Global Synthesis of Quantification of Fire Behaviour Characteristics in Forests and Shrublands: Recent Progress

Abstract

Purpose of Review

The behaviour of wildland fires, namely their free spreading nature, destructive energy fluxes and hazardous environment, make it a phenomenon difficult to study. Field experimental studies and occasional wildfire observations underpin our understanding of fire behaviour. We aim to present a global synthesis of field-based studies in forest and shrublands fuel types published since 2003 with a focus on the most commonly measured fire behaviour attributes, namely rate of fire spread, ignition and spread sustainability, flame characteristics, fuel consumption and spotting behaviour.

Recent Findings

We present a synthesis of measured fire behaviour data collected in field experiments and wildfire environments encompassing the last two decades. We discuss the effect of a lack of standardised experimental methodologies in field studies, which has inhibited our quantitative understanding of the physical drivers of fire behaviour. The application of new fire environment and behaviour measuring sensors and methods offer opportunities for more comprehensive descriptions of fire spread characteristics, particularly when applied to wildfire events, to better capture scale dependent phenomena that do not occur at smaller experimental scales.

Summary

Fire behaviour data collected in field experiments and wildfires form the foundation of our quantitative understanding of fire dynamics. These data are used in the development and evaluation of predictive models with operational and scientific applications. We provide a broad synthesis of existing field-based studies in forest and shrubland ecosystems and discuss their limitations and needs for future research.