FIRE, FUEL, AND SMOKE SCIENCE PROGRAM 2014 RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS ...

84 Pages·2015·6.47 MB·English

by  Faith Ann Heinsch

United States Department of Agriculture
FIRE, FUEL, AND SMOKE SCIENCE PROGRAM
2014 RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory
Rocky Mountain Research Station
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Forest Rocky Mountain Publication March

Service Research Station R1-15-10 2015
FIRE, FUEL, AND SMOKE SCIENCE PROGRAM
Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory
Rocky Mountain Research Station
U.S. Forest Service
5775 U.S. 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 2014 Research Accomplishments. On file at: Missoula, MT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky
Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory. 77 p.
Cover photos, clockwise from top: Schoolhouse Fire. Photo by Duncan Lutes / FFS; Researchers discuss fire scars on a stump in eastern Oregon. Photo by
Daniel G. Gavin / University of Oregon. Litter traps are used to collect dead foliage for monitoring fuel. Photo by Bob Keane / FFS. Experimental outdoor crib
burn. Photo by Kristine Lee / FFS. Photo on opposite page: Flame structure of a fire whirl. Photo courtesy of Kristine Lee / FFS.
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Table of Contents
The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program ............................................................................... 1
2014 Year in Review: Expanding Our Understanding of Fire ............................................... 4
Partnerships ........................................................................................................................................ 10
From the Archives: 50 Years Ago: Fire Physics Research .................................................... 11
Physical Fire Processes ................................................................................................................... 13
Understanding Burning Rate and Residence Time Using Wood Cribs .................................................................... 14
Effect of Season on Ignition of Live Fuels ........................................................................................................................... 15
Flame Structure in Spreading Laboratory Fires ............................................................................................................... 16
Tests of Wildfire Ignition from Exploding Targets .......................................................................................................... 17
Near-Surface Wind Measurements ........................................................................................................................................ 18
Vegetation Clearance Distance to Prevent Wildland Fire Damage to Power Transmission and
Telecommunication Lines and Towers ......................................................................................................................... 19
Camp Swift Research Burns ...................................................................................................................................................... 20
Fuel Dynamics .................................................................................................................................... 21
Describing and Scaling Physio-chemical Properties of Live and Dead Fuels to Parameterize Physics-
based Fire Behavior Models .............................................................................................................................................. 22
Physiological Drivers of the ‘Spring Dip’ in Red Pine and Jack Pine Foliar Moisture Content and Its
Relationship to Crown Fire Activity in the Great Lakes ........................................................................................ 24
Evaluating Fuel Treatment Effectiveness at Stand Scales Using STANDFIRE ...................................................... 26
Smoke Emissions and Dispersion ................................................................................................ 28
Development and Validation of Combustion Process-based Emission Models ................................................... 29
Climate Impacts on Fire Regimes and Air Quality in Northern Eurasia ................................................................. 31
Fire Ecology ......................................................................................................................................... 33
Effects of New Restoration Technique “Daylighting” Are Evaluated for Whitebark Pine in the U.S.
Northern Rocky Mountains ............................................................................................................................................... 34
Western Spruce Budworm Outbreaks Did Not Increase Fire Risk During the Past Three Centuries in
the Interior Pacific Northwest .......................................................................................................................................... 36
Assessing the Impacts of Recent Climate Change on Global Fire Danger .............................................................. 37
Fire and Fuel Management Strategies ........................................................................................ 38
Soil Heating and Fire Effects ..................................................................................................................................................... 39
Arcburn: Linking Field-based and Experimental Methods to Quantify, Predict, and Manage Fire Effects
on Cultural Resources ......................................................................................................................................................... 40
All images and photographs are from the U.S. Forest Service unless otherwise credited.
Firefighter Safety: New Research on Safety Zones ......................................................................................................... 43
Monitoring Surface and Canopy Fuel Conditions after Stand-Replacing Disturbance Events in Northern
Rocky Mountain Ecosystems ............................................................................................................................................ 44
Surface Fuel Characteristics, Temporal Dynamics, and Fire Behavior of Masticated Mixed-Conifer
Fuel Beds of the Southeast and Rocky Mountains ................................................................................................... 46
Science Synthesis and Delivery .................................................................................................... 48
Fire Effects Information System Improvements .............................................................................................................. 49
“Imagining Fire Futures” Educational Website ................................................................................................................ 50
A Century of Wildland Fire Research .................................................................................................................................... 52
Living with Fire: A Fire Regime Assessment of the Eastern Province, Zambia ................................................... 54
U.S. National Fire Danger Rating System Development and Support ..................................................................... 56
Fort Huachuca 10-Year Fuels Treatment and Implementation Plan ....................................................................... 58
WindNinja: Simulating High-Resolution Winds in Support of Fire Growth Simulations and Fire
Management Strategy Planning ...................................................................................................................................... 59
The Research Continues .................................................................................................................. 60
Updates to the U.S. National Fire Danger Rating System .............................................................................................. 61
Evaluating Effects of Climate Change on Whitebark Pine ............................................................................................ 62
Book: Wildland Fuel Fundamentals and Application .................................................................................................... 63
Strengthening Science Syntheses on Fire: Increasing Their Usefulness for Managers ................................... 64
Education and Outreach .................................................................................................................. 65
Fire Modeling Institute .................................................................................................................... 67
2014 Publications ............................................................................................................................. 70
Photo: Snags and natural regeneration (ponderosa pine and western larch) at the Snowbowl old-growth restoration site, Montana. Picture taken approximately
15 years after timber harvest and prescribed burning. Photo by Helen Smith / FFS.
The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program

