Sara S. McAllister, PhD

Treesearch Publications

• Sara S. McAllister. 2026. The wildfire problem – a path forward
• Ali Edalati-nejad, Sara S. McAllister, Maryam Ghodrat, Jason J. Sharples. 2026. Revealing the orientation threshold and optimum contact surface in flame formation, thermal processes, and combustion behaviour of moisturized solid fuel
• Alexander L. Brown, Sara S. McAllister, Alexander J. Josephson, Jon Reisner, Eunmo Koo. 2026. Crib-fire dynamics in open and enclosed ventilation conditions
• Sara S. McAllister, Stephen Williams, Ian Grob. 2025. Can “fire safe” cigarettes (FSCs) start wildfires?
• Sara S. McAllister, Samuel L. Manzello, Sayaka Suzuki, Alex Filkov, David Rush, Rahul Wadhwani, Yu Wang. 2024. Large Outdoor Fires and the Built Environment (LOF&BE): Summary of workshops at 14th International Symposium on Fire Safety Science
• David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher, Timothy J. Johnson, Wei Min Hao, Mark A. Dietenberger, Marko Princevac, Bret W. Butler, Sara S. McAllister, Joseph J. O'Brien, E. Louise Loudermilk, Roger D. Ottmar, Andrew T. Hudak, Akira Kato, Babak Shotorban, Shankar Mahalingam, Tanya L. Myers, Javier Palarea-Albaladejo, Stephen P. Baker. 2024. Comparing gas composition from fast pyrolysis of live foliage measured in bench-scale and fire-scale experiments
• Sara S. McAllister, T. Grumstrup. 2023. Burning rate of wood cribs with controlled airflow
• Sylvia Kantor, Mark A. Finney, Sara S. McAllister, Torben Grumstrup, Jason M. Forthofer, Susan Prichard, Alistair Smith. 2023. Understanding wildfire as a dynamic system: A new comprehensive book on wildland fire behavior
• Oleg M. Melnik, Stephen A. Paskaluk, Mark Y. Ackerman, Katherine O. Melnik, Dan K. Thompson, Sara S. McAllister, Mike D. Flannigan. 2022. New in-flame flammability testing method applied to monitor seasonal changes in live fuel
• Carlos Fernandez-Pello, Sara S. McAllister. 2019. On flame spread
• David R. Weise, Thomas H. Fletcher, Timothy J. Johnson, WeiMin M. Hao, Mark A. Dietenberger, Marko Princevac, Bret W. Butler, Sara S. McAllister, Joseph J. O'Brien, E. Louise Loudermilk, Roger D. Ottmar, Andrew T. Hudak, Akira Kato, Babak Shotorban, Shankar Mahalingam, William E. Mell. 2018. A project to measure and model pyrolysis to improve prediction of prescribed fire behavior
• Samuel L. Manzello, Sara S. McAllister, Sayaka Suzuki. 2018. Large outdoor fires and the built environment: Objectives and goals of permanent IAFSS working Group
• Colin H. Miller, Wei Tang, Evan Sluder, Mark A. Finney, Sara S. McAllister, Jason M. Forthofer, Michael J. Gollner. 2018. Boundary layer instabilities in mixed convection and diffusion flames with an unheated starting length
• Samuel L. Manzello, Raphaele Blanchi, Michael J. Gollner, Daniel Gorham, Sara S. McAllister, Elsa Pastor, Eulalia Planas, Pedro Reszka, Sayaka Suzuki. 2018. Summary of workshop large outdoor fires and the built environment
• Nikolay Gustenyov, Nelson K. Akafuah, Ahmad Salaimeh, Mark A. Finney, Sara S. McAllister, Kozo Saito. 2018. Scaling nonreactive cross flow over a heated plate to simulate forest fires
• Torben Grumstrup, Sara S. McAllister, Mark A. Finney. 2017. Qualitative flow visualization of flame attachment on slopes
• C. Anand, B. Shotorban, S. Mahalingam, Sara S. McAllister, David R. Weise. 2017. Physics-based modeling of live wildland fuel ignition experiments in the Forced Ignition and Flame Spread Test apparatus
• Sara S. McAllister, David R. Weise. 2017. Effects of season on ignition of live wildland fuels using the forced ignition and flame spread test apparatus
• Sara S. McAllister, Mark A. Finney. 2016. The effect of wind on burning rate of wood cribs
• Sara S. McAllister, Mark A. Finney. 2016. Burning rates of wood cribs with implications for wildland fires
• Paul A. Werth, Brian Potter, Martin E. Alexander, Craig B. Clements, Miguel G. Cruz, Mark A. Finney, Jason M. Forthofer, Scott Goodrick, Chad Hoffman, W. Matt Jolly, Sara S. McAllister, Roger D. Ottmar, Russell A. Parsons. 2016. Synthesis of knowledge of extreme fire behavior: volume 2 for fire behavior specialists, researchers, and meteorologists
• Mark A. Finney, Jack D. Cohen, Jason M. Forthofer, Sara S. McAllister, Michael J. Gollner, Daniel J. Gorham, Kozo Saito, Nelson K. Akafuah, Brittany A. Adam, Justin D. English. 2015. Role of buoyant flame dynamics in wildfire spread
• Trevor Maynard, Mark A. Finney, Sara S. McAllister, Ian Grob. 2013. Ignition potential of rifle bullets
• Mark A. Finney, Trevor B. Maynard, Sara S. McAllister, Ian J. Grob. 2013. A study of ignition by rifle bullets
• Mark A. Finney, Jack D. Cohen, Sara S. McAllister, W. Matt Jolly. 2012. On the need for a theory of wildland fire spread
• Sara S. McAllister, Isaac C. Grenfell, A. Hadlow, W. Matt Jolly, Mark A. Finney, Jack D. Cohen. 2012. Piloted ignition of live forest fuels
• Sara S. McAllister, Mark A. Finney, Jack D. Cohen. 2011. Critical mass flux for flaming ignition of wood as a function of external radiant heat flux and moisture content

• Project
  

  Fundamental Wildland Fire Spread Research

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/projects/firespread
• Program
  

  Fire, Fuel, and Smoke

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/programs/firefuelsmoke
  Station

  Rocky Mountain Research Station
• Project
  

  Physics of Fire Spread

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/projects/physicsoffire
• Project
  

  Convective Ignition

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/projects/convectiveignition
• Project
  

  Burning Rate

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/projects/burningrate

Articles

• Article
  

  Can "fire safe" cigarettes start wildfires?

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/articles/can-fire-safe-cigarettes-start-wildfires

Multimedia

• Video

  Can scientists finally decode fire? Freethink

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/products/multimedia/videos/can-scientists-finally-decode-fire-freethink
• Podcast
  

  Afire: Understanding Fire (Season 4, Episode 1)

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/products/multimedia/podcasts/afire-understanding-fire-season-4-episode-1
• Video

  Meet Research Mechanical Engineer Sara McAllister

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/rmrs/products/multimedia/videos/meet-research-mechanical-engineer-sara-mcallister
• Webinars

  SCIENCE x Fire: Fire Behavior

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/products/multimedia/webinars/science-x-fire-fire-behavior
• Video

  The Fire Lab - Atlantic

  https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/products/multimedia/videos/fire-lab-atlantic

• University of Nevada, Reno, B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2004
• University of California, Berkeley, M.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2006
• University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, 2008