Applied Fire Behavior

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.

Below are a selection of publications authored or co-authored by Dr. Martin E. Alexander that are not already listed on the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS), Crown Fire Initiation and Spread (CFIS) System, International Crown Fire Modeling Experiment (ICFME) or Crown Fire Behavior Characteristics and Prediction in Conifer Forests: A State of Knowledge Synthesis pages on FRAMES. Dr. Alexander 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 focus on 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.

Contact

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

Displaying 1 - 18 of 18

Person	Title	Year
Alexander	Introduction to the article by H.E. Wright Jr. and M.L. Heinselman: The ecological role of fire in natural conifer forests of western and northern North America - Introduction	2014
Alexander, Cruz	Evaluating the 3-m tree crown spacing guideline for the prevention of crowning wildfires in lodgepole pine forests, Alberta	2020
Bell	Forest fires in northern Canada (with an introduction by Martin E. Alexander)	1889
Cruz, Alexander	Modelling the rate of fire spread and uncertainty associated with the onset and propagation of crown fires in conifer forest stands	2017
Cruz, Alexander	Comments on "Evaluating crown fire rate of spread predictions from physics-based models"	2019
Cruz, Alexander	The 10% wind speed rule of thumb for estimating a wildfire's forward rate of spread in forests and shrublands	2019
Cruz, Alexander, Fernandes	Evidence for lack of a fuel effect on forest and shrubland fire rates of spread under elevated fire danger conditions: implications for modelling and management	2022
Cruz, Alexander, Fernandes, Kilinc, Sil	Evaluating the 10% wind speed rule of thumb for estimating a wildfire's forward rate of spread against an extensive independent set of observations	2020
Cruz, Alexander, Kilinc	Wildfire rates of spread in grasslands under critical burning conditions	2022
Cruz, Alexander, Plucinski	The effect of silvicultural treatments on fire behaviour potential in radiata pine plantations of south Australia	2017
Cruz, Alexander, Sullivan	Mantras of wildland fire behaviour modelling: facts or fallacies?	2017
Cruz, Alexander, Sullivan	A response to 'Clarifying the meaning of mantras in wildland fire behaviour modelling: reply to Cruz et al. (2017)'	2018
Cruz, Alexander, Sullivan, Gould, Kilinc	Assessing improvements in models used to operationally predict wildland fire rate of spread	2018
Cruz, Gould, Alexander, Sullivan, McCaw, Matthews	Empirical-based models for predicting head-fire rate of spread in Australian fuel types	2015
Frost, Alexander, DeRose, Jenkins	Fire-environment analysis: an example of Army Garrison Camp Williams, Utah	2020
Frost, Alexander, Jenkins	The application of fire behavior modeling to fuel treatment assessments at Army Garrison Camp Williams, Utah	2022
Moriarty, Cheng, Hoffman, Cottrell, Alexander	Firefighter observations of “surprising” fire behavior in mountain pine beetle-attacked lodgepole pine forests	2019
Thorburn, MacMillan, Alexander	The application of interactive multimedia CD-ROM technology to wildland fire safety training	2000

Displaying 1 - 11 of 11

Person	Title	Year
Alexander	Proposed revision of fire danger class criteria for forest and rural areas in New Zealand	2008
Alexander	Fire behaviour as a factor in forest and rural fire suppression	2000
Alexander	The 1988 fires of Yellowstone and beyond as a wildland fire behavior case study	2009
Alexander, Baxter, Dakin	How much time does it take for a wildland firefighter to reach a safety zone?	2013
Alexander, Heathcott, Schwanke	Fire behaviour case study of two early winter grass fires in southern Alberta, 27 November 2011	2013
Alexander, Stocks, Lawson	Fire behavior in black spruce-lichen woodland: the Porter Lake project	1991
Alexander, Tymstra, Frederick	Incorporating breaching and spotting considerations into PROMETHEUS - the Canadian wildland fire growth model	2004
Baxter, Alexander, Dakin	Travel rates of Alberta wildland firefighters using escape routes on a moderately steep slope	2004
Cruz, Sullivan, Alexander	Fire behaviour knowledge in Australia: knowledge gaps and Fire Behaviour Analyst (FBAN) training revision plan	2014
Cruz, Sullivan, Leonard, Malkin, Matthews, Gould, McCaw, Alexander	Fire behaviour knowledge in Australia: a synthesis of disciplinary and stakeholder knowledge on fire spread prediction capability and application	2014
Lavoie, Alexander, Macdonald	Photo guide for quantitatively assessing the characteristics of forest fuels in a jack pine - black spruce chronosequence in the Northwest Territories	2010

Displaying 1 - 8 of 8

Person	Title	Year
Auerbach, Alexander, Mutch, Davis	Wildland fires: dangers and survival (5th edition)	2007
Auerbach, Alexander, Mutch, Davis, Bucks	Wildland fires: dangers and survival (6th edition)	2012
Auerbach, Cushing, Harris, Alexander, Mutch, Davis, Bucks	Wildland fires: dangers and survival (7th edition)	2017
Chuvieco, San-Miguel-Ayanz, Carlson, Alexander, Tolhurst, Morgan, Sneeuwjagt, Dudfield	Current methods to assess fire danger potential	2003
Cruz, Gould, Alexander, Sullivan, McCaw, Matthews	A Guide to Rate of Fire Spread Models for Australian Vegetation	2015
Leblon, Alexander, Alexander, Thorburn	LACES: Adding an "A" for Anchor point(s) to the LCES wildland firefighter safety system	2015
Scott, Bowman, Bond, Pyne, Alexander	Fire on Earth: An Introduction	2014
Watts, Tolland, Beck, Parminter, Alexander, MacDermid, Van Nest, Beaver, Grimaldi	Fire ecology and management	2005

Displaying 1 - 42 of 42

Person	Title	Year
Alexander	Estimating the length-to-breadth ratio of elliptical forest fire patterns	1985
Alexander	Fire behavior knowledge gaps (& research needs) pertaining to ecosystem management - invited paper	2000
Alexander	Fire behavior forecasting in the boreal forest: two decision support aids for Canadian fire managers	1991
Alexander, Ackerman, Baxter	An analysis of Dodge's escape fire on the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire in terms of a survival zone for wildland firefighters	2009
Alexander, Cruz	Introducing the Canopy Fuel Stratum Characteristics Calculator	2010
Alexander, Cruz	What are the safety implications of crown fires?	2011
Alexander, Cruz	How Well Does the 10% Wind Speed Rule of Thumb Work for Estimating Wildfire Spread Rates?	2021
Alexander, Janz, Quintilio	Analysis of extreme wildfire behavior in east-central Alberta: a case study	1983
Alexander, Lanoville	Wildfires as a source of fire behavior data: a case study from the Northwest Territories, Canada	1987
Alexander, Pearce, Farrow, Smart	Experimental fires in radiata pine logging slash within the Kinleith Forest during early 1993	1993
Alexander, Taylor, Page	Wildland firefighter safety and fire behavior prediction on the fireline	2016
Andrews, Butler, Otway, Bork, Anderson, Alexander	Predicting ground fire ignition potential in aspen communities	2006
Butler, Alexander, Alexander, Baxter, Dakin	Travel rates of Alberta wildland firefighters using escape routes	2005
Butler, Mangan, Thorburn, Alexander	LACES versus LCES: adopting an 'A' for 'anchor points' to improve wildland firefighter safety	2001
Cerulean, Engstrom, Pearce, Morgan, Alexander	Wildfire behaviour in a New Zealand wetland: a case study	1995
Cruz, Alexander	A Rule of Thumb for Estimating a Wildfire’s Forward Spread Rate from Wind Speed Alone	2019
de Groot, Alexander	Wildfire behavior on the Canadian Shield: a case study of the 1980 Chachukew fire, Saskatchewan	1986
Fischer, Arno, Alexander	Help with making crown fire hazard assessments	1988