T
he Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program (FFS) of the U.S. Forest Service, Rocky
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
support staff in FFS conduct national and international, cutting-edge work in wildland fire
research and develop research and management tools and applications designed to improve
understanding of wildland fire as well as safe and effective fire, fuel, and smoke management.
The research is divided among six general focus areas of study, described on the next page.

Photo: Lighting a prescribed fire as part of RxCADRE, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Photo by Dan Jimenez / FFS.
1
The Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program
Physical Fire Processes vary spatially, differ in size, and change with time.
Through laboratory and field studies, FFS scientists
Laboratory studies are developing tools to predict seasonal and multi-
and theoretical year changes in fuels that allow managers to more
physical modeling, accurately predict fire behavior and fire effects.
informed and Improved data for fire behavior modeling and fuel
validated by field hazard assessment and improved fuel dynamics
observations, are algorithms for temporal models of fire behavior, fire
used to examine danger, and fire effects are critical additions for the
physical fire next generation of fire models.
processes and
improve our capability to manage fire safely. This
research is designed to improve understanding of the
Smoke Emissions and Dispersion
fundamental, multi-scale, physical processes that
govern fire behavior, including combustion
Officials charged
processes, heat and energy transfer, atmospheric
with supporting
dynamics, and transitions from one type of fire
public health and
behavior to another. Scientists analyze the
safety need better
combustion process and the factors that determine
tools to estimate
fire behavior with the goal of developing a
effects of wildfire
comprehensive physics-based fire modeling system
on smoke emission
that includes the full range of combustion
levels, visibility
environments and fire events observed in wildland
standards, and
fuels. New physics-based understanding will be
carbon budget applications as well as to anticipate
incorporated into models suitable for use by fire and
the movement of smoke across the country and
fuels managers both for characterizing fire danger
around the globe. FFS researchers are developing
and predicting fire behavior. Scientists need to model
and testing methods for implementing a real-time
fire behavior for a wide range of purposes including
emissions inventory and dispersion models for
improving firefighter safety, simulating site-specific
smoke emissions from wildland fires. Researchers
vegetation, predicting loss of life or property, and
are integrating field observations, satellite data, and
global carbon accounting.
smoke chemistry with models of emissions, smoke
composition, and movement either within a fire
plume or through layers of the atmosphere to
Fuel Dynamics improve understanding and prediction of smoke
emissions and dispersion. This work applies to issues
Research on fuel dynamics helps relating to National Ambient Air Quality Standards
land managers describe the under the Clean Air Act, regional haze issues, and
vegetation that burns during continental and global climate change questions.
wildland and prescribed fires.
FFS scientists investigate and
design consistent, accurate, and
comprehensive methods for
quantifying wildland fuels, which
Top left photo: Wooden cribs are burned to improve understanding of fundamental fire behavior (burning rate and resident time). Photo by Sara McAllister / FFS. Bottom
left photo: Douglas fir cone. Photo by Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte / Bugwood.org. Right photo: Smoke rises from the Rising Eagle Fire near the Carlton Complex, Twisp,
Washington. Photo by Faith Ann Heinsch / FFS.
2
Fire Ecology predictability of fire’s impacts on the biota, the
atmosphere, and human health and safety, they use
To predict post-fire succession, case studies, ecological research, and models based
managers require better on physical fire processes and fuel dynamics
understanding of interactions research. FFS research improves fire and fuel
between fire-adaptive traits of plant management policies and practices, resulting in
species and fire severity. They also increased forest resilience, maintenance of forest
need improved understanding of cover, increased carbon capture and storage, and
treatments, such as prescribed fire better understanding of the complex interactions
with and without harvest, mechanical treatment, between climate change and fire regimes. Moreover,
and/or herbicide application, and resulting effects on improved fire danger rating and fire behavior
fundamental ecosystem characteristics, such as prediction systems support sound fire and fuel
nutrient cycling, carbon storage, long-term fuel management decision making.
dynamics, and weed invasion. Understanding how
treatments interact is important as well. Field and
laboratory studies address how fires and, more
specifically, the associated heat transfer, fuel Science Synthesis and Delivery
consumption, and fire duration, affect plants and
Scientific publications form the
plant communities, how fires alter the flow of carbon
foundation of science delivery.
and nutrients in ecosystems, and how fire influences
Synthesis of past research builds
native and nonnative species. Research results
on this foundation. FFS is
contribute to improved conservation, appropriate
committed to delivering new
ecological use of fire, improved management
