Applied Fire Behavior

Subject Areas > Fire Behavior > Applied Fire Behavior > Alexander Publications

Applied Wildland Fire Behavior Research & Development

http://www.frames.gov/applied_fire_behavior

Fire behavior is commonly defined as the manner in which fuel ignites, flame develops, and fire spread and exhibits other related phenomena as determined by the interaction of fuels, weather, and topography. In his book on An Introduction to Fire Dynamics, Doug Drysdale (1998. 2nd Edition) stated that "Further major advances in combating wildfire are unlikely to be achieved simply by continued application of traditional methods. What is required is a more fundamental approach which can be applied at the design stage ... Such an approach requires a detailed understanding of fire behavior." Dr. Martin E. Alexander, who has been very fond of this quote, retired from the Canadian Forest Service in November 2010 after nearly 35 years of service. At the time, he was a Senior Fire Behavior Research Officer stationed at the Northern Forestry Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. His primary research interests still remain as wildland fire behavior and forest/grassland fire danger rating, including the practical and scientific application of such knowledge to fire/fuel management and other disciplines. The following is a selection of publications authored or co-authored by Dr. Alexander that are not already posted on other FRAMES websites (Crown Fire Initiation and Spread (CFIS) Software System, International Crown Fire Modeling Experiment (ICFME), Applying the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) to Alaskan Ecosystems).

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles:

	Name	Person (Last Name)	Year
	The application of interactive multimedia CD-ROM technology to wildland fire safety training	Thorburn, MacMillan, Alexander	2000

Agency Reports:

Name	Person (Last Name)	Year
Fire behaviour as a factor in forest and rural fire suppression	Alexander	2000
Incorporating breaching and spotting considerations into PROMETHEUS - the Canadian wildland fire growth model	Alexander, Tymstra, Frederick	2004
Photo guide for quantitatively assessing the characteristics of forest fuels in a jack pine - black spruce chronosequence in the Northwest Territories	Lavoie, Alexander, Macdonald	2010
Proposed revision of fire danger class criteria for forest and rural areas in New Zealand	Alexander	2008
Proposed revision of fire danger class criteria for forest and rural areas in New Zealand (2)	Alexander	2008
The 1988 fires of Yellowstone and beyond as a wildland fire behavior case study	Alexander	2009
Travel rates of Alberta wildland firefighters using escape routes on a moderately steep slope	Baxter, Alexander, Dakin	2004

Book Chapters:

	Name	Person (Last Name)	Year
	Wildland fires: dangers and survival	Alexander, Mutch, Davis, Auerbach	2007

Conference and Workshop Proceedings Papers:

Name	Person (Last Name)	Year
'Lest we forget': Canada's major wildland fire disasters of the past, 1825-1938	Alexander, Wade, Robinson	2010
A system for predicting fire behavior in Canadian forests	Lawson, Stocks, Alexander, Van Wagner	1985
Adoption vs. adaptation: lessons from applying the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System in New Zealand	Fogarty, Pearce, Catchpole, Alexander, Viegas	1998
An analysis of Dodge's escape fire on the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire in terms of a survival zone for wildland firefighters	Alexander, Ackerman, Baxter	2009
Analysis of extreme wildfire behavior in east-central Alberta: a case study	Alexander, Janz, Quintilio	1983
Estimating the length-to-breadth ratio of elliptical forest fire patterns	Alexander	1985
Experimental fires in radiata pine logging slash within the Kinleith Forest during early 1993	Alexander, Pearce, Farrow, Smart	1993
Fire behavior and effects in aspen-northern hardwood stands	Alexander, Sando, MacIver, Auld, Whitewood	1989
Fire behavior forecasting in the boreal forest: two decision support aids for Canadian fire managers	Alexander	1991
Fire behavior in moderately heavy logging slash: documenting the past with photographs	Alexander, Viegas	2010
Fire danger ratings associated with New Zealand's major pine plantation wildfires	Pearce, Alexander	1994
Fire Management Today offers its services to wildland fire safety	Thomas, Alexander	2006
Foliar moisture content input in the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction System for areas outside of Canada	Alexander, Viegas	2010
Forest fire behavior research in Canada	McAlpine, Stocks, Van Wagner, Lawson, Alexander, Lynham	1990
Introducing the Canopy Fuel Stratum Characteristics Calculator	Alexander, Cruz	2010
LACES versus LCES: adopting an 'A' for 'anchor points' to improve wildland firefighter safety	Thorburn, Alexander, Butler, Mangan	2001
Predicting crown fire behavior to support forest fire management decision-making	Cruz, Alexander, Wakimoto, Viegas	2002
The 1985 Butte fire in central Idaho: a Canadian perspective on the associated burning conditions	Alexander, Nodvin, Waldrop	1991
Towards a crown fire synthesis: what would you like to know and what might you be able to contribute?	Alexander, Cruz, Vaillant, Peterson, Wade, Robinson	2010
What are the safety implications of crown fires?	Alexander, Cruz	2011
Wildfire behavior on the Canadian Shield: a case study of the 1980 Chachukew fire, Saskatchewan	de Groot, Alexander	1986
Wildfire behaviour in a New Zealand wetland: a case study	Pearce, Morgan, Alexander, Cerulean, Engstrom	1995
Wildland fire suppression related fatalities in Canada, 1941-2010: a preliminary report	Alexander, Buxton-Carr, Fox	2011

Technical and Popular Articles:

Name	Person (Last Name)	Year
'Brewer fire mystery' discussion	Eckert, Alexander	2004
'Principles of Fire Behavior': a CD-ROM-based interactive multimedia training course	Thorburn, MacMillan, Alexander, Nimchuk, Frederick, Van Nest	2003
A fuels management bibliography with subject index	Alexander	2007
A synthesis on crown fires in conifer forests is underway	Alexander	2011
An emerging fire management issue in Canada: forest-fire fuels	Alexander	2002
Are we abusing our use of models and modelling in wildland fire and fuel management?	Alexander	2009
Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System: training now available on CD-ROM	St. John, Alexander	2004
Computer calculation of the Keetch-Byram Drought Index-programmers beware!	Alexander	1990
Fireline safety training course available on CD-ROM	Alexander, Thorburn	2001
First of its kind: a historical perspective on wildland fire behavior training	Alexander, Thomas	2004
Forecasting wildland fire behavior: Aids and guides, and knowledge-based protocols	Alexander, Thomas	2004
How big was Dodge's escape fire?	Alexander	2010
How much fuel is in that pile or windrow?	Alexander	2007
Improving wildland firefighter safety and public safety through fire behavior research and development	Alexander	2007
Predicting fire behavior in Canada's aspen forests	Alexander, Maffey	1992-93
Prescribed fire case studies, decision aids, and planning guides	Alexander, Thomas	2006
Proceedings of the wildland fire safety summits	Alexander, Butler	2008
Safety alert for wildland firefighters: fuel conditions in spruce-beetle-killed forests of Alaska	Alexander, Stam	2003
Simple question; difficult answer: How much fuel is acceptable?	Alexander	2007
Software can assess fuel treatment effectiveness on crown fire behavior	Alexander	2007
Surviving a wildland fire entrapment or burnover	Alexander	2007
Technology transfer and wildland fire management/research	Alexander	2003
The 1990 Stephan Bridge Road fire in Michigan: a Canadian perspective on the fire danger conditions	Alexander	1992
The Canadian fire danger ratings associated with the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills fire	Alexander, Pearce	1993
The effect of precommercial thinning on fire potential in a lodgepole pine stand	Alexander, Yancik	1977
The staff ride approach to wildland fire behavior and firefighter safety awareness training: a commentary	Alexander	2002
Tracking the spread and intensity of crown fires	Alexander, Stocks, Wotton, Lanoville	2001
Use of posters for interpreting fire behavior and danger research	Alexander, de Groot, Hirsch, Lanoville	1989
What were the Canadian fire danger indices? Follow-up to the Spokane area firestorm '91 report	Alexander, Pearce	1992
Wildland fire behavior case studies and analyses: Other examples, methods, reporting standards, and some practical advice	Alexander, Thomas	2003
Wildland fire behavior case studies and analyses: Value, approaches, and practical uses	Alexander, Thomas	2003
Wildland fire behaviour and 'The Course of Science' flowchart: is there a connection?	Alexander	2009
Wildland fire behaviour case studies and the 1938 Honey fire controversy	Alexander, Taylor	2010
Wildland fire occurrence and behavior analysis in the year 2000 and beyond	Alexander, Andrews	1989
Wildland fire safety featured in wilderness medicine book	Alexander	2008

Conference and Workshop Abstracts and Extended Abstracts:

Name	Person (Last Name)	Year
Assessing discontinuous fire behaviour and uncertainty associated with the onset of crowning - abstract	Cruz, Alexander, Masters, Galley, Despain	2009
Assessing discontinuous fire behaviour and uncertainty associated with the onset of crowning - abstract (2)	Cruz, Alexander, Masters, Galley, Despain	2009
Crown fires in conifer forests of the world: do you have something to contribute or would like to know about something?	Cruz, Alexander, Vaillant, Peterson	2011
Experimental reburns 1-4 years after high-intensity crown fire - abstract (2)	Lavoie, Alexander, Engstrom, Galley, de Groot	2004
Is a wellsite opening a safety zone for a wildland firefighter or a survival zone or neither? - abstract	Alexander, Baxter, Ackerman, Masters, Galley, Despain	2009
Is a wellsite opening a safety zone for a wildland firefighter or a survival zone or neither? - abstract (2)	Alexander, Baxter, Ackerman, Masters, Galley, Despain	2009
Recent advances in modelling the onset of crowning and crown fire rate of spread (abstract)	Alexander, Cruz, Masters, Galley, Despain	2009
The International Crown Fire Modelling Experiment: background, genesis, overview and summary - abstract	Alexander, Stocks, Engstrom, Galley, de Groot	2004
The International Crown Fire Modelling Experiment: background, genesis, overview and summary - abstract (2)	Alexander, Stocks, Engstrom, Galley, de Groot	2004
Use of fire behaviour models to support silvicultural and fuel management decision making in industrial pine plantations	Cruz, Alexander	2011
Use of fire behaviour models to support silvicultural and fuel management decision making in industrial pine plantations (2)	Cruz, Alexander	2011

Web-based Essays and Presentations:

Name	Person (Last Name)	Year
Are wildland-urban interface fire disasters avoidable? - powerpoint	Alexander	2009
Can wildland conflagrations be stopped?	Alexander	2004
Considerations in developing a national forest fire danger rating system	Taylor, Alexander	2003
Crown fires	Cruz, Alexander	2010
Fire behavior as it relates to firefighter safety: seven key points for discussion	Alexander	2003
Fire behavior as it relates to firefighter safety: six key points for discussion	Alexander	2003
Fire behavior considerations ... for safe and productive fire suppression - powerpoint	Alexander	2005
Fire behavior knowledge gaps (& research needs) pertaining to ecosystem management	Alexander	2000
Forest fire protection and management in Nova Scotia: Reflecting on the past, the present, and the future - powerpoint	Alexander	2008
Fuel management in relation to wildland fire prevention: a new and/or old concept?	Alexander	2005
Limitations on accuracy of wildland fire behavior predictions	Alexander	2004
Living with fire in the boreal forest - powerpoint	Alexander	2009
Software under development for predicting the effectiveness of grassland firebreaks	Alexander, Baxter, Hsieh	2006
Some pragmatic thoughts on the prediction of spotting in wildland fires - powerpoint	Alexander	2009
Some random thoughts on fire behavior research and operational fire behavior considerations - powerpoint	Alexander	2008
Stand structure modification to reduce fire potential: Simulation vs. reality	Alexander	2006
The contributions of The Forestry Chronicle to wildland fire management in Canada - poster	Alexander, Taylor	2010
Understanding fire behavior-the key to effective fuels management	Alexander	2003
Wildland fire and drought: searching for practical solutions - powerpoint	Alexander	2005