Wildland Fire Management Research Articles

Demand for Information for Wildland Fire Management

Significant resources have been devoted to increasing the supply of data and information products for wildland fire management. There has been comparatively less emphasis on understanding the demand for these products. There are large differences in the number of information sources that fire managers use in decision making. We developed a value-of-information model for wildland fire managers to formulate hypotheses about what factors drive these differences. Data from a comprehensive internet survey targeting a well-defined population of the Southwest wildland fire managers are used to test these hypotheses. Results are generally consistent with hypotheses generated from the value-of-information model. Multiple regression results suggest information use increases with the number of decisions that managers make and is greater during fire season than before. Information use is affected by a manager’s level of education, age, experience, job type, the agencies they work for, and the multi-agency dispatch centers where they work. Agency and dispatch center effects explain more of the variation in information use than differences in the respondents’ personal characteristics. To better understand fire manager demand for information, future research could explore in more detail what specific attributes of agencies and dispatch centers affect use of information for wildland fire management.

External drivers of changes in wildland firefighter safety policies and practices

Background Firefighter safety is a top priority in wildland fire response and management. Existing explanations emphasise how land management agency initiatives to change organisational culture, usually inspired by fatality incidents, contribute to changes both in formal safety policies and informal safety practices. Aims This paper identifies external factors that lead to changes in wildland firefighter safety policies and practices. Methods This paper uses qualitative data from a long-term ethnographic research project. Data include detailed fieldnotes, semi-structured interviews, and agency documents, which were systematically coded and thematically analysed. Key results In addition to the triggering effects of fatality incidents and agency initiatives to change organisational culture, external factors also directly impact the development of firefighter safety policies and practices. These include sociodemographic, material, political, and social-environmental factors. Conclusions Identifying and understanding the influence of multi-scalar external factors on firefighter safety is essential to improving safety outcomes and reducing firefighters’ exposure to hazards. Implications Attention to and recognition of external factors is valuable for fire managers and practitioners, whose work is influenced and constrained by meso- and macro-level factors. The framework presented in this paper would be useful in understanding other important aspects of wildland fire management.

Burn Period: A use-inspired metric to track wildfire risk across Arizona and New Mexico in the southwest U.S.

Abstract Numerous tools and indices exist for wildland fire managers to anticipate and track changes in wildfire risk driven by variability in weather and climate conditions at hourly to seasonal scales. However, in working closely with southwest U.S. managers, we learned of a simple meteorological metric being informally used, but not widely accessible in existing tools or information products, to gauge short-term changes in wildfire risk. This metric, termed ‘Burn Period’ (BP), is the local count of hours per day with relative humidity values equal to or less than 20%. Our collaboration led to the development of an experimental tool called the ‘Burn Period Tracker’ to ease access and promote use of BP values for planning and response. This study is a climatological analysis of BP values at 124 fire weather stations across Arizona and New Mexico for the period 2000-2022 to aid in interpretation and understanding of this use-inspired metric. BP values reflect the strong seasonality in temperature and moisture deficit-driven wildfire risk across the southwest U.S., with risk climbing through the arid spring season, peaking in June, and then falling rapidly with the onset of the summer monsoon in July. Regression analyses show that short-term variability in BP values are driven by variability in low level atmospheric moisture in all months with strongest relationships during the summer after the onset of the monsoon. This study highlights the utility of BP as a short-term wildfire planning tool as well as an example of collaborative weather and climate services development.

