell, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

From the Fire Ecology and Management of Texas Oak Woodlands symposium at the 66th annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, February 4, 2013 in Oklahoma City, OK

Fire Ecology & Effects, Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems

Fire History, Fire Regimes, Fire Ecology & Effects

Historic fire frequencies of oak woodlands in the southern plains

Fire History, Fire Regimes, Fire Ecology & Effects

By Mike Stambaugh, University of Missouri

From the Fire Ecology and Management of Texas Oak Woodlands symposium at the 66th annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, February 4, 2013 in Oklahoma City, OK

Fire History, Fire Regimes, Fire Ecology & Effects

Fire Ecology & Effects, Post-fire Environment & Management

Fire effects and restoration challenges within a central Texas pine-oak forest following an intense summer wildfire

Fire Ecology & Effects, Post-fire Environment & Management

By Greg Creacy, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

From the Fire Ecology and Management of Texas Oak Woodlands symposium at the 66th annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, February 4, 2013 in Oklahoma City, OK

Fire Ecology & Effects, Post-fire Environment & Management

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Fire Ecology & Effects, Prescribed Fire

Is fire enough? The joint effects of fire and deer herbivory on hardwood regeneration and species composition

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Fire Ecology & Effects, Prescribed Fire

By Christina Andruk, University of Texas

From the Fire Ecology and Management of Texas Oak Woodlands symposium at the 66th annual meeting of the Society for Range Management, February 4, 2013 in Oklahoma City, OK

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Fire Ecology & Effects, Prescribed Fire

Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects, Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems

Snakes on Fire: The Effect of Prescribed Fire on the Habitat Use, Energetics, and Survival of the Black Racer

Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects, Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems

By Christopher Howey, Ohio Center for Ecology and Evolution Studies

From The Effects of Wildland Fire and Fire Management on Amphibians and Reptiles symposium at The Wildlife Society’s 20th Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI on October 7, 2013

Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects, Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

How prescribed forest fires are necessary for preserving stable metapopulations of the eastern collared lizard

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

By Jennifer Neuwald, Colorado State University

From The Effects of Wildland Fire and Fire Management on Amphibians and Reptiles symposium at The Wildlife Society’s 20th Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI on October 7, 2013

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Fire Ecology & Effects, Prescribed Fire

Reducing the Impacts of Prescribed Fire on the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Fire Ecology & Effects, Prescribed Fire

By Bruce Kingsbury, Indiana – Purdue University Fort Wayne

From The Effects of Wildland Fire and Fire Management on Amphibians and Reptiles symposium at The Wildlife Society’s 20th Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI on October 7, 2013

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Fire Ecology & Effects, Prescribed Fire

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

Amphibians in fire-prone landscapes: What information is needed?

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

By Katherine O’Donnell, University of Missouri

From The Effects of Wildland Fire and Fire Management on Amphibians and Reptiles symposium at The Wildlife Society’s 20th Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI on October 7, 2013

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

Living on the Edge: Challenges and Considerations for Managing Gopher Tortoise Habitats with Fire

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

By Betsie B. Rothermel, Archbold Biological Station

From The Effects of Wildland Fire and Fire Management on Amphibians and Reptiles symposium at The Wildlife Society’s 20th Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI on October 7, 2013

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

Herpetofaunal Response to Prescribed Burning in Southern Appalachian Upland Hardwood Forest

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

By Christopher Moorman for Cathryn Greenberg, USFS Southern Research Station

From The Effects of Wildland Fire and Fire Management on Amphibians and Reptiles symposium at The Wildlife Society’s 20th Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI on October 7, 2013

Wildlife & Aquatic Ecosystems, Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

Human Dimensions of Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects, Prescribed Fire

Prescribed fire as a conservation tool in Mid-South landscapes: challenges and opportunities

Human Dimensions of Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects, Prescribed Fire

By Morgan Varner, Mississippi State University

From the Prescribed Fire in the Mid-South conference held June 4-5, 2014 in Crossville, TN