Fox, Alexander, Buxton-Carr	Wildland fire suppression related fatalities in Canada, 1941-2010: a preliminary report	2011
Hood, Drury, Steelman, Steffens, Cruz, Alexander, Sullivan, Gould, Kilinc	Improvements in Australia’s bushfire rate of spread models over time	2020
Hood, Drury, Steelman, Steffens, Fernandes, Sil, Rossa, Ascoli, Cruz, Alexander	Characterizing fire behavior across the globe	2020
Hood, Drury, Steelman, Steffens, Frost, Jenkins, Alexander	Fire regime analysis of Army Garrison Camp Williams	2020
Hood, Drury, Steelman, Steffens, Frost, Jenkins, Alexander	Wildfire behavior case study of the 2010 Machine Gun Fire, Army Garrison Camp Williams	2020
Lawson, Stocks, Alexander, Van Wagner	A system for predicting fire behavior in Canadian forests	1985
MacIver, Auld, Whitewood, Alexander, Sando	Fire behavior and effects in aspen-northern hardwood stands	1989
McAlpine, Stocks, Van Wagner, Lawson, Alexander, Lynham	Forest fire behavior research in Canada	1990
Nodvin, Waldrop, Alexander	The 1985 Butte fire in central Idaho: a Canadian perspective on the associated burning conditions	1991
Pearce, Alexander	Fire danger ratings associated with New Zealand's major pine plantation wildfires	1994
Perrakis, Cruz, Alexander, Taylor, Beverly	Linking dynamic empirical fire spread models: introducing Canadian Conifer Pyrometrics	2020
Stocks, Alexander	Reflecting on the 1992 Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction (FBP) System	2019
Strand, Kiil, Quintilio, Alexander	Adaptation of a national system of fire danger rating in Alberta, Canada: a case study in technology transfer	1986
Thomas, Alexander	Fire Management Today offers its services to wildland fire safety	2006
Viegas, Alexander	Foliar moisture content input in the Canadian Forest Fire Behavior Prediction System for areas outside of Canada	2010
Viegas, Alexander	Fire behavior in moderately heavy logging slash: documenting the past with photographs	2010
Viegas, Alexander	Prescribed burn documentation and fire danger ratings: a case study	2006
Viegas, Alexander	You are about to be entrapped or burned over by a wildfire: what are your survival options? - proceedings	2006
Viegas, Cruz, Alexander, Wakimoto	Predicting crown fire behavior to support forest fire management decision-making	2002
Viegas, Cruz, Butler, Alexander, Viegas	Development and evaluation of a semi-physical crown fire initiation model	2006
Viegas, Fernandes, Sil, Ascoli, Cruz, Alexander, Rossa, Baeza, Burrows, Davies, Fidelis, Gould, Govender, Kilinc, McCaw	Drivers of wildland fire behaviour variation across the Earth
Viegas, Fogarty, Pearce, Catchpole, Alexander	Adoption vs. adaptation: lessons from applying the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System in New Zealand	1998
Wade, Alexander	'Lest we forget': Canada's major wildland fire disasters of the past, 1825-1938	2010
Wade, Alexander, Cruz, Vaillant, Peterson	Towards a crown fire synthesis: what would you like to know and what might you be able to contribute?	2010