Enhanced prediction of extreme fire weather conditions in spring using the Hot-Dry-Windy Index in Alberta, Canada

Background Fire weather indices forecast fire behaviour and provide valuable information for wildland fire prevention, preparedness, and suppression. However, these indices do not directly account for atmospheric conditions aloft. The province of Alberta, Canada has experienced extreme fire weather conditions during spring for decades, leading to the continued occurrence of disastrous wildland fires. Aims We examined the Hot-Dry-Windy Index (HDWI) and spread days over the first 4 days of 80 large wildland fires that started in May 1990–2019 in Alberta. Methods HDWI values were calculated using ERA5 reanalysis data from the 1000, 975 and 950 hPa levels. Differences between HDWI distributions on spread days and non-spread days were examined using permutation tests. Initial Spread Index was also examined as it is considered an important Fire Weather Index System value for wildland fire spread during spring in Alberta. Key results Higher median HDWI values were observed on spread days than non-spread days, where median Initial Spread Index values showed little to no difference. Conclusions This analysis suggests that HDWI can contribute to the prediction of significant spring wildland fire spread in Alberta. Implications Forecasted HDWI and HDWI climatologies may provide additional decision support for wildland fire management agencies.

How Are Weather and Climate Products and Decision Support Systems Used in Wildland Fire Decision Making in the US Southwest?

Abstract Wildland fire management is a challenging environment in which to utilize scientific information. Despite the robust information system that supports US wildland fire management, recent studies demonstrate that some data/information products and decision support tools available to that community are not being used to their full potential. In the US Southwest the convergence of climate change, past wildland fire policy, and an expanding wildland urban interface has increased pressure on wildland fire managers to use science-based information to improve management outcomes. This tension between the perceived need for more science in fire management and the practical challenges of using science to inform decisions led us to ask two basic questions: 1) How is information about weather and climate used in wildland fire management decision making in the Southwest? 2) How are decision support tools used in Southwest wildland fire management? We found: relatively few sources of weather and climate information are consulted by Southwest wildland fire managers; a small percentage of those sources are used to inform the specific decisions and tasks we asked about; decision support tools are commonly used to justify rather than inform decisions. We further found evidence that suggests that products and tools that are thoughtfully designed to fit within the specific information use environment of wildland fire management—rather than being produced in isolation from that environment—are more likely to be used and therefore have more impact than those that are produced in isolation from that environment.

Exploring the use of satellite Earth observation active wildland fire hotspot data via open access web platforms

ABSTRACT Globally, managing wildland fire is increasing in complexity. Satellite Earth Observation (EO) data, specifically active fire ‘hotspot’ data, is often used to inform wildland fire management. This study explores hotspot data usage via web traffic data (‘user counts’) for the FIRMS, GWIS and EFFIS web portals between September 2019 and April 2023. Global active fire data use is characterized by multi-month periods of relatively low, stable user counts, interspersed with periodic spikes (4.1x median monthly activity) of activity broadly aligned with the North American / European fire season (late summer-fall). Users from the Americas (45%) and Europe (36%) dominate web traffic. We also examined correlative relationships between web page user counts and environmental and social variables at multiple spatial scales. Globally, the strongest relationships were found between user counts and the total number of fires, total burned area, number of fire disaster events; country population levels and internet proliferation. Notably, at a country level, the strongest (and weakest) relationships between weekly user counts and fire activity were found in a diverse range of countries suggesting that a variety of hotspot data use situations exist and further investigation is needed to better understand EO active fire data usage.

Learning to Burn: A Case Study on the Redesign of Federal Prescribed Fire Training in the United States Using the Twelve Levers of Transfer Effectiveness

Abstract Lack of effectively trained personnel is a barrier to increasing safe and effective prescribed burning. The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) identified a need to redesign the required training to become a federally qualified burn boss. The redesign uses strengths of subject matter experts while considering best practices for training development and delivery using the twelve levers of transfer effectiveness as a framework. This article serves as a reference for developing and delivering courses in and outside of wildland fire by applying the most up-to-date understanding of adult learning for improved training effectiveness. The ideas presented in this article support continued development of practitioners to accomplish land management objectives. Study Implications: Strategic development and implementation of burn boss training may increase the likelihood that burn bosses can safely and effectively implement prescribed burns. This article presents a case study for applying key adult learning methods to improve training effectiveness that can be applied to other training topics in and outside wildland fire management.