Human Dimensions of Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects, Prescribed Fire

Smoke & Air Quality, Prescribed Fire

Prescribed fire and smoke management: perspectives of a state air agency

Smoke & Air Quality, Prescribed Fire

By Jennifer Miller, Kentucky Division for Air Quality

From the Prescribed Fire in the Mid-South conference held June 4-5, 2014 in Crossville, TN

Smoke & Air Quality, Prescribed Fire

Fire History, Human Dimensions of Fire

Pyromancy: seeing the future in the flames

Fire History, Human Dimensions of Fire

By Dr. Stephen Pyne, Arizona State University

From the Prescribed Fire in the Mid-South conference held June 4-5, 2014 in Crossville, TN

Fire History, Human Dimensions of Fire

Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

Effects of fire on forest regeneration: implications for restoration and management with prescribed burning

Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

By Dr. Ben Knapp, University of Missouri

Prescribed Fire, Fire Ecology & Effects

The immediate effects of fire, within seconds or minutes of combustion, hold many clues to the future of burned areas. Credit: Bob Keane.

FOFEM: The First-Order Fire Effects Model Adapts to the 21st Century

Summary

Technology is playing an increasingly pivotal role in the efficiency and effectiveness of fire management. The First Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM) is a widely used computer application that predicts the immediate or ‘first-order’ effects of fire: fuel consumption, tree mortality, emissions, and soil heating. FOFEM’s simple operation and comprehensive features have made it a workhorse for fire and resource professionals who need to be able to predict, assess and plan for fire’s effects. Over the last decade FOFEM has undergone several upgrades as developers continue to improve function and expand applicability to meet the growing needs of managers, planners and analysts.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AS PDF

Latest First Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM) upgrades include:

The FOFEM Mapping Tool which allows the import or input of spatial data layers,
Extensive additions to tree mortality models that expand scope and application,
A tree-mortality modification specifically for use in southeastern longleaf pine ecosystems, and
A web-based version with expanded function, storage, connectivity and customization options.

What’s the status?

Patches of flame and smoldering fuel linger as a fire nears its end. Combustion has consumed fuel and generated heat and smoke. But how much fuel and how much smoke? How hot did it get, and where? What does this all mean for trees, soil and air—right here, right now—and why does it matter?

The imprint of fire on an ecosystem doesn’t end when the flames go out. It’s easy to think of fire as an isolated event, but it’s actually a process. Fire’s effects reverberate through an ecosystem over time. The immediate effects, known as first-order fire effects, influence the way a burned area will respond and regenerate over the coming days, months, decades and even centuries. Effects that occur over these longer time spans are called second-order fire effects. First-order fire effects drive and shape second-order fire effects, creating a roadmap to a burned area’s future and helping to define fire’s role in natural ecosystem processes.

First-order fire effects drive and shape second-order fire effects, creating a roadmap to a burned area’s future and helping to define fire’s role in natural ecosystem processes.

Connecting the dots

First-order effects include plant injury and mortality, soil heating, fuel consumption and smoke production. Second-order effects include vegetation succession, erosion and the eventual atmospheric concentration and dispersion of smoke. Each individual first-order fire effect is an intersection of information connected to the others, and the future, by possibilities. What has taken place and which direction will things go from here?

Credit: Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory.

Fuel consumption is an important first-order effect that’s intricately linked to the others, as well as to the future of the ecosystem. Fire consumes fuel, in turn producing smoke and generating heat. The intensity and duration of heat determine the degree of vegetation mortality and soil heating. The amount of plant mortality and soil heating influence vegetation dynamics after fire. The composition and structure of this post-fire vegetation community influence the behavior and extent of the next fire.

The details of this dot-to-dot picture are vitally important to resource managers. It’s their job to know about the past, current and future conditions of the ecosystems under their purview, and to be able to use that information to shape plans and guide decisions.

