An investigation of surface and crown fire dynamics in shrub fuels

Abstract

Fires burn large areas in California and around the world annually. California experiences numerous wildland fires that affect the lives of thousands of citizens every year. In 2000 the U.S. census bureau reported that 33.8 million people resided in California. The last census in 2010 showed California population had grown to 37.3 million people. As a consequence of the increase in California’s population, new communities continue to be constructed on the wildland-urban interface. The proximity of people and homes to the wildlands has resulted in the continued efforts to understand fire phenomena for the purpose of successfully and safely managing fires in these areas. In 2011 the National Interagency Fire Center reported that in the first six months 34,095 fires had burned 4.6 million acres nationwide. The 10-year average (2001-2011) for the first six months was 37,095 fires with 1.9 million acres burned. In southern California fires burn in area that consists of chaparral fuels. Much of new growth in chaparral fuels grow in sparse configurations.

Citation

Lozano, Jesse Sandoval. 2011. An investigation of surface and crown fire dynamics in shrub fuels. University Of California: Riverside. Ph.D. dissertation. 245 p.