Quantifying wildland fire resources deployed during the compound threat of COVID-19

Fire agencies across the United States must make complex resource allocation decisions to manage wildfires using a national network of shared firefighting resources. Firefighters play a critical role in suppressing fires and protecting vulnerable communities. However, they are exposed to health and safety risks associated with fire, smoke inhalation, and infectious disease transmission. The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated these risks, prompting fire agencies to propose resource management adaptations to minimize COVID-19 exposure and transmission. It is unclear if and how the pandemic may have operationally influenced wildland firefighting personnel resource use given compounding wildfire and COVID-19 risks. Therefore, we developed generalized linear mixed models that were fit using multiple integrated datasets to detect changes in personnel resource use for years prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, while controlling for historical fire and landscape conditions, societal risks, and management objectives. Analyses of observed and predicted firefighting resource use revealed reductions in the mean personnel resources used per wildfire per day during the pandemic for models developed across the western U.S. and for various western U.S. fire regions. Notably, the Northern California and the Great Basin Coordination Centers showed statistically significant reductions in ground personnel use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning from wildland fire management strategies and resource use trends that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, fire agencies can better anticipate resource constraints that may arise during the compounding threats of severe wildland fire activity and infectious disease outbreaks to proactively prepare and adapt suppression management strategies.

Barriers and opportunities for implementing prescribed fire: lessons from managers in the mid-Atlantic region, United States

BackgroundPrescribed burning is a beneficial fire management practice used by practitioners worldwide to meet multiple land management objectives, including reduction of wildfire hazard, promotion of biodiversity, and management of vegetation for wildlife and human interests. Meeting these objectives can be difficult due to the need for institutional coordination, resource and policy constraints, and community support. We examined these dynamics in the United States’ mid-Atlantic region because prescribed fire use is increasing in the region to meet a broadening set of land management objectives. Managers are at the frontlines of these challenges and hold significant experience and knowledge for enhancing wildland fire management policy and strategy. Towards better leveraging this insight, we conducted focus groups with fire managers in land management agencies in the region to identify managers’ perceived barriers and opportunities for implementing prescribed fire.ResultsWe found manager perceptions to be hierarchical, with barriers and opportunities expressed across landscape, community, and individual levels. Limited institutional coordination across landscapes was seen by managers as an opportunity for expanding prescribed fire implementation, whereas coping with shared fear or stress about burning among individual managers or individual community members was seen as a significant barrier. Yet, despite different prescribed burning histories and policies at the state level, barriers and opportunities were similar among managers in the mid-Atlantic region.ConclusionsManagers in the mid-Atlantic region confront barriers to prescribed fire use but are also uniquely positioned to recognize opportunities to enhance its implementation. This work sheds light on these barriers and opportunities, revealing that managers desire greater opportunities for landscape-level fire planning and coordination across agencies as well as greater opportunities for community engagement and interpersonal trust-building within complex social-management networks. Manager perspectives from the mid-Atlantic provide lessons for other regions across the globe grappling with new or broadened land-management strategies that include beneficial fire use.

Indigenous Fire Data Sovereignty: Applying Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles to Fire Research

