{"title":"A comment on the use of visually assessed fuel hazard ratings and scores for Australian fire management and research","authors":"Miguel G. Cruz","doi":"10.1071/wf23164","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<strong> Background</strong><p>Assessment of fuel hazard has become the dominant method of describing Australian forest fuel complexes, despite a lack of evidence supporting the veracity of its underpinning assumptions.</p><strong> Aims</strong><p>To analyse and discuss the merits of fuel hazard ratings and scores in representing measurable fuel characteristics, such as fuel load and fire behaviour potential.</p><strong> Methods</strong><p>Published findings were reviewed, and available data analysed to investigate the validity of the Australian fuel hazard assessment concepts.</p><strong> Key results</strong><p>Multiple published studies showed the Australian fuel hazard assessment methods to be subjective and non-replicable. All available evidence shows no relationship between fuel hazard ratings and fuel quantity. No relationship between the ratings and fire behaviour potential was found.</p><strong> Conclusions</strong><p>The principles underpinning the use of fuel hazard ratings for fuel assessment were shown to be unfounded. The ratings cannot be converted into physical fuel characteristics or fire behaviour potential, and its application in Australian fire management is unwarranted.</p>","PeriodicalId":14464,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Wildland Fire","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Wildland Fire","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1071/wf23164","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"FORESTRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Assessment of fuel hazard has become the dominant method of describing Australian forest fuel complexes, despite a lack of evidence supporting the veracity of its underpinning assumptions.
Aims
To analyse and discuss the merits of fuel hazard ratings and scores in representing measurable fuel characteristics, such as fuel load and fire behaviour potential.
Methods
Published findings were reviewed, and available data analysed to investigate the validity of the Australian fuel hazard assessment concepts.
Key results
Multiple published studies showed the Australian fuel hazard assessment methods to be subjective and non-replicable. All available evidence shows no relationship between fuel hazard ratings and fuel quantity. No relationship between the ratings and fire behaviour potential was found.
Conclusions
The principles underpinning the use of fuel hazard ratings for fuel assessment were shown to be unfounded. The ratings cannot be converted into physical fuel characteristics or fire behaviour potential, and its application in Australian fire management is unwarranted.
期刊介绍：
International Journal of Wildland Fire publishes new and significant articles that advance basic and applied research concerning wildland fire. Published papers aim to assist in the understanding of the basic principles of fire as a process, its ecological impact at the stand level and the landscape level, modelling fire and its effects, as well as presenting information on how to effectively and efficiently manage fire. The journal has an international perspective, since wildland fire plays a major social, economic and ecological role around the globe.
The International Journal of Wildland Fire is published on behalf of the International Association of Wildland Fire.
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