This report presents photographic examples, tabulations, and a similarity chart to assist fire behavior officers, fuel management specialists, and other field personnel in selecting a fuel model appropriate for a specific field situation. Proper selection of a fuel model is a critical step in the mathematical modeling of fire behavior and fire danger rating. This guide will facilitate the selection of the proper fire behavior fuel model and will allow comparison with fire danger rating fuel models. The 13 fire behavior fuel models are presented in 4 fuel groups: grasslands, shrublands, timber, and slash. Each group comprises three or more fuel models; two or more photographs illustrated field situations relevant to each fuel model. The 13 fire behavior fuel models are cross-referenced to the 20 fuel models of the National Fire Danger Rating System by means of a similarity chart. Fire behavior fuel models and fire danger rating fuel models, along with the fire-carrying features of the model and its physical characteristics, are described in detail.

[This publication is referenced in the "Synthesis of knowledge of extreme fire behavior: volume I for fire managers" (Werth et al 2011).]