Indigenous Peoples have been stewarding lands with fire for ecosystem improvement since time immemorial. These stewardship practices are part and parcel of the ways in which Indigenous Peoples have long recorded and protected knowledge through our cultural transmission practices, such as oral histories. In short, our Peoples have always been data gatherers, and as this article presents, we are also fire data gatherers and stewards. Given the growing interest in fire research with Indigenous communities, there is an opportunity for guidance on data collection conducted equitably and responsibly with Indigenous Peoples. This Special Issue of Fire presents fire research approaches and data harvesting practices with Indigenous communities as we “Reimagine the Future of Living and Working with Fire”. Specifically, the article provides future-thinking practices that can achieve equitable, sustainable, and just outcomes with and for stakeholders and rightholders (the preferred term Indigenous Peoples use in partnerships with academics, agencies, and NGOs). This research takes from the following key documents to propose an “Indigenous fire data sovereignty” (IFDS) framework: (1) Articles declared in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as identified by the author and specified in Indigenous-led and allied Indigenous fire research in Australia, Canada, and the U.S.; (2) recommendations specific to cultural fire policy and calls for research in the 2023 Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission report; (3) research and data barriers and opportunities produced in the 2024 Good Fire II report; and threads from (4) the Indigenous Fire Management conceptual model. This paper brings together recommendations on Indigenous data sovereignty, which are principles developed by Indigenous researchers for the protection, dissemination, and stewardship of data collected from Tribal/Nation/Aboriginal/First Nations Indigenous communities. The proposed IFDS framework also identifies potential challenges to Indigenous fire data sovereignty. By doing so, the framework serves as an apparatus to deploy fire research and data harvesting practices that are culturally informed, responsible, and ethically demonstrated. The article concludes with specific calls to action for academics and researchers, allies, fire managers, policymakers, and Indigenous Peoples to consider in exercising Indigenous fire data sovereignty and applying Indigenous data sovereignty principles to fire research.

A perspective and survey on the implementation and uptake of tools to support decision-making in Canadian wildland fire management

The level of implementation and uptake of specific tools used to support wildland fire management decision-making has received little attention in Canada. Our aim is to aid the fire research-to-practice discourse in Canada by describing key terms and concepts for characterizing implementation, uptake, and capacity. We also designed and conducted a survey to assess the implementation and uptake of some of the available tools used by Canadian provincial and territorial fire management agencies. We assessed nine tools and found distinct differences in their implementation and uptake, with differing results at national versus provincial and territorial scale. The Canadian Fire Weather Index and Fire Behaviour Prediction Systems had the highest level of both implementation and uptake nationally. The other tools have substantially lower but varying degrees of implementation and uptake across the country. The results encourage further investigation into the factors affecting implementation and uptake of fire management tools, both nationally and in provinces and territories.

Constraints on Mechanical Fuel Reduction Treatments in United States Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy Priority Landscapes

Abstract The USDA Forest Service recently launched a Wildfire Crisis Strategy outlining objectives to safeguard communities and other values at risk by substantially increasing the pace and scale of fuel reduction treatment. This analysis quantified layered operational constraints to mechanical fuel reduction treatments, including existing vegetation, protected areas, steep slopes, and administrative boundaries in twenty-one prioritized landscapes. Results suggest that achieving the objective to treat 20%–40% of high-risk area is unlikely in most landscapes under a business-as-usual approach to mechanical fuel reduction treatments. Increased investment in steep-slope systems and expanded road access opens sufficient acreage to meet treatment objectives in eighteen of twenty-one priority landscapes. Achieving treatment objectives in the remaining three landscapes will require both increased investment to overcome physical constraints and navigating administrative complexities within reserved land allocations to implement fuels treatments at the pace and scale needed to moderate fire risk to communities. Study Implications: Legal, operational, and administrative factors have hindered the implementation of proposed wildland fire risk reduction management actions. Investing in steep-slope systems, expanding use of temporary roads, and revising administrative rules to allow for appropriately tailored mechanical thinning in special conservation areas are possible ways to meet fuel reduction treatment objectives of the USDA Forest Service Wildfire Crisis Strategy in twenty-one landscapes across the western United States. Broadening the land base available for mechanical treatment allows for flexibility to develop treatment plans that optimize across the multiple dimensions of effective landscape-scale fuel treatment design and restore fire as a key ecosystem process.

Mental Health and Traumatic Occupational Exposure in Wildland Fire Dispatchers

Wildland fire dispatchers play a key role in wildland fire management and response organization; however, to date, wildland fire studies have largely focused on the physical hazards and, to a lesser extent, mental health hazards of wildland firefighting operational personnel, and dispatcher studies have primarily focused on 911 and police dispatchers. Studies of other dispatchers have provided some limited insight into potential strains impacting this workforce, including work-related fatigue, burnout, and traumatic exposure. However, the specific job hazards that are faced by wildland fire dispatchers are poorly understood. In 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 510 wildland fire dispatchers with questions about their occupational health, general health, and well-being. We used validated screening instruments to measure the rates of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts and ideation. Here, we also present the results of mental health and trauma exposure questions that were asked as part of a larger survey. We found that demographic factors were significant indicators of anxiety, depression, and binge/restrictive eating. Our data indicate that rates of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts and ideation are significantly higher for both the wildland fire dispatching workforce and other emergency responder populations than those of the general United States population.

Retention of highly qualified wildland firefighters in the Western United States

Federal agencies responsible for wildland fire management face increasing needs for personnel as fire seasons lengthen and fire size continues to grow, yet federal agencies have struggled to recruit and retain firefighting personnel. While many have speculated that long seasons, challenging working conditions, and low wages contribute to recruitment and retention challenges, there has been no empirical investigation of these claims. We assemble a unique dataset on the federally funded Interagency Hotshot Crews in the Western United States, which are comprised of highly qualified firefighters, from 2012 to 2018 to analyze the factors that affect firefighter retention. Using a Cox proportional hazard model, we find that a higher workload, a proxy for higher earnings, and cumulative experience over the course of an employee's career both have a significant positive impact on retention. The wage of alternative occupations had no significant effect on retention. Retention decreases over the study period.

Connecting dryland fine-fuel assessments to wildfire exposure and natural resource values at risk

BackgroundWildland fire in arid and semi-arid (dryland) regions can intensify when climatic, biophysical, and land-use factors increase fuel load and continuity. To inform wildland fire management under these conditions, we developed high-resolution (10-m) estimates of fine fuel across the Altar Valley in southern Arizona, USA, which spans dryland, grass-dominated ecosystems that are administered by multiple land managers and owners. We coupled field measurements at the end of the 2021 growing season with Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and vegetation indices acquired during and after the growing season to develop predictions of fine fuel across the entire valley. We then assessed how climate, soil, vegetation, and land-use factors influenced the amount and distribution of fine fuels. We connected fine fuels to fire management points, past ignition history, and socio-economic vulnerability to evaluate wildfire exposure and assessed how fuel related to habitat of the endangered masked bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi).ResultsThe high amount of fine fuel (400–3600 kg/ha; mean = 1392 kg/ha) predicted by our remote sensing model (R2 = 0.63) for 2021 compared to previous years in the valley was stimulated by near-record high growing season precipitation that was 177% of the 1990–2020 mean. Fine fuel increased across the valley if it was contained within the wildlife refuge boundary and had lower temperature and vapor pressure deficit, higher soil organic content, and abundant annual plants and an invasive perennial grass (R2 = 0.24). The index of potential exposure to wildfire showed a clustering of high exposure centered around roads and low-density housing development distant from fire management points and extending into the upper elevations flanking the valley. Within the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, fine fuel increased with habitat suitability for the masked bobwhite quail within and adjacent to core habitat areas, representing a natural resource value at risk, accompanied with higher overall mean fine fuel (1672 kg/ha) in relation to 2015 (1347 kg/ha) and 2020 (1363 kg/ha) means.ConclusionsBy connecting high-resolution estimates of fine fuel to climatic, biophysical and land-use factors, wildfire exposure, and a natural resource value at risk, we provide a pro-active and adaptive framework for fire risk management within highly variable and rapidly changing dryland landscapes.