Displaying 1 - 52 of 52

Person	Title	Year
Alexander	A fuels management bibliography with subject index	2007
Alexander	Computer calculation of the Keetch-Byram Drought Index-programmers beware!	1990
Alexander	The 1990 Stephan Bridge Road fire in Michigan: a Canadian perspective on the fire danger conditions	1992
Alexander	An emerging fire management issue in Canada: forest-fire fuels	2002
Alexander	The staff ride approach to wildland fire behavior and firefighter safety awareness training: a commentary	2002
Alexander	Technology transfer and wildland fire management/research	2003
Alexander	Improving wildland firefighter safety and public safety through fire behavior research and development	2007
Alexander	Simple question; difficult answer: How much fuel is acceptable?	2007
Alexander	How much fuel is in that pile or windrow?	2007
Alexander	Surviving a wildland fire entrapment or burnover	2007
Alexander	Wildland fire safety featured in wilderness medicine book	2008
Alexander	Wildland fire behaviour and 'The Course of Science' flowchart: is there a connection?	2009
Alexander	Are we abusing our use of models and modelling in wildland fire and fuel management?	2009
Alexander	How big was Dodge's escape fire?	2010
Alexander	A synthesis on crown fires in conifer forests is underway	2011
Alexander	Recounting the wildfire-related fatalities experienced during the surveying of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1871	2012
Alexander	Slave Lake Fire another incident in a long line of wakeup calls for Alberta (and Canada)	2012
Alexander	Towards the understanding of extreme wildland fire behavior	2012
Alexander	Update to wildland fire safety chapter in Wilderness Medicine	2012
Alexander	Software can assess fuel treatment effectiveness on crown fire behavior	2007
Alexander, Andrews	Wildland fire occurrence and behavior analysis in the year 2000 and beyond	1989
Alexander, Butler	Proceedings of the wildland fire safety summits	2008
Alexander, Cruz	The general nature of crown fires	2014
Alexander, Cruz	Energy release rates, flame dimensions, and spotting characteristics of crown fires	2014
Alexander, Cruz	The elliptical shape and size of wind-driven crown fires	2014
Alexander, Cruz	A rule of thumb for estimating a wildfire's forward spread rate	2019
Alexander, Cruz, Vaillant	Introduction to the special issue on crown fire behavior in conifer forests	2014
Alexander, Cruz, Vaillant	Toward improving our application and understanding of crown fire behavior	2014
Alexander, de Groot, Hirsch, Lanoville	Use of posters for interpreting fire behavior and danger research	1989
Alexander, Heathcott, Schwanke	Winter wildfires?	2012
Alexander, Maffey	Predicting fire behavior in Canada's aspen forests	1992
Alexander, Pearce	What were the Canadian fire danger indices? Follow-up to the Spokane area firestorm '91 report	1992
Alexander, Pearce	The Canadian fire danger ratings associated with the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills fire	1993
Alexander, Stam	Safety alert for wildland firefighters: fuel conditions in spruce-beetle-killed forests of Alaska	2003
Alexander, Stocks, Wotton, Lanoville	Tracking the spread and intensity of crown fires	2001
Alexander, Taylor	Wildland fire behavior case studies and the 1938 Honey Fire controversy	2010
Alexander, Thomas	First of its kind: a historical perspective on wildland fire behavior training	2004
Alexander, Thomas	Wildland fire behavior case studies and analyses: Value, approaches, and practical uses	2003
Alexander, Thomas	Wildland fire behavior case studies and analyses: Other examples, methods, reporting standards, and some practical advice	2003
Alexander, Thomas	Forecasting wildland fire behavior: aids and guides, and knowledge-based protocols	2004
Alexander, Thomas	Prescribed fire case studies, decision aids, and planning guides	2006
Alexander, Thorburn	Fireline safety training course available on CD-ROM	2001
Alexander, Yancik	The effect of precommercial thinning on fire potential in a lodgepole pine stand	1977
Cruz, Alexander	Canopy-fuel characteristics of conifer forests	2014
Cruz, Alexander	The start, propagation, and spread rate of crown fires	2014
Cruz, Alexander	Operational prediction of crown fire behavior	2014
Cruz, Alexander	Evaluating the 10% wind speed rule of thumb for estimating a wildfire’s forward spread rate	2021
Eckert, Alexander	'Brewer fire mystery' discussion	2004
St. John, Alexander	Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System: training now available on CD-ROM	2004
Taylor, Alexander, Greebe	Fire science between the covers	2018
Thorburn, MacMillan, Alexander, Nimchuk, Frederick, Van Nest	'Principles of Fire Behavior': a CD-ROM-based interactive multimedia training course	2003
Vaillant, Ewell, Fites-Kaufman	Capturing crown fire behavior on wildland fires - the Fire Behavior Assessment Team in action	2014

