Document


Title

How to predict the spread and intensity of forest and range fires
Document Type: Report
Author(s): Richard C. Rothermel
Publication Year: 1983

Cataloging Information

Keyword(s):
  • fire behavior prediction
  • fire growth
  • fire intensity
  • fire size
  • fire spread
  • flame length
Partner Site(s):
Record Maintained By:
Record Last Modified: October 29, 2020
FRAMES Record Number: 6164

Description

This manual documents the procedures for estimating the rate of forward spread, intensity, flame length, and size of fires burning in forests and rangelands. It contains instructions for obtaining fuel and weather data, calculating fire behavior, and interpreting the results for application to actual fire problems. Potential uses include fire prediction, fire planning, dispatching, prescribed fires, and monitoring managed fires. Included are sections that deal with fuel model selection, fuel moisture, wind, slope, calculations with nomograms, TI-59 calculations, point source, line fire, interpretations of outputs, and growth predictions.

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

Online Link(s):
Link to this document (11 MB [OCR]; pdf-TreeSearch)
Link to this document (6.8 MB; pdf)
Citation:
Rothermel, Richard C. 1983. How to predict the spread and intensity of forest and range fires. General Technical Report INT-GTR-143. Ogden, UT: USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 161 p.