An overview of the fire and fuels extension to the forest vegetation simulator

Abstract

The Fire and Fuels Extension (FFE) to the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) has been developed to assess the risk, behavior, and impact of fire in forest ecosystems. This extension to the widely-used stand-dynamics model FVS simulates the dynamics of snags and surface fuels as they are affected by stand management (of trees or fuels), live tree growth and mortality, and fires. It offers all the standard silvicultural options available in FVS as well as various fuel treatments and prescribed burns. In addition to the standard output provided by FVS, the FFE produces indicators of snag size and species distributions, fuel loading, and potential fire behavior and effects. The extension can also simulate the effects of fires on various stand components, using user-provided weather conditions and model-predicted fuel loading. An overview of the model, including some sample results, is provided here.

Citation

Beukema, Sarah J.; Reinhardt, Elizabeth D.; Kurz, Werner A.; Crookston, Nicholas L. 2000. An overview of the fire and fuels extension to the forest vegetation simulator. In: Neuenschwander, Leon F.; Ryan, Kevin C., tech. eds. Proceedings from the Joint Fire Science Conference and Workshop: crossing the millennium: integrating spatial technologies and ecological principles for a new age in fire management; the Grove Hotel, Boise, Idaho, June 15-17, 1999. Moscow, Idaho: University of Idaho, 2000. 5 p