# Presentation: 332242

## Dynamic changes in the fire environment associated with bark beetle attack

- Public Land Management
- Agencies Bark Beetle and Lodgepole Pine Workshop

**Snow Mountain Ranch**
**June 13-14, 2007**

**Kevin Ryan**
**Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory**

## Fire Environment

- Varies in Time and Space

- Fire
- Environment

- _Fuels - Vegetation_
-    Canopy
-       Surface
-          Ground

-           _Weather_
-             Wind
-     Humidity
- Drought

- _Landform – Terrain_
-   Slope
-   Aspect, Elevation,
-   Hill - Slope - Drainage

## }

- Varies in Time and Space

- Fire
- Environment

- _Fuels - Vegetation_
-    Canopy
-       Surface
-          Ground

-           _Weather_
-             Wind
-     Humidity
- Drought

- _Landform – Terrain_
-   Slope
-   Aspect, Elevation,
-   Hill - Slope - Drainage

**}**

## Vegetation Structure:

**Vegetation Structure:**

**The quantity, distribution, and**
**horizontal and vertical arrangement**
**of live and dead trees, understory**
**vegetation, woody debris, litter and**
**humus within a given area.**

## Fire

- Environment

- _Fuels & Vegetation_

- _Weather_

- _Landform – Terrain_

- Behavior

- Effects

- Crown fire

- Active surface fire

- Creeping surface fire

- Snags

- Scorched
- lower needles

- Snag

## Fire Environment and 

- Headfire

- Flankfire

- Backing fire

- _Fuels_

- _Weather_

- _Landform – Terrain_

- Increasing
- Fireline Intensity

- Fire Environment and
- Direction of Fire Spread

## Fuelbed description:

- Archaic:
- Rate of Spread (ROS)
- Resistance to Control (ROC)
- “Modern:”
- 	- Fuel Model (NFDRS, Anderson 13, Scott & Burgan 40)        ROS, FI, FL

**Modern Fuel Maps do not explicitly map ROC**

## 160 trees

- 80 trees

***FUEL******3-D***

**Fire Potential varies with Stand Density**

## 160 trees

***FUEL******3-D***

- 20 trees
- Attacked

**Fire Potential Varies with Attack Density**

## 160 trees

***FUEL******3-D***

- Diffuse
- Mortality

**T-0**

**T-1**

**Fire Potential Varies with Duration of Attack**

## 160 trees

***FUEL******3-D***

- Diffuse
- Mortality

**T-2**

**T-3**

**Fire Potential Varies with Duration of Attack**

## Post-outbreak stand structure

**T-4**

- 160 trees

- Diffuse
- Mortality

**Post-outbreak stand structure**

**Fire Potential Varies with Duration of Attack**

***FUEL******3-D***

## Vs. Fire Potential Following Mass Attack

**Vs. Fire Potential Following Mass Attack**

**160 trees**

**T+3 to 5**
**Years later**

***FUEL******3-D***

## Pre Mountain Pine Beetle Attack – “Green  Forest”

***FUEL******3-D***

**Pre Mountain Pine Beetle Attack – “Green  Forest”**

**Hydrology: **
**Canopy Interception normal**
**Evaporation normal**
**Transpiration normal**
**Available soil H*****2*****0 normal**

**Light:: **
**Canopy Interception normal**
**Surface Interception normal**

**Fuel Moisture:**
**Canopy – normal seasonal**
**Surface – normal drying**

**Wind Speed:**
**“****normal” wind profile**

## During Mountain Pine Beetle Attack- “Red & Dead”

***FUEL******3-D***

**Light:: **
**Canopy Interception n.c.**
**Surface Interception n.c.**

**Hydrology: **
**Canopy Interception n.c.**
**Evaporation n.c.**
**Transpiration**
**Available soil H*****2*****0 **
** **

**During Mountain Pine Beetle Attack- “Red & Dead”**

**Wind Speed:**
**“****normal” wind profile**

**Fuel Moisture:**
**Canopy  **
**Surface  **

## After Mountain Pine Beetle Attack - Snags (3-5 years)

***FUEL******3-D***

**Light:: **
**Canopy Interception **
**Surface Interception **

**Hydrology: **
**Canopy Interception  **
**Evaporation****1**** **
**Transpiration**
**Available soil H*****2*****0 **

**After Mountain Pine Beetle Attack - Snags (3-5 years)**

**Wind speed:**
**wind profile**

**Fuel Moisture:**
**Canopy  (twigs) **
**Surface –      (drying delayed)   **

** ****1****varies with stand density**

## Snags present special problems in fire management:

**Safety**
**Safety**
**Spot Fires**

## Fire Behavior in beetle killed stands varies with stand structure, fuel moisture, wind, & slope

**Big Fish Fire**

## Extreme Soil Heating from log burn-out(illustration –Kraft Springs Fire)

**Logs contribute to extreme fire **
**behavior and resistance to control**

**Brewer Fire Fuels**

**Kraft Springs Fire**

## Temperature Effects 

- 40

- 70

- Plant Tissue Death

**Temperature Effects **
**on Plants & Soils**

## Fire Severity Matrix 

**Post Fire Erosion**

- Unburned

- Light

- Moderate

- Deep

- Unburned

- Creeping

- Active

- Running & Torching

- Crowing

- Surface Fire Intensity
- (Flame Length)

- Depth of  Burn

**Organic Soil Depth & Coarse Wood**

**Long Term Drying**

**Short Term Drying & Wind**

**Canopy Height & Mass of Fine Fuel**

**Site Factors**

**Weather Factors**

- Erosion Potential

## Fire Potential will Change as the Fire Environment Changes

**Bark Beetle**
**Attack**

**Changed Stand Structure**
**Changed Forest Succession**
**Increased Surface Solar Radiation**
**Increased Available Fuel**
**Increased Ladder Fuels **
**Increased Resistance to Control**

**Altered Fire**
**Potential**

**Expectation: On average, “all else being equal,”  **
**Decrease 3-5 years, Increase after 15 years**

## Potential Analysis Tools:

**Forest Vegetation Simulator **
**	****(fire and fuels and bark beetle extensions)**
**FlamMap, Treatment Optimization Model & Minimum Travel Time**
**Fire Family-Plus**
**Nexus**
**Area Change Tool**
**Multiple Resource Integration Tool**
**First Order Fire Effects Model**
**LANDFIRE O&M**

## Thank you

***FUEL******3-D***

- Acknowledgements:
- Slides developed with FUEL3-D modeling system.
- For information contact:
-  Russ Parsons,
- Fire Sciences Lab
- 329-4872
- rparson@fs.fed.us

**Thank you**