We present a classification of duff, litter, fine woody debris, and logs that can be used to stratify a project area into sites with fuel loading that yield significantly different emissions and maximum soil surface temperature. Total particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter and maximum soil surface temperature were simulated using the First Order Fire Effects Model. Simulation results were clustered into 10 Effects Groups using an agglomerative routine where each Effects Group defined a unique range of soil temperature and emissions. Classification tree analysis was used to estimate the critical duff, litter, fine woody debris, and log loadings associated with the soil temperature and emissions of each Effects Group. The resulting 21 fuel classes are called Fuel Loading Models and classified the study dataset with an ~34% misclassification rate. The classification can be used to describe fuel loadings for a plot or stand, or as map units for mapping fuel loadings across large regions. The classification process can be used to develop finer-scale fuel classifications for specific regions or ecosystems.
This archive contains research data collected and/or funded by Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D), U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is a resource for accessing both short and long-term FS R&D research data, which includes Experimental Forest and Range data. It is a way to both preserve and share the quality science of our researchers.
This archive contains research data collected and/or funded by Forest Service Research and Development (FS R&D), U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is a resource for accessing both short and long-term FS R&D research data, which includes Experimental Forest and Range data. It is a way to both preserve and share the quality science of our researchers.
Monitoring and inventory to assess the effects of wildland fire is critical for 1) documenting fire effects, 2) assessing ecosystem damage and benefit, 3) evaluating the success or failure of a burn, and 4) appraising the potential for future treatments. However, monitoring fire effects is often difficult because data collection requires abundant funds, resources, and sampling experience. Often, the reason fire monitoring projects are not implemented is because fire management agencies do not have scientifically based, standardized protocols for inventorying pre- and postfire conditions that satisfy their monitoring and management objectives. We have developed a comprehensive system, called the Fire Effects Monitoring and Inventory System (FIREMON), which is designed to satisfy fire management agencies' monitoring and inventory requirements for most ecosystems, fuel types, and geographic areas in the United States. FIREMON consists of standardized sampling methods and manuals, field forms, database, analysis program, and an image analysis guide so that fire managers can 1) design a fire effects monitoring project, 2) collect and store the sampled data, 3) statistically analyze and summarize the data, 4) link the data with satellite imagery, and 5) map the sampled data across the landscape using image processing. FIREMON allows flexible but comprehensive sampling of fire effects so data can be evaluated for significant impacts, shared across agencies, and used to update and refine fire management plans and prescriptions. FIREMON has a flexible structure that allows the modification of sampling methods and local code fields to allow the sampling of locally important fire effects evaluation criteria.More information: https://www.frames.gov/partner-sites/firemon/firemon-home/
The Fuel Load method (FL) is used to sample dead and down woody debris, determine depth of the duff/ litter profile, estimate the proportion of litter in the profile, and estimate total vegetative cover and dead vegetative cover. Down woody debris (DWD) is sampled using the planar intercept technique based on the methodology developed by Brown (1974). Pieces of dead and down woody debris are tallied in the standard fire size classes: 1-hour (0 to 0.25 inches or 0 to 0.6 cm), 10-hour (0.25 to 1.0 inches or 0.6 to 2.5 cm), 100-hour (1.0 to 3.0 inches or 2.5 to 8 cm). Pieces greater than 3 inches (8 cm) in diameter are recorded by diameter and decay class. Duff and litter depth are measured at two points along each 60- ft (20-meter) sampling plane. Litter depth is estimated as a proportion of total duff and litter depth. Cover of live and dead vegetation is estimated at two points along each 60-ft (20-meter) sampling plane. Biomass of DWD, duff, litter, and vegetation is calculated using the Analysis Tools software.
