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The Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) has been used in Alaska since 1992. The CFFDRS is comprised of two major subsystems: the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) System and the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) System. The FWI System has six standard components:

  1. Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC)
  2. Duff Moisture Code (DMC)
  3. Drought Code (DC)
  4. Initial Spread Index (ISI)
  5. Buildup Index (BUI)
  6. Fire Weather Index (FWI)

These six components provide relative numerical ratings of wildland fire potential for a standard fuel type on level terrain based on weather inputs. The FBP System provides for actual quantitative estimates of various fire behavior parameters for 16 distinct fuel types and topographic situations based in part on inputs from the FWI System (primarily the ISI and BUI).

Visit the CFFDRS website at Natural Resources Canada.

Contacts

Martin E. Alexander
Wild Rose Fire Behaviour
mea2@telus.net
curriculum vitae (pdf)

Mike Wotton
Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service
Mike.Wotton@nrcan.gc.ca

Publications

Displaying 1 - 67 of 67
People Title Year Sort ascending Type
Alexander On Looking Back in Time at Wildfire Behavior Research in Western & Northern Canada: A Personal Perspective 2021 Media
Taylor, Alexander Field guide to the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) System, 3rd Edition 2018 Document
Taylor, Alexander Field guide to the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) System, Second Edition 2016 Document
Barnes, Miller, McMillan, Hrobak Alaska Fuel Moisture Sampling (Instructions, Data Sheets, Cheat Sheets, and Data Entry Spreadsheet) 2012 Document
Alexander Is wildland fire research paying its way? 2011 Document
Taylor, Lawson Introduction to the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System 2011 Media
Alexander Surface fire spread potential in trembling aspen during the summer in the boreal forest region of Canada 2010 Document
Alexander Fire behavior in moderately heavy logging slash: documenting the past with photographs 2010 Document
Alexander Foliar moisture content input in the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction System for areas outside of Canada 2010 Document
Wotton, Alexander, Taylor Updates and revisions to the 1992 Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction System 2009 Document
Alexander Proposed revision of fire danger class criteria for forest and rural areas in New Zealand 2008 Document
Alexander Advanced Fuel Type Modeling - Wildland Fire Behavior Specialist Course Unit III-B-Environmental Observations (Fuel Characteristics) 2008 Media
Alexander US BEHAVE System - Wildland Fire Behavior Specialist Course Unit IV-F 2008 Media
Alexander Application of the CFFDRS for initial attack fire preparedness 2008 Media
Alexander Considerations in applying the CFFDRS to restricting firing operations 2008 Media
Alexander A primer on the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) 2008 Media
Abbott, Leblon, Staples, MacLean, Alexander Fire danger monitoring using RADARSAT-1 over northern boreal forests 2007 Document
Abbott, Alexander, MacLean, Leblon, Beck, Staples Predicting forest floor moisture for burned and unburned Pinus banksiana forests in the Canadian Northwest Territories 2007 Document
Lavoie, Alexander, Macdonald Fire weather and fire danger climatology of the Fort Providence area, Northwest Territories 2007 Document
Otway, Bork, Anderson, Alexander Relating changes in duff moisture to the Canadian forest fire weather index system in Populus tremuloides stands in Elk Island National Park 2007 Document
Otway, Bork, Anderson, Alexander Predicting sustained smouldering combustion in trembling aspen duff in Elk Island National Park, Canada 2007 Document
Crown Fire Initiation and Spread Software System (CFIS) 2006 Tool
Alexander Aspen forest duff moisture depletion and ground fire potential 2006 Document
Taylor, Alexander Science, technology, and human factors in fire danger rating: the Canadian experience 2006 Document
Alexander Forest health: fire behavior considerations 2006 Document
Alexander Prescribed burn documentation and fire danger ratings: a case study 2006 Document
Alexander, Cruz, Lopes CFIS: a software tool for simulating crown fire initiation and spread 2006 Document
Alexander An Overview of Systems Used for Rating Fire Danger and Predicting Fire Behavior Used in Canada (2006) 2006 Media
Jandt, Barnes, Horschel Forest floor moisture content and fire danger indices in Alaska 2005 Document
