|
Description:
|
Prescribed burning is used to manipulate vegetation worldwide . However , the practice carries an inherent danger because fires can escape and /or harm people . These studies were initiated to evaluate fire behavior and firebrand spotting potential for two volatile fuel types in which prescribed burning is being used . The first fuel type was saltcedar . Saltcedar stands carried crown fires and exhibited erratic fire behavior if they had not been burned before . Saltcedar that had been burned recently carried a fire through the fine , surface fuels . Differences in fire behavior occurred when saltcedar were burned at different phenologic stages . Spotting potential of firebrands from saltcedar fires was found up to 152 m and 163 m downwind for areas that had and had not been burned recently , respectively . The second fuel type was juniper /oak communities in Texas . Historically , prescriptions for burning during the late winter /early spring have been used . Recently , burning at higher temperatures mostly during the summer is becoming popular in this region . Behavior of some these fires exhibited alarmingly high rates of spread . Surprisingly , firebrands for many fires in this fuel type often were absent . However , firebrands were collected 152 m downwind from headfires . The volatility and conditions under which both of these communities have been and are being burned require that fire managers monitor more information than we have in the past . Variables such as 10 -hr timelag fuel moisture , live fuel moisture , and the ability of personnel to perform under strenuous conditions need to be considered . Additionally , for these fuel types , installation of blacklines downwind of the fire at least 152 m and up to 213 m wide is critical to minimize the spotting potential from prescribed fires . |