Over the years, the Forest Service and science communities have developed different methods and procedures for estimating first-order fire effects. Before the computer age, managers had to rely on experience and knowledge to make general estimations of fire’s immediate effects. Today, FOFEM provides managers with consistent and quantitative prediction methods.

FOFEM provides managers with consistent and quantitative prediction methods.

A quick study

In 1989, a new tool emerged from the Forest Service Fire Science Laboratory in Missoula, MT. Bob Keane, Elizabeth Reinhardt and Jim Brown created the first version of a simple computer program that would forever change the process of predicting and planning for the immediate effects of fire—the First Order Fire Effects Model known as FOFEM. It’s an all-purpose, easy to use, free, downloadable software package that allows users to quantify the immediate effects of fire. It differs from other first-order effects models in that it combines and integrates results from multiple empirical fire effects studies into one program. Keane explains that their design criterion, as put forth by Brown, was straightforward. “Learn it in and hour, run it in a minute,” he says. And apparently, they succeeded.

Since its inception FOFEM has been used by thousands of fire and land managers across the country from a broad spectrum of agencies. It’s been endorsed by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and sponsored by the Washington Office of Fire and Aviation Management. It’s used for environmental assessment, fire severity assessment, development of fire and silvicultural prescriptions, and preparation of timber salvage guidelines.

The most significant version of FOFEM (v.4.0) was developed by Reinhardt and Keane in 1997 with Joint Fire Science support. It included the Albini BURNUP model which simulates heat transfer to fuels, consumption rate and resulting heat. BURNUP can also model heat transfer to other ecosystem components like the living tissue under tree bark, the mineral soil underneath the fire, or the smoke above it. “BURNUP is the heart of the whole model,” says Keane. “We run it for almost everything now.”

What it does

FOFEM has continued to evolve and is now in version 5.2. FOFEM fire effects analyses can guide prescribed fire activities and wildfire response, help design and evaluate treatments for desired and potential fire effects, and compare the potential ecological consequences of varying alternatives. It can simulate effects of different prescribed treatment alternatives and can be used to customize prescribed fire treatments to meet specific objectives.

FOFEM v5.2 can be downloaded to computers running a Microsoft Windows environment. Users can select analysis for tree mortality, fuel consumption, smoke or soil. A different input interface appears with each choice. Realistic default values are provided, or you can enter your own custom information. It generates results in reports or graph that are appropriate for inclusion in planning documents.

How it does it

Fuel loads

FOFEM provides default fuel loads by fuel component (such as litter, duff, and woody fuel by size class). Default values depend on cover type and on fuel type (i.e., natural or slash fuels). The defaults are based on an extensive literature search summarized in the Mincemoyer Fuels Database, which is a major component of FOFEM. The defaults can be adjusted or replaced. Because fuels vary so much within cover type, Reinhardt recommends entering fuel loads directly if you can.

Tree mortality

To predict tree mortality, users enter a tree list or stand table that lists species, diameter, height, crown ratio and trees per acre. Tree mortality increases with increasing crown scorch, and decreases with increasing bark thickness, so FOFEM uses bark thickness and the percentage of crown volume scorched for prediction. Bark thickness is derived from species and tree diameter. Crown volume scorch is calculated using tree height and crown base height, and scorch height or flame length.

Reinhardt recommends avoiding flame length as an input when possible, however. This is because scorch height will actually decrease for a given flame length at higher wind speeds typical of many wildfires. Entering flame length may cause over-prediction of scorch height—and therefore tree mortality. Using scorch height is especially appropriate when using FOFEM to predict fire effects after the fact, when scorch height can be directly observed.

When predicting stand mortality, FOFEM assumes that the fire is continuous across the entire area of concern. In the case of discontinuous or patchy fire, the user can estimate the proportion of area burned to adjust estimated tree mortality per acre.

To predict tree mortality, FOFEM users enter a tree list or stand table of species, diameter, height, crown ratio and trees per acre.

Fuel consumption

Here again the model assumes continuous fire over the entire area of concern. As with tree mortality, if you’re dealing with patchy fire you should estimate the percentage of area burned and adjust per acre estimates. FOFEM predicts the quantity of fuel consumed by prescribed or wildfire for six different fuel components and predicts mineral soil exposed by fire as a result of duff and litter consumption. Consumption of different fuel types is predicted using a mix of empirical equations, rules of thumb and modeling. Although herbaceous fuels are generally a small component of fuel load, they are calculated by FOFEM because of their contribution to emissions. Calculated by rule of thumb, FOFEM assumes that 100 percent of herbaceous fuels are consumed. The exception is when spring is selected as the burning season, and grass selected as the cover type. Consumption then drops to 90 percent.

Shrub fuels are also modeled with rules of thumb. For example, if the cover type is sagebrush and the season is fall, shrub consumption is predicted at 90 percent. For all other seasons it drops to 50 percent.

When predicting canopy fuel consumption, FOFEM requires the user to estimate the proportion of a given stand that will be affected by crown fire. The consumption of crown fuels is represented for the purposes of estimating smoke production or carbon budget. FOFEM does not predict whether a crown fire will occur or if canopy layers will be consumed.

Fuel moisture

You can select very dry, dry, moderate or wet burn conditions. FOFEM applies default moisture percentages for each. You can enter fuel moistures directly for duff, 0.25 to 1 inch, and greater than 3 inch woody fuels. If you want to set fuel moistures for all woody fuel size classes, or separate moistures for sound and rotten fuel, you can bypass the FOFEM interface and use BURNUP.

BURNUP bonus

BURNUP physically models heat transfer and burning rate of woody fuel particles as they interact over the duration of a burn. It estimates total fuel consumption by size class, as well as consumption rate and fire intensity over time. FOFEM uses BURNUP to predict woody fuel litter consumption (100 percent of litter is generally consumed) and smoke/emissions predictions.

BURNUP estimates flaming and smoldering consumption simultaneously in each time step. A fuelbed may produce flames in local concentrations of woody fuels at the same time that duff and isolated woody fuels burn in smolder combustion. Flaming and smoldering combustion burn with different combustion efficiencies and produce emissions at different rates. By modeling the two processes separately and simultaneously, BURNUP is able to take both into account in estimating emissions.

Fire intensity is derived from combustion of fuels in each time step, in turn determining fuel temperatures and combustion rates for the next time step. Immediately after ignition, intensity increases as the finest fuel burn. This generates more and more heat, progressively igniting larger and wetter fuel. As the smaller fuel burns up, intensity drops. The fire is assumed to go out when fire intensity is too low to sustain further combustion.

A sample graph of emissions production over time generated by FOFEM.

BURNUP computes different species of smoke emissions (chemical and particulate) in each time step. The FOFEM/BURNUP includes a graph and Smoke Emissions Report listing total emissions of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, CH₄, CO, CO₂, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. This information can then be used in other modeling systems to predict smoke dispersion and concentrations.

Soil heating

FOFEM predicts soil temperature over time at the soil surface and several depths below. It predicts expected average soil heating across the area because soil heating varies considerably within a burn unit. The model has been set up so that heat from surface fire (as modeled in prediction of fuel consumption) is used as the source of soil heat. If duff is present then the model assumes the duff is the source of soil heat. Duff fires have low intensity and spread much slower than flaming fire, but heating of deep soil layers is often greater in duff fires because they burn for a longer time in direct contact with the surface of mineral soil.

The graphic format of the soil heating report plots temperature vs. time, and displays temperature at several depths. Temperatures that exceed the 60°C (considered the lethal temperature for living organisms) are highlighted so you can identify which burning scenarios exceed this temperature at various soil depths. This lethal temperature is the default for the highlight, but you can change that by simply typing in a new number. The graph also includes the maximum temperature reached at the soil surface, the amount of duff consumed, the soil type, and starting soil temperature. The soil heating report contains a complete summary of FOFEM pre- and post-burn conditions, in addition to all the information displayed in the graph, which is useful for comparing scenarios.

A sample soil-heating prediction graph from FOFEM.

New features and functions

FOFEM mapping tool

The new FOFEM MT (FOFEM Mapping Tool) will have the capacity to automatically import LANDFIRE spatial data layers. You will also have the option of entering any spatial data layers you want, from any source. This feature can be used to calculate fire effects across the landscape for use in fire and fuel hazard analysis. This is useful for prioritizing fuel treatment or burn recovery activities.

FRAMES online portal

FOFEM will soon be functional as an online tool that allows users to skip downloading and installation. It will be accessible via FRAMES (Fire Research and Management Exchange System) which adapts fire research and management tools for use in a web-based environment. FRAMES project manager Greg Gollberg selected FOFEM as one of the models to be modified for online ease of use. “It’s a solid, simple program. A lot of people are familiar with it and it’s been around for a while,” he says. “It gave us the chance to start out small and see how it goes. We have hopes for adding more function, data storage and exchange, and new customization options.” The FRAMES website will house not only the web version of FOFEM but all of the downloadable versions too.

Expanded scope for tree mortality

The FOFEM tree mortality module was developed with data from western conifer forests. Although it works well in the western U.S., it’s commonly acknowledged that problems can arise with over-prediction of tree mortality when FOFEM is applied to other regions and forest types.

But plenty of work is underway to change that. Managers in the southeast will benefit from a new tree mortality model developed by Geoff Wang, with support from the Joint Fire Science Program and Clemson University. Wang created a modified version of FOFEM for use in longleaf pine and longleaf/slash cover types in the Southeastern U.S. Keane is hopeful that this will happen for other parts of the country too. “We constantly scour the literature for new tree mortality equations,” he says. “I’ve got file cabinets full of this stuff. When anyone does work on a new species it goes right into in the next revision.”

In addition, a team led by Sharon Hood at the Fire Modeling Institute at the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, is analyzing fire injury data on more than 16,000 trees from 82 wild and prescribed fires from 5 western states. They’re testing existing tree mortality models and developing new ones where necessary and incorporating it all into FOFEM.

Keeping pace with management needs

“The beauty of FOFEM is that it combines all the first-order effects under one roof,” says Keane. “The more we can add to it, the better off managers will be. It’s still the same nuts and bolts model. It still has the same guts. It’s just that it’s been repackaged again with new capacities. Next, we want to put in more emission elements and even more tree mortality. That will continue to increase applicability.”

So stay tuned for what are sure to be more changes and features that will keep FOFEM in the top tray of the fire planning and prediction toolbox well into the 21st century.

“The more we can add to it, the better off managers will be. It’s still the same nuts and bolts model. It still has the same guts. It’s just that it’s been repackaged again with new capacities.”

Publications and Web Resources
FOFEM download and tutorials:

http://www.fire.org/index.php?option=com_content&t ask=view&id=58&Itemid=31

Fire Modeling Institute, Missoula Fire Sciences Lab: http://www.fs.fed.us/fmi/index.html

FOFEM MT (mapping tool), Don Helmbrecht /Fire Modeling Institute / 406-829-7370 FMI:

dhelmbrecht@fs.fed.us
http://www.fs.fed.us/fmi/projects/abstracts/Helmbrecht_SpatialFOFEM_abstract.html

FRAMES Fire Research and Management Exchange System, Greg Gollberg / 208-885-9756, gollberg@ Uidaho.edu: http://frames.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt

Delayed Tree Mortality Following Fire in Western Conifers, Sharon Hood / Fire Modeling Institute / 406-329-
4818: shood@fs.fed.us

http://www.firelab.org/index.php?option=com_content &task=view&id=690&Itemid=262

Modifying FOFEM for use in the Coastal Plain Region of the U.S., Geoff Wang / Principle Investigator/ 864- 656-4864: gwang@clemson.edu http://www.firescience.gov/projects/05-4-3-06/05-4-3-06_final_report.pdf

Scientist Profiles

Wildland Fire in Ecosystems Effects of Fire on Air

General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-42-volume 5
December 2002

Abstract

Sandberg, David V.; Ottmar, Roger D.; Peterson, Janice L.; Core, John. 2002. Wildland fire on ecosystems: effects of fire on air. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 5. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 79 p.

