Abstract
New physics-based fire behavior models are poised to revolutionize wildland fire planning and training; however, model testing against field conditions remains limited. We tested the ability of QUIC-Fire, a fast-running and computationally inexpensive physics-based fire behavior model to numerically reconstruct a large wildfire that burned in a fire-excluded area within the New York–Philadelphia metropolitan area in 2019. We then used QUIC-Fire as a tool to explore how alternate hypothetical management scenarios, such as prescribed burning, could have affected fire behavior. The results of our reconstruction provide a strong demonstration of how QUIC-Fire can be used to simulate actual wildfire scenarios with the integration of local weather and fuel information, as well as to efficiently explore how fire management can influence fire behavior in specific burn units. Our results illustrate how both reductions of fuel load and specific modification of fuel structure associated with frequent prescribed fire are critical to reducing fire intensity and size. We discuss how simulations such as this can be important in planning and training tools for wildland firefighters, and for avenues of future research and fuel monitoring that can accelerate the incorporation of models like QUIC-Fire into fire management strategies.
Highlights
As wildland fire behavior is inherently a complex result of fuel, weather conditions, and physical processes that vary with the scale and spatial distribution of combusting material, there are strengths and weaknesses across this continuum of tools that often trade off the incorporation of relevant factors and scale of outputs for simplicity in computational requirements
Previous work focusing on fuels and forest structure suggest that between 2–5 prescribed fires may be required to achieve the maximum levels of fuel and structure modification, which we suggest are reflected by the scenarios S3 and S5 (Figure 8)
We successfully evaluated QUIC-Fire simulation of a wind-driven wildfire and demonstrated how alternate fuel conditions that contrasted the actual fire exclusion condition leading up to the fire may have reduced the complexity of suppressing the 2019 New Jersey
Summary
As wildland fire behavior is inherently a complex result of fuel, weather conditions, and physical processes that vary with the scale and spatial distribution of combusting material, there are strengths and weaknesses across this continuum of tools that often trade off the incorporation of relevant factors and scale of outputs for simplicity in computational requirements. There is a time and place for a range of approaches, but where the refinement of computationally complex models and the equipment to run them have grown, there exists untapped potential for their use and testing as comprehensive tools to accomplish planning, training, and research. In accounting for spatial and temporal heterogeneity in conditions that drive fire behavior, these new complex modeling approaches can be used to comprehensively explore diverse management scenarios and elucidate options to achieve desired outcomes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
