# Presentation: 329621

## Fire Behavior Assessment Tool(FBAT)

**Fire Behavior Assessment Tool****(FBAT)**

## Objectives

- Understand fire and fuels applications for the Fire Behavior Assessment Tool (FBAT)
- Load, evaluate, and interpret LANDFIRE fuels data in ArcMap
- Load, evaluate, and interpret ancillary data
- Apply LANDFIRE fuels data and other FBAT inputs in the FBAT tool
- Understand FBAT fire behavior outputs in the context of strategic fuels planning

## Assessing Fire Behavior

- Steps
- Identify management question
- Identify desired outputs
- Landscape or stand level
- Spatial or tabular
- Identify appropriate fire behavior model
- BehavePlus
- NEXUS
- FlamMap
- FARSITE

**Notes:**
Why do you want to assess fire behavior?
Are you doing an assessment for the hell of it?  Hopefully not.
Are you trying to assess the threats of wildland fire to the wildland-urban interface?
Are you trying to assess the threats of wildland fire to wildlife habitats?
Are you trying to assess the threats of wildland fire to aquatic systems?
Are you trying to assess the needs for suppression resources (e.g., Fire Planning Assessment)?
Why kind of outputs do you want from your assessment?
What kind of story are you trying to portray?
Are you trying to evaluate fire behavior from a landscape perspective or from a stand perspective?
Do you need maps to tell your story, or will tabular data suffice?
Answering the above questions will help you focus on which tools you will need from the “fire behavior tool box”.

## Why Develop a Fire Behavior Assessment Tool?

- Managers must synthesize multiple fire behavior metrics to design and evaluate fuel treatments

-  Flame Length
-  Rate of Spread
-  Crown Fire Activity

-  Heat/Unit Area
-  Fireline Intensity
-  Horizontal Movement Rate

## Why Develop a Fire Behavior Assessment Tool?

- Objective of fuel treatments is to change fire behavior
- Fuel treatments should be designed from a fire behavior perspective
- Managers must synthesize multiple fire behavior metrics to design and evaluate fuel treatments

-  Flame Length
-  Rate of Spread
-  Crown Fire Activity

-  Heat/Unit Area
-  Fireline Intensity
-  Horizontal Movement Rate

## Design GoalsFire Behavior Assessment Tool

- Spatial
- “Stand level” (i.e., pixel)
- Provide options for synthesizing multiple fire behavior attributes into a single metric
- Metric should be *simple* to calculate, and *simple* to interpret
- Ability to vary wind and fuel moisture
- Primary applications
- Prioritize fuel treatment opportunities
- Evaluate effectiveness of fuel treatment prescriptions

## Design CriteriaFire Behavior Assessment Tool 

- Integrate ArcMap and FlamMap
- Synthesize FlamMap outputs into single metric
- Flame Length
- Crown Fire Activity
- Rate of Spread
- Users should have multiple options for deriving metric

**Notes:**
Discuss why we selected ArcMap and FlamMap
ArcGIS is universally available to fire management agencies plus ArcMap (a component of ArcGIS) is relatively easy to learn
Spatial fire behavior programs that are universally available include FARSITE or FlamMap
FARSITE is more difficult to learn relative to FlamMap
FARSITE training is not frequently available 
FARSITE training is very demanding (xx-hrs of prework; plus week-long classroom session)
Discuss why we selected FL, ROS, and CFA
FL, CFA, and ROS are easy to interpret (i.e., they are understood my fire managers)
Fire Line Intensity is directly related to FL; thus, it is redundant
Heat/Unit Area is derived from FL and ROS; thus, it provides redundant information that is not easily understood by most managers
Horizontal spread rate is a function of ROS; thus, it provides redundant information that has little practical meaning
Discuss why we want multiple options for deriving the metric
There is no universal agreement of what the metric should be
The desired metric is dependent upon the management application (e.g., the management question)

## Design CriteriaFire Behavior Assessment Tool 

- Metric Options
*Absolute* metric
*Relative* metric
*Custom* metrics
- Simple binary query
- Classification query

**Notes:**
Single vs suite of metrics

## FBAT Metrics

***Absolute Metric***
- Derived from flame length (FL), rate of spread (ROS), and crown fire activity (CFA)
- Each attribute is classified using thresholds that have “real meaning” to fire managers
- Attributes are integrated using rule set that is “hardwired”
- Metric is derived consistently regardless of analysis area

## FBAT Metrics

***Relative Metric:***
- