Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program 2013 Research Accomplishments Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory Rocky Mountain Research Station U.S
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FIRE, FUEL, AND SMOKE SCIENCE PROGRAM 2013 RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS MISSOULA FIRE SCIENCES LABORATORY ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION U.S. FOREST SERVICE Faith Ann Heinsch, Robin J. Innes, Colin C. Hardy, and Kristine M. Lee, Editors FIRE, FUEL, AND SMOKE SCIENCE PROGRAM Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory Rocky Mountain Research Station U.S. Forest Service 5775 US Highway 10 West Missoula, MT 59808-9361 http://www.firelab.org Citation: Heinsch, Faith Ann; Innes, Robin J.; Hardy, Colin C.; Lee, Kristine M., editors. 2014. Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program 2013 Research Accomplishments. On file at: Missoula, MT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory. 70 p. Cover photos: Top photo: Schoolhouse Fire. Photo courtesy of Duncan Lutes / FFS. Left bottom photo: Burn chamber with fire whirl. Photo courtesy of Richard Barnes / OTTO. Right bottom photo: Prescribed fire. Photo courtesy of Richard Barnes / OTTO. Photo on opposite page: Flame structure of a fire whirl. Photo courtesy of Richard Barnes / OTTO. FIRE, FUEL, AND SMOKE SCIENCE PROGRAM 2013 RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS MISSOULA FIRE SCIENCES LABORATORY ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION U.S. FOREST SERVICE Faith Ann Heinsch, Robin Innes, Colin C. Hardy, and Kristine M. Lee, Editors Table of Contents The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program ............................................................................... 2 2013 Year in Review: Innovative Approaches in Wildland Fire .......................................... 6 Partnerships ........................................................................................................................................ 10 From the Archives: Fire Management Planning ..................................................................... 11 Physical Fire Processes ................................................................................................................... 13 Fuel Particle Heat Exchange ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Understanding Burning Rate and Residence Time Using Wood Cribs .................................................................... 16 Pyrolysis Composition and Convective Ignition of Live Forest Fuels ...................................................................... 17 Flame Structure in Spreading Laboratory Fires ............................................................................................................... 18 Ignition Potential of Rifle Bullets ............................................................................................................................................ 19 Near Surface Wind Measurements ......................................................................................................................................... 20 RxCADRE—A Collaborative Research Campaign ............................................................................................................. 21 Fuel Dynamics .................................................................................................................................... 24 A Comparison of Sampling Techniques to Estimate Wildland Surface Fuel Loading in Montane Forests of the Northern Rocky Mountains ............................................................................................... 25 Analyzing the ‘Spring Dip’ in Foliar Moisture Content and Its Relationship to Crown Fire Activity in the Great Lakes ........................................................................................................................................ 26 Linking Satellite Mapping of Beetle Attacks to Fuel Changes in the Northern Rockies ................................... 27 Smoke Emissions and Dispersion ................................................................................................ 28 Experiments to Improve Agricultural Smoke Decision Support Tools ................................................................... 29 Fire Ecology ......................................................................................................................................... 30 Central Oregon Fire and Forest Histories ........................................................................................................................... 31 Climate Change Impacts on Fire Regimes ........................................................................................................................... 32 Fire and Fuel Management Strategies ........................................................................................ 34 Mapping Wildland Fire Potential ............................................................................................................................................ 35 New Tools for Mapping and Understanding Fire Severity ........................................................................................... 36 A Spatial Database of U.S. Wildfires ....................................................................................................................................... 38 Western Spruce Budworm Alters Crown Fire Behavior through Reduced Canopy Density ......................... 39 New Firefighter Safety Zone Guidelines ............................................................................................................................... 40 All images and photographs are from the U.S. Forest Service unless otherwise credited. Table of Contents Science Synthesis and Delivery .................................................................................................... 42 FireFamilyPlus 4.1 ........................................................................................................................................................................ 43 Release of New Version of WindNinja and Upgrade to Include Momentum Solver .......................................... 44 FEAT-FIREMON Integrated ....................................................................................................................................................... 45 Fire Danger Characteristics Charts ........................................................................................................................................ 46 Fire Effects Information System Updates ........................................................................................................................... 47 Quantifying Wildfire Risk to Structures in the Island Park Sustainable Fire Community .............................. 48 Fire Management in Nepal ....................................................................................................................................................... 49 Modeling Fire Danger for Sandia National Laboratories .............................................................................................. 51 The Research Continues .................................................................................................................. 52 Describing and Scaling Physio-chemical Properties of Live and Dead Fuels to Parameterize Physics- based Fire Behavior Models .............................................................................................................................................. 53 Surface Fuel Characteristics, Temporal Dynamics, and Fire Behavior of Masticated Mixed- Conifer Fuel Beds of the Southeast and Rocky Mountains ................................................................................... 54 Coupled Fire-Atmosphere Behavior in Complex Topography: Identification of Critical Phenomena of Past Fire Events ....................................................................................................................................... 55 Development and Validation of Combustion Process-based Emission Models .................................................. 56 New Initiatives of the RMRS Smoke Emissions and Dispersion Team .................................................................... 57 Evaluating Assumptions Related to Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing of Fire ................................................ 58 Development of a Code Block Framework for Fire Modeling Systems .................................................................. 59 Fuel Treatment Plan for Fort Huachuca, Arizona ............................................................................................................ 60 Education and Outreach .................................................................................................................. 61 2013 Publications ............................................................................................................................. 64 Photo: Burn chamber at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, showing the fire whirl generator. The burn chamber is 40 feet wide, 40 feet long, and 70 feet tall. Made of metal and concrete, it provides a climate-controlled laboratory for research. Photo courtesy of Richard Barnes / OTTO. The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program he Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program (FFS) of the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky T Mountain Research Station, focuses on fundamental and applied research in wildland fire, from fire physics and fire ecology to fuels management and smoke emissions. Located at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory in Montana, the scientists, engineers, technicians, and