Fuel Dynamics and Management

Abstract

Fuels influence fire ignition, spread, intensity, and severity. Thus, fuels link fire behavior and fire effects. Fuels are central to our book, Fire science from chemistry to landscape management. We address how scientists and managers describe types of fuels, assess the amount of fuels (called fuel load) and characterize fuelbeds. The amount and type of fuel change with deposition, decomposition, disturbance, and vegetation dynamics. Fuel moisture too is dynamic. The moisture of live and dead fuels is critical to how readily fuels burn and how much fuel is consumed by fires. Lastly, we discuss fuels management, starting with strategies and principles, and continuing through different methods, including mechanical treatments and prescribed burning. Managers use fuels treatments to reduce or rearrange fuels to reduce potential fire spread and intensity. Fire fighters can use treatments in their fire suppression efforts. Fuels treatments are often part of ecological restoration to enhance resilience of forests and woodlands to future fires. Fuels management decreases burn severity, and not just when fires burn under moderate environmental conditions. Fuels treatments are less effective when challenged by fires burning under extreme conditions and as vegetation regrows. Strategic placement of fuels treatments can increase their effectiveness. Through our explanations of concepts and examples from forests, woodlands, and shrublands from around the world, readers develop a nuanced understanding of fuels dynamics and management. We discuss current issues such as where and how fuels treatments are effective, arguing that fuels treatments will still be useful in fire management even as climate changes. Readers can use the two interactive spreadsheets reinforce learning about fuel dynamics and crown fire mitigation.