science knowledge in forms usable
strategies for ecosystem restoration and
by scientists and resource
maintenance, and better, more defensible fuel
managers alike. While FFS
management treatments.
synthesis and delivery efforts are
anchored in refereed scientific publications, science
delivery includes the entire range of communications
Fire and Fuel Management Strategies media to help land managers apply new and existing
research, including computer programs, photo
To improve guides, and mentoring. Additional products include
predictive ability presentations, classes, field tours, and training
for future fire materials. To develop and test products, FFS
regimes, FFS personnel collaborate with users and other
scientists and stakeholders to design new ways to exchange
their research information and bring science into application. FFS
partners simulate personnel provide educational programs for children
landscape-level and young adults. They also maintain the website
interactions www.firelab.org, where information about FFS
among changing climate, fire regimes, and vegetation publications and products is available. The Program’s
under different management scenarios. To better Fire Modeling Institute (FMI, page 67) is an essential
understand the drivers of historical fire regimes, they component of this focus area.
conduct fire history research. To improve the
Top left photo: Prescribed fire, Missoula, Montana. Photo by Karin Riley / University of Montana. Bottom left photo: Snow covers whitebark pine. Photo by Bob
Keane / FFS. Right photo: American marten, described in the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). Photo courtesy of Erwin and Peggy Bauer.
3
2014 Year in Review:
Expanding Our Understanding of Fire
W
e are celebrating 2014 as another year of ignition of a single needle or leaf to fuel beds in the
tremendous productivity, new innovative wind tunnel, and from small test fuel beds to research
science, and highly relevant support to the global fire burns in the field. Our Fuel Dynamics R&D examines
management community. The mission of our Fire, how fuel accumulates and decays, how it varies
Fuel, and Smoke Science Program (FFS) is to improve spatially, how to characterize and map fuel, and how
the safety and effectiveness of fire management fuels respond to disturbance. Research on smoke
through the creation and dissemination of basic fire impacts performed by our Smoke Emissions and
science knowledge. Our core scientific functions and Dispersion team is international in scope, and our
accomplishments are led by individuals assigned to scientists examine these impacts both through
positions classified by the U.S. Office of Personnel fundamental research and by improving models of
Management (OPM) as “scientists.” Research smoke emissions. This year’s accomplishments
executed by scientists is defined by OPM as included estimating smoke dispersion in northern
“systematic, critical, intensive investigation directed Eurasia and refining models of emission and
toward discovering, disseminating, and applying new dispersion. In 2014, our Fire Ecology research was
or expanded knowledge in a professional discipline.” focused “closer to home,” with work on whitebark
Within FFS, we strive to provide an overall portfolio pine in the northern Rocky Mountains and western
of Research and Development (R&D) that sets local, spruce budworm in the interior Pacific Northwest.
national, and international standards of excellence. Fire and Fuel Management Strategies were
examined across the United States, including fuel
To accomplish our work, the Program’s 11 scientists monitoring after disturbance in the Northwest to
organize teams from among our 6 post-doctoral determine fire effects on cultural artifacts of the
scientists, 20 professionals, 8 term-appointed American Southwest, estimating soil heating effects
personnel, as many as 10 temporary employees, of oil spills in areas along the Gulf Coast, and
numerous resident contractors and cooperators, and improving tools and guidelines for safely managing
scores of external partners and institutions. The wildland fire. Globally, our research provides insight
program is loosely organized into eight teams, five of into changes in fire danger and improved methods
which are focused on specific research focus topics. for estimating fire behavior. Finally, our Science
The remaining three teams provide administrative, Synthesis and Delivery spans the world, with
logistical and technology transfer support. These websites and educational opportunities based on
teams take innovative approaches to discover new ecosystems of the northern Rocky Mountains,
information and refine our understanding of the role, assistance with fuel treatment planning in the
behavior, and effects of wildland fire. We are proud to Southwest, documentation of U.S. Forest Service fire
present what these teams have accomplished during research history, support of the U.S. National Fire
2014. Danger Rating System, syntheses of information on
fire effects, support of fire regime assessments in

Zambia, and publications that reach international
Program Area Knowledge, Discovery,
audiences.
Development, and Delivery

The FFS scientists and staff pursue research in their
Support of Research at the Station Level
specialties through collaborative research within the
program and around the world. Within FFS, there are The Rocky Mountain Station is an internationally
six program areas, outlined on pages 2-3. Research recognized leader in natural resources research. It is
on Physical Fire Processes in 2014 ranged from only through the efforts of research teams led by
4