Journal Unveils New Cover Look

The new issue of the International Journal of Wildland Fire, published by CSIRO for the International Association of Wildland Fire, has just been released. The journal sports a new look. Instead of the old-style cover, the journal will feature a different wildland fire action photo each issue. The spine of the journal will remain the same.

This issue has a wide variety of research topics covering areas such as fire meteorology, fire behavior and fire impacts from around the world. Articles include:

The Meteorological Conditions Associated with Extreme Fire Risk in Italy and Greece: Relevance to Climate Model Studies, by P. Good, M. Moriondo, C. Giannakopoulos and M. Bindi. The meteorological conditions associated with elevated and extreme long- and short-timescale forest fire risk are investigated using the Canadian Fire Weather Index in the context of Tuscany, Italy, and Thessaloniki, Athens and Heraklion, Greece. The results will help inform studies of future change in fire risk.

A Pragmatic Assessment of the Usefulness of the Modis (Terra and Aqua) 1-km Active Fire (Mod14a2 And Myd14a2) Products for Mapping Fires in the Fynbos Biome, by Helen de Klerk. Cash-strapped conservation agencies need easy-to-use, remotely sensed fire products. The production of the MODIS 1-km active fire data is an impressive feat. It is not sufficient, however, for fynbos fire interval analyses. Fire-affected area data are eagerly awaited as a resource that will affect conservation management on the ground. Chief limitations are sun-glint, strong shadows, light soils, partially burnt pixels and pixel size.

Review of Formal Methodologies for Wind-Slope Correction of Wildfire Rate of Spread, by Jason J. Sharples. The effects of wind and topographic slope are important factors in determining the rate and direction of spread of a wildfire. Consequently, a number of methods for incorporating the effects of wind and slope into wildfire behavior and spread models have been developed. This article presents a formal review of a number of these methods, making comparisons where appropriate.

Development of Fuel Models for Fire Behavior Prediction in Maritime Pine (Pinus Pinaster Ait.) Stands, by Miguel G. Cruz and Paulo M. Fernandes. This study describes the development and evaluation of fuel models for the prediction of the behavior of surface fires in maritime pine plantations. The results reveal the adequacy of a backtracking method as a basis to create fuel models for horizontally oriented surface fuel beds.

A Variable Property Heat Transfer Model for Predicting Soil Temperature Profiles During Simulated Wildland Fire Conditions, by Ebenezer K. Enninful and David A. Torvi. This paper describes a model of heat transfer in soil, which can be used to predict temperatures and depth of lethal heat penetration during laboratory tests used to simulate wildland fires. The model was used to examine the effects of soil properties on temperature and DLHP.

Meteorologically Influenced Wildfire Impacts on Urban Particulate Matter and Visibility In Tucson, Arizona, USA, by Erika K. Wise. This paper assesses how wildland fires and concurrent weather conditions affect particulate matter and visibility in a nearby metropolitan area. Fires caused few violations of the U.S. federal particulate-matter standard, based on a 24-hour average, despite shorter-term air-quality degradation.

Different Interest Group Views of Fuels Treatments: Survey Results From Fire and Fire Surrogate Treatments in a Sierran Mixed Conifer Forest, California, USA, by Sarah McCaffrey, Jason J. Moghaddas and Scott L. Stephens. A survey was provided to participants after a field tour of four different fuels treatments. Findings suggest that participants understand the effect of different treatments in reducing fire hazard, but views can vary significantly for different groups as individuals interpret information through the screen of already conceived ideas about appropriate management.

What Do We Know About Forest Fire Size Distribution, and Why is this Knowledge Useful for Forest Management?, by Wenbin Cui and Ajith H. Perera. Forest fire sizes tend to follow power law distributions in various forest types under different forest and fire management practices. Forest fire size distributions change over time and space and are driven by various environmental and human factors. Although uncertainty and knowledge gaps remain, the knowledge of FSD is being used in forest and fire management.

Fine-Scale Variation of Historical Fire Regimes In Sagebrush-Steppe and Juniper Woodland: An Example from California, USA, by Richard F. Miller and Emily K. Heyerdahl. Analysis of tree rings and current vegetation suggests that fire frequency in mountain big sagebrush steppes and western juniper woodlands historically varied from decades to centuries within 4,000 hectares (9,880 acres) in the southern half of Lava Beds National Monument in northeastern California.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Contour-felled Log Erosion Barriers as a Post-Fire Runoff and Erosion Mitigation Treatment in the Western United States, by P.R. Robichaud, J.W. Wagenbrenner, R.E. Brown, P.M. Wohlgemuth and J.L. Beyers. Using matched watersheds after wildfires, the authors found that contour-felled log erosion barriers effectively reduced post-wildfire runoff, peak flows and erosion for small rain events, but had no effect during large events. Poor installation and degradation over time also reduced their effectiveness.

Influence of Water and Terpenes on Flammability in Some Dominant Mediterranean Species, by G.A. Alessio, J. Peñuelas, J. Llusià, R. Ogaya, M. Estiarte and M. De Lillis. The results of this study show that plant flammability is related to leaf hydration in both shrubland and forest ecosystems in the Mediterranean. As forecasted by climatic models, flammability will increase under more arid conditions in coming decades.

Natural Post-Fire Dynamics and Serotiny in 10-year-old Pinus Halepensis Mill. Stands Along a Geographic Gradient, by D. Moya, J. M. Espelta, F.R. López-Serrano, M. Eugenio and J. De Las Heras. Natural regenerated pine tree stands were studied 10 years after forest fires in eastern Spain. Several pine tree characteristics were measured and compared. Results showed a geographical gradient based on growth and reproduction dynamics. Serotiny levels were higher in southern locations although density was influencing overall pine stand development.

Landscape-Scale Changes in Canopy Fuels and Potential Fire Behavior Following Ponderosa Pine Restoration Treatments, by John P. Roccaforte, Peter Z. Fulé and W. Wallace Covington. The authors compared differences in canopy fuels and potential fire behavior across a ponderosa pine landscape in Arizona in 1870 (pre-settlement), 1996-97 (pre-restoration), and 2003 (post-restoration), using three fuel estimation methods and two fire models. They concluded that the proportion of the landscape susceptible to active crown fire decreased substantially in the treated area.

The ‘88 Fires: Yellowstone and Beyond Sept. 7-13, 2008, Jackson Hole, Wyo.

For a complete list of events, visit www.iawfonline.org/conferences