This state-of-knowledge review about the effects of fire on air quality can assist land, fire, and air resource managers with fire and smoke planning, and their efforts to explain to others the science behind fire-related program policies and practices to improve air quality. Chapter topics include air quality regulations and fire; characterization of emissions from fire; the transport, dispersion, and modeling of fire emissions; atmospheric and plume chemistry; air quality impacts of fire; social consequences of air quality impacts; and recommendations for future research.

Keywords: smoke, air quality, fire effects, smoke management, prescribed fire, wildland fire, wildfire,
biomass emissions, smoke dispersion

Authors

David V. Sandberg, Research Physical Scientist, Corvallis Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Corvallis, OR 97331

Roger D. Ottmar, Research Forester, Seattle Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Seattle, WA 98103

Janice L. Peterson, Air Resource Specialist, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98053

John Core, Consultant, Core Environmental Consulting, Portland, OR 97229

Cover photo—Photo by Roger Ottmar. Smoke blots out the sun during the 1994 Anne Wildfire in western Montana.

Preface

In 1978, a national workshop on fire effects in Denver, Colorado, provided the impetus for the “Effects of Wildland Fire on Ecosystems” series. Recognizing that knowledge of fire was needed for land management planning, state-of-the-knowledge reviews were produced that became known as the “Rainbow Series.” The series consisted of six publications, each with a different colored cover, describing the effects of fire on soil, water, air, flora, fauna, and fuels.

The Rainbow Series proved popular in providing fire effects information for professionals, students, and others. Printed supplies eventually ran out, but knowledge of fire effects continued to grow. To meet the continuing demand for summaries of fire effects knowledge, the interagency National Wildfire Coordinating Group asked Forest Service research leaders to update and revise the series. To fulfill this request, a meeting for organizing the revision was held January 4-6, 1993, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The series name was then changed to “The Rainbow Series.” The five volume series covers air, soil and water, fauna, flora and fuels, and cultural resources.

The Rainbow Series emphasizes principles and processes rather than serving as a summary of all that is known. The five volumes, taken together, provide a wealth of information and examples to advance understanding of basic concepts regarding fire effects in the United States and Canada. As conceptual background, they provide technical support to fire and resource managers for carrying out interdisciplinary planning, which is essential to managing
wildlands in an ecosystem context. Planners and managers will find the series helpful in many aspects of ecosystem-based management, but they will also need to seek out and synthesize more detailed information to resolve specific management questions.

— The Authors
December 2002

Acknowledgments

The Rainbow Series was compiled under the sponsorship of the Joint Fire Science Program,a cooperative fire science effort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U.S. Geological Survey. Several scientists provided significant input without requesting authorship in this volume. We acknowledge valuable contributions by Sue A. Ferguson, Timothy E. Reinhardt, Robert Yokelson, Dale Wade, and Gary Achtemeier. We also thank the following individuals for their suggestions, information, and assistance that led to substantial technical and editorial improvements in the manuscripts: Scott Goodrick, Allen R. Riebau, Sue A. Ferguson, and Patti Hirami. Finally, we appreciate Marcia Patton-Mallory and Louise Kingsbury for persistence and
support.

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Wildland Fire in Ecosystems Effects of Fire on Flora

General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-42-volume 2
December 2000

Abstract

Brown, James K.; Smith, Jane Kapler, eds. 2000. Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on flora. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 2. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 257 p.