Displaying 1 - 8 of 8

Person	Title	Year
Alexander	Estimating Wildfire Rate of Spread in Grasslands	2022
Cruz, Alexander	Use of fire behaviour models to support silvicultural and fuel management decision making in industrial pine plantations (conference abstract)	2011
Cruz, Alexander, Vaillant, Peterson	Crown fires in conifer forests of the world: do you have something to contribute or would like to know about something?	2011
Engstrom, Galley, de Groot, Alexander, Lanoville	The International Crown Fire Modelling Experiment fuel treatment trials	2004
Engstrom, Galley, de Groot, Alexander, Stocks	The International Crown Fire Modelling Experiment: background, genesis, overview and summary - abstract	2004
Engstrom, Galley, de Groot, Lavoie, Alexander	Experimental reburns 1-4 years after high-intensity crown fire - abstract	2004
Masters, Galley, Despain, Alexander, Baxter, Ackerman	Is a wellsite opening a safety zone for a wildland firefighter or a survival zone or neither? - abstract	2009
Masters, Galley, Despain, Alexander, Cruz	Recent advances in modelling the onset of crowning and crown fire rate of spread (abstract)	2009

Displaying 1 - 26 of 26

Person	Title	Year
	Instructor Companion Site for the Book 'Fire on Earth: An Introduction'	2014
Alexander	Understanding fire behavior-the key to effective fuels management	2003
Alexander	Fire behavior as it relates to firefighter safety: six key points for discussion	2003
Alexander	Fire behavior as it relates to firefighter safety: seven key points for discussion	2003
Alexander	Can wildland conflagrations be stopped?	2004
Alexander	Limitations on accuracy of wildland fire behavior predictions	2004
Alexander	Fuel management in relation to wildland fire prevention: a new and/or old concept?	2005
Alexander	Stand structure modification to reduce fire potential: Simulation vs. reality	2006
Alexander	Some random thoughts on fire behavior research and operational fire behavior considerations - powerpoint	2008
Alexander	Forest fire protection and management in Nova Scotia: Reflecting on the past, the present, and the future - powerpoint	2008
Alexander	Are wildland-urban interface fire disasters avoidable? - powerpoint	2009
Alexander	Some pragmatic thoughts on the prediction of spotting in wildland fires - powerpoint	2009
Alexander	A comment on models and modelling in fire/fuel management	2004
Alexander	Latest developments in crown fire behavior prediction	2005
Alexander	On linking the impacts and effects of wildland fires to their behavior	2012
Alexander	Drought and wildland fire: searching for practical solutions	2005
Alexander	Living with fire in the boreal forest	2009
Alexander	Fire behavior considerations ... for safe and productive fire suppression	2005
Alexander	Thoughts on Living With Fire in Canada's Forests	2020
Alexander	On Looking Back in Time at Wildfire Behavior Research in Western & Northern Canada: A Personal Perspective	2021
Alexander, Baxter, Hsieh	Software under development for predicting the effectiveness of grassland firebreaks	2006
Alexander, Taylor	The contributions of The Forestry Chronicle to wildland fire management in Canada - poster	2010
Bibeau, Alexander	Interview with Marty Alexander Regarding the 3-m Crown Spacing Guideline	2021
Cruz, Alexander	Crown fires	2010
Cruz, Alexander	The 10% Rule of Thumb for Estimating Wildfire ROS from Wind Speed: Derivation and Limits of Application	2021
Taylor, Alexander	Considerations in developing a national forest fire danger rating system	2003

Applied Wildland Fire Behavior Research & Development

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