Letter to the Editor

             

Miguel Cruz, Nicole Vaillant, Dave Peterson and I are engaged in a project supported by the U.S. Joint Fire Science Program aimed at synthesizing the currently available information on crown fire behavior in conifer forests (e.g., the onset of crowning, type of crown fire and the associated spread rate and fireline intensity) in relation to the wildland fire environment (i.e., fuels, weather and topography). While the focus is on North American forests, the synthesis is intended to be global in nature and is intended for multiple audiences, ranging from the general public to college students to fire and land managers to university professors and other researchers. In addition to summarizing the existing scientific and technical literature on the subject, project members also are seeking assistance from individuals in the form of field observations of crown fires and related experiences as well as still pictures and video footage. Finally, we are interested in hearing your opinions on the subject of crown fires and any specific questions and/or research needs/knowledge gaps that you would like to see addressed or discussed in this crown fire synthesis project. Our project website is: http://www.fs.fed.us/wwetac/projects/alexander.html.

— Martin E. Alexander, PhD, RPF, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada