Description

From the text...'Wildfires continue to threaten the forest resources of the boreal forest, as well as human life and property in Canada and the State of Alaska. There has been an increased understanding of the natural role of fire in these ecosystems, and prescribed fire is a tool being used more frequently by fire managers to maintain biodiversity. The prediction of sustained smoldering ignition is important to fire managers because of its usefulness in determining the occurrence of holdover lightning- and person-caused fires. These holdover fires can tax fire-fighting resources; multiple fires can flare-up after ignition when more severe fire weather conditions occur. Also, when fire managers are applying fire as a landscape tool, prediction of long-term smoldering can assist in determining potential fire effects and judging how much effort will be needed to contain and extinguish the prescribed fire. The purpose of this report is to link the results of two separate research studies into simple, practical models of smoldering fire potential for use by fire managers in the boreal forests of Alaska and northwestern Canada.' Abstract reproduced with permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 1999.