Behave7: Improvements to the Behave Fire Modeling System

Background

As the world’s leading wildland fire research organization, the USDA Forest Service develops and maintains applications and computer programs that are used to help manage wildland fires, including both wildfires and prescribed fires. The Behave Fire Modeling System is one of the most used computer programs for modeling both wildfire and prescribed fire and has been since its inception. A new version is now available that is more intuitive and easier to use, while still offering the same functionality as previous versions. 

Behave simulates fire behavior and fire effects, such as the rate of fire spread, spotting distance, and tree mortality using fuels, weather, and topography data. On wildfires, Fire Behavior Analysts use Behave to calculate fire behavior for the next shift, enabling firefighters to manage fires safely and effectively. For prescribed fires, Burn Bosses use Behave to develop the Prescribed Fire Plan (burn plan). On the day of the proposed burn, a Burn Boss creates a fire behavior run, often in Behave, to ensure that weather conditions produce fire behavior that meets the objectives of the burn plan. 

Behave, a point fire modeling system, produces fire behavior estimates for an area that has similar vegetation (fuels), weather, and topography. When conditions change, a new calculation must be created. Behave uses the same scientific models as spatial fire modeling systems like FlamMap, which predict fire behavior across large landscapes under a variety of weather conditions. 

The first version of Behave was built in DOS and released in 1984 for use on computers in the office. Before computers became common at Incident Command Posts, fire behavior calculations were done on pre-programmed calculators. In 2001, BEHAVE transitioned to BehavePlus with a Windows-based interface. The last update to BehavePlus occurred in 2018. 

Behave⁷

In 2021, the Rocky Mountain Research Station’s Fire Modeling Institute (based at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory) began development of the next rendition of the software – Behave version 7. The development team collaborated with the Spatial Informatics Group to develop a modern version of the software that is more intuitive for users. Behave⁷ is based on feedback from users, including instructors’ experience teaching advanced fire behavior courses and BehavePlus workshops, information from focus groups, and in-person prototype testing.

The details

The Behave⁷ user interface has been decoupled from background calculations, ensuring that continued development and future updates will be easier to implement. Behave⁷ was rewritten in C++ as small code blocks so that updates can keep up with new science. The new code structure also makes it compatible with three other systems:

• FlamMap’s surface/crown fire behavior code was used to ensure consistent outputs between the point and spatial fire behavior systems.
• First Order Fire Effect’s (FOFEM) probability of mortality code was included to provide consistent outputs between the two systems.
• Wildland Fire Investment Planning System’s (WFIPS) updated fire containment code was added to improve calculations in the Contain module.

Behave⁷ is a self-contained Java-based file (JAR file) that does not need to be installed on a computer. Simply download the JAR file from the Behave website and double-click on it to open. The program will then open in a local window of your default web browser. The Behave⁷ browser window cannot connect to the internet, meeting Forest Service security requirements. Behave⁷ runs on Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu. For the first time, the answer to “Can Behave run on a Mac?” is a resounding “Yes!”

Behave⁷ is being developed for three primary user groups. In all cases, outputs can be saved as a PDF file or a CSV file.

• Guided Workflow: Created for intermediate users, it provides a step-by-step process for selecting both outputs and inputs and includes the most commonly used outputs for both wildfire and prescribed fire analyses. This workflow prevents users from making mistakes commonly seen in courses, while keeping the assumptions and limitations of the models in mind.
• Standard Workflow: Created for fire analysts familiar with BehavePlus v6, this workflow consists of a single page for outputs and another for inputs, somewhat similar to BehavePlus v6.
• “Kitchen sink” Workflow: To be developed in the future, it allows users access to all intermediate and final outputs available in the system. Developed with researchers in mind, batch files can be used to upload data to the system.