Microclimate and Modeled Fire Behavior Differ Between Adjacent Forest Types in Northern Portugal
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Study Site, Stand Characteristics and Weather Data Collection
Forest Type | Tree Density (no. ha−1) | dbh (cm) | Basal Area (m2 ha−1) | Canopy Cover (%) | DH (m) | H (m) | CBH (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PP | 1060 | 26.1 | 56.5 | 55 | 17.8 | 15.8 | 9.0 |
CL | 780 | 39.7 | 87.3 | 85 | 26.7 | 23.1 | 10.1 |
BA | 1200 | 18.4 | 33.7 | 75 | 17.2 | 12.7 | 7.9 |
2.2. Potential Fire Behavior
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Weather and Fine Fuel Moisture content
Variable | CL | PP | BA |
---|---|---|---|
T (°C) | 16.6 (5.8–28.9) | 16.8 (4.4–35.5) | 16.9 (5.9–29.5) |
13.3–19.7 | 12.2–23.4 | 13.1–20.8 | |
RH (%) | 64.9 (8–99) | 63.3 (12–94) | 70.4 (16–100) |
48.9–79.3 | 45.0–79.0 | 54.8–84.1 | |
U (km h−1) | 0.3 (0–4.8) | 2.4 (0–8) | 1.5 (0–9.7) |
0–1.2 | 0.7–4.3 | 0.1–3.8 | |
Umax (km h−1) | 3.5 (0–10.0) | 8.2 (5.3–15.0) | 7.1 (1.7–15.5) |
0–32.2 | 0–27.4 | 0–38.6 |
Comparison | Air Temperature (°C) | Relative Humidity (%) | Wind Speed (km h−1) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Differences | r | Differences | r | Differences | r | |
PP-CL | 0.28 ± 0.04 *** | 0.93 | −1.60 ± 0.14 *** | 0.95 | 2.11 ± 0.02 *** 4.74 ± 0.06 *** | 0.45 0.64 |
PP-BA | −0.39 ± 0.05 *** | 0.92 | −7.02 ± 0.10 *** | 0.97 | 1.45 ± 0.99 *** 1.16 ± 0.07 *** | 0.50 0.58 |
BA-CL | 0.11 ± 0.04 *** | 0.93 | 5.43 ± 0.11 *** | 0.97 | 1.12 ± 0.03 *** 3.59 ± 0.07 *** | 0.37 0.47 |
Comparison | Differences | r |
---|---|---|
PP-CL | −1.4 ± 0.1 *** | 0.83 |
PP-BA | −1.9 ± 0.1 *** | 0.87 |
BA-CL | 0.5 ± 0.1 *** | 0.96 |
3.2. Fire Behavior Potential
Comparison | Spread Rate (m min−1) | Flame Length (m) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Differences | r | Differences | r | |
PP-CL | 5.68 ± 0.08 *** | 0.45 | 2.45 ± 0.02 *** | 0.43 |
PP-BA | 2.89 ± 0.11 *** | 0.22 | 1.20 ± 0.04 *** | 0.42 |
BA-CL | 2.79 ± 0.09 *** | 0.57 | 1.24 ± 0.04 *** | 0.72 |
Simulation and Input Variables | Spread Rate | Flame Length |
---|---|---|
High fire danger | ||
Fuel model | 92.0 | 93.3 |
Wind speed | 3.4 | 6.2 |
1-hour fuel moisture | 4.5 | 0.5 |
Expanded | ||
Fuel model | 55.7 | 74.7 |
Wind speed | 34.2 | 12.7 |
1-hour fuel moisture | 10.1 | 12.6 |
4. Discussion
4.1. Differences in Weather and Fuel Moisture Content
4.2. Differences in Fire Behavior Potential
4.3. Management Implications
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Appendix
Model | Fuel Depth | Fuel Loading (t ha−1) | SVR (m-1) | H | Mx | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(m) | 1 hour | 10 hours | 100 hours | Live Woody | Live Herbs | 1 hour | Live Herbs | Live Woody | (kJ kg-1) | (%) | |
F-RAC | 0.05 | 3.75 | 2.00 | 1.00 | 1.18 | 0.00 | 6500 | - | 4500 | 20500 | 28 |
M-CAD | 0.63 | 4.54 | 1.87 | 0.61 | 9.08 | 0.00 | 6000 | - | 5000 | 20000 | 30 |
M-PIN | 0.50 | 7.21 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 6.89 | 0.00 | 5500 | - | 6000 | 21000 | 40 |
Conflicts of Interest
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Pinto, A.; Fernandes, P.M. Microclimate and Modeled Fire Behavior Differ Between Adjacent Forest Types in Northern Portugal. Forests 2014, 5, 2490-2504. https://doi.org/10.3390/f5102490
Pinto A, Fernandes PM. Microclimate and Modeled Fire Behavior Differ Between Adjacent Forest Types in Northern Portugal. Forests. 2014; 5(10):2490-2504. https://doi.org/10.3390/f5102490
Chicago/Turabian StylePinto, Anita, and Paulo M. Fernandes. 2014. "Microclimate and Modeled Fire Behavior Differ Between Adjacent Forest Types in Northern Portugal" Forests 5, no. 10: 2490-2504. https://doi.org/10.3390/f5102490