Alexander, Tymstra, Frederick Incorporating breaching and spotting considerations into PROMETHEUS - the Canadian wildland fire growth model 2004 Document
St. John, Alexander Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System: training now available on CD-ROM 2004 Document
Beck, Armitage Diurnal fine fuel moisture characteristics at a northern latitude 2004 Document
Alexander An Overview of Systems Used for Rating Fire Danger and Predicting Fire Behavior Used in Canada (2004) 2004 Media
Cruz, Alexander, Wakimoto Assessing the probability of crown fire initiation based on fire danger indices 2003 Document
Alexander, Stam Safety alert for wildland firefighters: fuel conditions in spruce-beetle-killed forests of Alaska 2003 Document
Lee, Alexander, Hawkes, Lynham, Stocks, Englefield Information systems in support of wildland fire management decision making in Canada 2002 Document
Cruz, Alexander, Wakimoto Predicting crown fire behavior to support forest fire management decision-making 2002 Document
Beck, Alexander, Harvey, Beaver Forecasting diurnal variations in fire intensity to enhance wildland firefighter safety 2002 Document
Alexander, Fogarty A pocket card for predicting fire behavior in grasslands under severe burning conditions 2002 Document
Alexander An Overview of Systems Used for Rating Fire Danger and Predicting Fire Behavior Used in Canada (2002) 2002 Media
Alexander, Cole Rating fire danger in Alaska ecosystems: CFFDRS provides an invaluable guide to systematically evaluating burning conditions 2001 Document
Taylor, Alexander An urgent need for a new forest fire research vision: forest fire danger rating at the millennium 2001 Document
Wilmore Duff moisture dynamics in black spruce feather moss stands and their relation to the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System 2001 Document
Fosberg, Cramer, Brovkin, Fleming, Gardner, Gill, Goldammer, Keane, Koehler, Lenihan, Neilson, Sitch, Thornicke, Venevski, Weber, Wittenberg Strategy for a fire module in dynamic global vegetation models 1999 Document
Van Nest, Alexander Systems for rating fire danger and predicting fire behavior used in Canada 1999 Document
Seli Assignment as a fire behavior analyst in Alaska 1999 Document
Fogarty, Alexander A field guide for predicting grassland fire potential: derivation and use 1999 Document
Taylor, Pike, Alexander Field guide to the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) System 1997 Document
Alexander, Stocks, Lawson The Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System 1996 Document
Hirsch Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) System: user's guide 1996 Document
Lawson, Dalrymple Ground-truthing the Drought Code: field verification of overwinter recharge of forest floor moisture (including erratum) 1996 Document
Alexander FBP System Fuel Type C-2 (Boreal Spruce) Fire Intensity Classes vs. Fire Weather Index (FWI) and Buildup Index (BUI) 1995 Document
Cole, Alexander Canadian fire danger rating system proves valuable tool in Alaska 1995 Document
Cole, Alexander Head fire intensity class graph for FBP System Fuel Type C-2 (Boreal Spruce) 1995 Document
Alexander, Cole Predicting and interpreting fire intensities in Alaskan black spruce forests using the Canadian system of fire danger rating 1995 Document
Development and structure of the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction System 1992 Document
Alexander, Stocks, Lawson Fire behavior in black spruce-lichen woodland: the Porter Lake project 1991 Document
Alexander, Quintilio Perspectives on experimental fires in Canadian forestry research 1990 Document
Ascher, Alexander Mounting the attack on wildfire: The video 1990 Document
Chrosciewicz Prediction of forest-floor moisture content under diverse jack pine canopy conditions 1989 Document
Chrosciewicz Prediction of forest-floor moisture content on jack pine cutovers 1989 Document
Alexander, Lanoville Predicting fire behavior in the black spruce-lichen woodland fuel type of western and northern Canada 1989 Document
Stocks, Lawson, Alexander, Van Wagner, McAlpine, Lynham, Dube The Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System: an overview 1989 Document
Van Wagner Development and structure of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System 1987 Document
Mounting the Attack on Wildfire 1987 Media
Harvey, Alexander, Janz A comparison of fire-weather severity in Northern Alberta during the 1980 and 1981 fire seasons 1986 Document
Tables for the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System 1984 Document