Fire spread prediction in shrub fuels in Portugal

Expertise and knowledge of forest fire behaviour provide a sound basis to fire management activities. This study examines the possibility of describing fire spread in shrubland by means of a simple empirical model. Rates of fire spread up to 20 m min ˇ1 and the associated weather and fuel conditions were measured on a set of experimental and prescribed burns in four different shrub fuel types in Portugal. Shrubland fire spread in flat terrain could be accurately predicted in terms of wind speed, aerial dead fuel moisture content and vegetation height. However, it was not possible to identify individual effects of the fuel-complex descriptors on fire propagation. Preliminary fire spread models are presented but their use should be restricted to mild to moderate burning conditions until more extensive experimentation is carried out. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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