Development of a Decision Matrix for National Weather Service Red Flag Warnings

The National Weather Service is responsible for alerting wildland fire management of meteorological conditions that create an environment conducive for extreme fire behavior. This is communicated via Red Flag Warnings (RFWs), which presently lack a national standardized methodology and rarely are explicitly linked to fuel conditions such those as provided by National Fire-Danger Rating System (NFDRS) indicators. The need for a revamped RFW has been expressed recently by both fire management and fire weather meteorologists. A decision matrix approach was developed to determine criteria that consistently and explicitly associates meteorological and fuels information to extreme fire behavior. Extreme fire behavior is defined here as maximum rates of spread (area per day) observed on documented large fires from 1999–2014 utilizing the ICS209 all-hazard dataset. Meteorological conditions occurring with these rates of spread were compared to historical percentiles of relative humidity, wind speed, and the NFDRS Energy Release Component. These percentiles were assigned a numerical score from one through five based on percentile rank. The additive result of all three scores was plotted against rates of spread yielding a two-step decision matrix of RFW categories where, for example, the highest score is the most extreme RFW case. Actual RFW issuances were compared to this matrix method.

Territories in Transition: how social contexts influence wildland fire adaptive capacity in rural Northwestern European Mediterranean areas

BackgroundRural and semi-rural areas are complex and dynamic social-ecological systems, many of which have experienced profound impacts from wildland fires, particularly this decade. Under uncertain climate change conditions, these areas require new adaptive strategies to support landscape and community resilience. While these areas vary widely, some patterns of local social context have become apparent through wildland fire research. These patterns can help decision-makers better understand what influences communities’ abilities to adapt to fire. We focused our study on a northwestern European Mediterranean context, where communities are adapting to wildland fire and other climate change impacts through varied programs and policies. This area is composed of diverse landscapes, cultures, histories, languages and governance structures, but it also shares fire-based learning networks and collaborations, providing a sound indicator of shared elements of social context. Our study analyzed local social contexts in rural areas of Spain, Italy and France and assessed how these may inform adaptive capacity to wildland fire. A two-step process achieved this: (1) a targeted literature review of local social context elements as they relate to wildland fire in Mediterranean Europe; and (2) conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 key experts in rural Mediterranean areas, including fire managers, foresters, local administrators and technicians.ResultsResults illustrate numerous shared patterns in rural social contexts that influence local fire adaptive capacity. Dynamic local relationships among residents, local fire knowledge and environmental movements, the role of fire managers and administrators, and embeddedness in broader sociopolitical trends all interconnect to influence local fire adaptive capacity. Some key elements of context can act as primary enablers or barriers to this process, such as the presence (or lack) of local fire knowledge, and the opportunity (or lack thereof) for sustainable local economic development. Results also demonstrate high diversity in terms of governance structures and development trajectories.ConclusionsWe argue the need for deepened empirical transdisciplinary research to connect fire and land management tailored to local characteristics. Centering these local perspectives and diverse cultural values is necessary to foster long term adaptive wildland fire management strategies in rural Mediterranean communities and globally.

Downscaled subseasonal fire danger forecast skill across the contiguous United States

AbstractThe increasing complexity and impacts of fire seasons in the United States have prompted efforts to improve early warning systems for wildland fire management. Outlooks of potential fire activity at lead‐times of several weeks can help in wildland fire resource allocation as well as complement short‐term meteorological forecasts for ongoing fire events. Here, we describe an experimental system for developing downscaled ensemble‐based subseasonal forecasts for the contiguous US using NCEP's operational Climate Forecast System version 2 model. These forecasts are used to calculate forecasted fire danger indices from the United States (US) National Fire Danger Rating System in addition to forecasts of evaporative demand. We further illustrate the skill of subseasonal forecasts on weekly timescales using hindcasts from 2011 to 2021. Results show that while forecast skill degrades with time, statistically significant week 3 correlative skill was found for 76% and 30% of the contiguous US for Energy Release Component and evaporative demand, respectively. These results highlight the potential value of experimental subseasonal forecasts in complementing existing information streams in weekly‐to‐monthly fire business decision making for suppression‐based decisions and geographic reallocation of resources during the fire season, as well for proactive fire management actions outside of the core fire season.