This state-of-knowledge review about the effects of fire on flora and fuels can assist land managers with ecosystem and fire management planning and in their efforts to inform others about the ecological role of fire. Chapter topics include fire regime classification, autecological effects of fire, fire regime characteristics and postfire plant community developments in ecosystems throughout the United States and Canada, global climate change, ecological principles of fire regimes, and practical considerations for managing fire in an ecosytem context.

Keywords: ecosystem, fire effects, fire management, fire regime, fire severity, fuels, habitat, plant response, plants, succession, vegetation.

Editors

James K. Brown, Research Forester, Systems for Environmental Management, Missoula, MT 59802 (formerly with Fire Sciences Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service).

Jane Kapler Smith, Ecologist, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Missoula, MT 59807.

Authors

R. James Ansley, Plant Physiologist, Texas A&M University System, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Vernon, TX 76385

Stephen F. Arno, Research Forester (Emeritus), Fire Sciences Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Missoula, MT 59807

Brent L. Brock, Research Associate, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506

Patrick H. Brose, Research Forester, Northeastern Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Irvine, PA 16329

Luc C. Duchesne, Research Scientist, Canadian Forestry Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste Marie, ON P6A 5M7

James B. Grace, Research Ecologist, National Wetlands Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Lafayette, LA 70506

Gerald J. Gottfried, Research Forester, Southwest Forest Sciences Complex, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Sally M. Haase, Research Forester, Riverside Forest Fire Laboratory, Pacific Southwest Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Riverside, CA 92507

Michael G. Harrington, Research Forester, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Missoula, MT 59807

Brad C. Hawkes, Fire Research Officer, Canadian Forestry Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, BC V8Z 1M5

Greg A. Hoch, Graduate Research Assistant, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506

Melanie Miller, Fire Ecologist, Bureau of Land Management, National Office of Fire and Aviation, Boise, ID 83705

Ronald L. Myers, Director of National Fire Management Program, The Nature Conservancy, Tall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL 32312

Marcia G. Narog, Ecologist, Riverside Forest Fire Laboratory, Pacific Southwest Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Riverside, CA 92507

William A. Patterson III, Professor, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003

Timothy E. Paysen, Research Forester, Riverside Forest Fire Laboratory, Pacific Southwest Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Riverside, CA 92507

Kevin C. Ryan, Project Leader of Fire Effects Unit, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Missoula, MT 59807

Stephen S. Sackett, Research Forester (Emeritus), Riverside Forest Fire Laboratory, Pacific Southwest Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Riverside, CA 92507

Dale D. Wade, Research Forester, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Southern Research Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Athens, GA 30602

Ruth C. Wilson, Professor of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA 92407

Cover photo—Arnica and fireweed flowers, Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT, 2 years after crown fire. Photo by Melanie Miller.

Preface

– The Authors
October 2000

Acknowledgments

The Rainbow Series was completed under the sponsorship of the Joint Fire Sciences Program, a cooperative fire science effort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and U.S. Geological Survey. We thank Marcia Patton-Mallory and Louise Kingsbury for persistence and support.

The authors wish to thank the following individuals for their suggestions, information, and assistance that led to substantial technical and editorial improvements in the manuscript: Stephen Arno, Andrew Applejohn, David Bunnell, Tammy Charron, Lisa Clark, Scott Collins, Bonni Corcoran, Luc Duchesne, Colin Hardy, Mick Harrington, Janet Howard, Bill Leenhouts, Jim Menakis, Melanie Miller, Penelope Morgan, Rob McAlpine, Carmen Mueller-Rowat, Ron Myers, Phil Omi, Pat Outcalt, Tim Paysen, Kevin Ryan, Dennis Simmerman, Jim Snyder, Peter
Stickney, Ann Murray Strome, Fred Swanson, David VanLear, Dale Wade, Phil Weatherspoon, Mike Weber, and John Zasada.

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Fire Science Brief Issue-62-August 1st, 2009