FARSITE

**FARSITE4 is no longer be supported or available for download. FlamMap6 now includes FARSITE.**

See FlamMap for more information.

Funding Contributor(s):

Joint Fire Science Program
RMRS Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program
USDI National Park Service
US Forest Service
USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station
USFS Wildland Fire Management Research, Development & Application

Additional Funding:

Pacific Southwest Region
U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station
Systems for Environmental Management (SEM)

Project Years: 1994-2010

People

Principal Investigator

Mark A. Finney, PhD

Contact

Charles W. McHugh, Mark A. Finney, PhD

Related Tool

Tool

FlamMap

https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/products/dataandtools/flammap

FARSITE Background Material

Mark A. Finney. 1998. FARSITE: Fire Area Simulator-model development and evaluation
Joe H. Scott, Robert E. Burgan. 2005. Standard fire behavior fuel models: a comprehensive set for use with Rothermel's surface fire spread model
Mark A. Finney. 1995. FARSITE: a fire area simulator for fire managers

Guides for Spatial Fire Behavior Analysis

Richard D. Stratton. 2009. Guidebook on LANDFIRE fuels data acquisition, critique, modification, maintenance, and model calibration
Richard D. Stratton. 2006. Guidance on spatial wildland fire analysis: models, tools, and techniques
Robert E. Keane, Scott A. Mincemoyer, Kirsten Schmidt, Donald G. Long, Janice L. Garner. 2000. Mapping vegetation and fuels for fire management on the Gila National Forest Complex, New Mexico
Robert E. Keane, Janice L. Garner, Kirsten Schmidt, Donald G. Long, James Menakis, Mark A. Finney. 1998. Development of input data layers for the FARSITE fire growth model for the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Complex, USA

Fuel Treatment Evaluation using FARSITE

M. A. Cochrane, C. J. Moran, M. C. Wimberly, A. D. Baer, Mark A. Finney, K. L. Beckendorf, J. Eidenshink, Z. Zhu. 2012. Estimation of wildfire size and risk changes due to fuels treatments

External Publications

Additional FARSITE Background Material:
- Finney, M. A. 1999. Spatial Modeling of Post-Frontal Fire Behavior. Missoula, MT: Systems for Environmental Management; Final Report RMRS-99557-RJVA. (90 KB; 8 pages)
- Finney, M. A. 1999. Mechanistic modeling of landscape fire patterns. In: Mladenoff, D. J. and Baker, W. L. eds. Spatial modeling of forest landscape change: approaches and applications. Cambridge University Press: 186-209.
- Albini, F. A.; Brown, J. K.; Reinhardt, E. D.; Ottmar, R. D. 1995. Calibration of a large fuel burnout model. International Journal of Wildland Fire 5(23): 173-192. (1,336 KB; 20 pages)
- Albini, F. A.; Reinhardt, E. D. 1995. Modeling ignition and burning rate of large woody natural fuels. International Journal of Wildland Fire 5(2): 81-91. (873 KB; 11 pages)
Additional Guide for Spatial Fire Behavior Analysis:
- Green, K.; Finney, M. A.; Campbell, J.; Weinstein, D.; Landrum, V. 1995. Fire! Using GIS to predict fire behavior. Journal of Forestry 93(5): 21-25. (271 KB; 5 pages)
Fire Growth Simulations using FARSITE
- Finney, M. A. 2000. Efforts at comparing simulated and observed fire growth patterns. Missoula, MT: Systems for Environmental Management; Final Report INT-95066-RJVA. (71 KB; 20 pages)
- Finney, M. A.; Andrews, P. L. 1999. FARSITE: Fire Area Simulator—a program for fire growth simulation. Fire Management Notes 59(2): 13-15. (71 KB; 3 pages)
- Finney, M. A.; Andrews, P. L.. 1998. Application and status of the FARSITE fire area simulator. In: Proceedings of the III International Conference on Fire and Forest Meteorology; 1998 November 16-20; Luso, Coimbra-Portugal: 755-760. (4,154 KB; 6 pages)
- Finney, M. A.; Andrews, P. L. 1998. The FARSITE Fire Area Simulator: fire management applications and lessons of Summer 1994. In: Close K. and Bartlette R. A.,eds. Fire management under fire (Adapting to Change), Proceedings of the Interior West Fire Council Meeting and Program, International Association of Wildland Fire: 209-215. (9,705 KB; 7 pages)
- Finney, M. A. 1995. Fire growth modeling in the Sierra Nevada of California. In: Brown, J. K.; Mutch, R. W.; Spoon, C. W.; and Wakimoto, R. H., eds. Proceedings of a Symposium on Fire in Wilderness and Park Management; 1995 March 30 - April 1; Missoula, MT. (4,424 KB; 3 pages)
- Finney, M. A.; Ryan, K. C. 1995. Use of the FARSITE fire growth model for fire prediction in U.S. National Parks. In: Proceedings of the International Emergency Management and Engineering Conference; 1995 May; Sofia Antipolis, France: 183-189. (11,469 KB; 7 pages)
- Finney, M. A. 1994. Modeling the spread and behavior of prescribed natural fires. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Fire and Forest Meteorology. 1993 October 26-28; Jekyll Island, GA. (589 KB; 6 pages)
Fuel Treatment Evaluation using FARSITE
- Stratton, R. D. 2004. Assessing the effectiveness of landscape fuel treatments on fire growth and behavior. Journal of Forestry. 102(7): 32-40. (550 KB; 9 pages)
- Van Wagtendonk, J. W. 1996. Use of a deterministic fire growth model to test fuel treatments. In: Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Final Report to Congress. Davis, CA: University of California, Centers for Water and Wildland Resources: volume II, chapter 43. (783 KB; 12 pages)
- Finney, M. A.; Sapsis, D. B.; Bahro, B. 2002. Use of FARSITE for simulating fire suppression and analyzing fuel treatment economics. In: Symposium on fire and California ecosystems: integrating ecology, prevention and management; 1997 November 17-20, San Diego, CA. (1,132 KB; 16 pages)

Last updated September 2, 2025