Impacts of a Prescribed Fire on Air Quality in Central New Mexico

A short-duration but high-impact air quality event occurred on 28 November 2018 along the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico. This fire occurred outside the typical wildfire season, and greatly impacted the air quality in Socorro, NM, and the surroundings. Measurements were taken during the event using an aerosol light scattering technique (integrating nephelometer) and a particulate mass concentration monitor (DustTrak PM optical monitor). The instruments sampled the ambient air during the event on the campus of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, New Mexico. The peak values on a 5-min basis of light scattering and the PM mass concentration reached 470 Mm−1 and 270 µg/m3, respectively. We examined the meteorological context of the event using local meteorological data and back trajectories using the NOAA HYSPLIT model to determine atmospheric transport and possible sources. Several fires, both prescribed and wildfires, occurred in the region including a prescribed burn at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (17 km south-southeast of the receptor site). The data suggest that the prescribed burn at Bosque del Apache was the dominant contributor due to transport evidence and the event’s narrow spatiotemporal extent. The increasing importance of restoring ecosystem function using prescribed fire in wildland fire management will likely lead to more frequent air quality impacts and sets up policy tradeoffs that require a balance between these public goals. This study examines the evidence of the effects of a prescribed fire in a protected wildland area impacting the air quality in a nearby populated area.

A Laboratory-Scale Study of Selected Chinese Typical Flammable Wildland Timbers Ignition Formation Mechanism

Firebrands are the primary source of ignition for large wildfires and urban wildfires (WUIs). China is a country with a high incidence of forest fires, and there are great differences in the terrain, climate, and other natural conditions in different regions; the frequency of forest fire will lead to greater regional differences. In the process of fighting forest fire, the fire commander should make an accurate analysis and judgment according to the various signs of the fire, which are the key to ensure the safety of the participants and to realize a quick decision. Existing studies of firebrands formation have been performed using limited quantities of wildland fuels with limited MC fuel levels and environmental conditions and lacking comprehensive data analysis including typical wildland timbers basic fuel, pyrolysis and flammability properties, and forest fire dynamic knowledge (including forest fire development period analysis and the harm of heat flux to the human body) to guide the firefighting strategy. To better understand the characteristics of firebrand formation in different Chinese regional places, a systematic study to quantify wildland fuels ignition formation by testing different fuels under different conditions is needed. The objective of this study was to determine the basic pyrolysis and flammability of wildland fuels with high fire intensity in typical areas of China to provide relevant property data, offering insight into how wildland fuels arrangement can determine the movement of wildfires for firefighting strategy. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to determine the pyrolysis performance of selected wild fuels under different heating rates and different fuel MC values. The flammability of selected wildland fuels at different heat fluxes and at different moisture contents was determined using a cone calorimeter. This study measured the pyrolysis and flammability of some selected wildland fuels and found that some controlling factors (MC levels, heating conditions) influenced the outcome variables, especially the flammability of wildland timber. Fire behavior refers to the intensity at which a fire burns and how it moves. This research results point out the following: (1) Forest fire barriers or fuel breaks should be separated among Eucalyptus robusta Smith and Pinus massoniana before or in the fire due to high risk for ignition and strong flammability, and it is suggested to remove, control, and replace high-risk flammable timbers with low-risk flammable timbers as a part of long-term wildland fire management strategies. (2) Fire commanders could utilize some research to test conclusions and make an accurate analysis and judgment: The TTI time for each material indicates the ideal time for firefighters to put out fire, the peak of heat-release time indicates a fully developed fire to suggest firefighters finish work before the forest fire spirals out of control, and the flameout time represents the moment of low risk of fuel ignition, so firefighters could allow the fuel to burn out and change the extinguishing target to other regions of developing forest firebrands.