Fuels characterization techniques

Abstract

The measurement and characterization of wildland fuel matrices in ways that are relevant to both fire managers and scientists remains challenging. Wildland fuel characterization differs markedly from the characterization of fuels in the built environment, as these fuels are comprised of the components of dynamic ecosystems where change is a constant. This problem is confounded by the spatial and temporal extents and resolutions at which fuels are to be measured. Additionally, the number of variables that must be considered can make fuel characterization efforts seem intractable. However, the importance of the fuels in the wildland environment is amplified because they are the one variable that fire managers are able to alter prior to a fire event.

Citation

Skowronski, Nicholas S.; Gallagher, Michael R. 2018. Fuels characterization techniques. In: Manzello, S., ed. Encyclopedia of wildfires and wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires. Cham: Springer. 10 p. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51727-8_84-1.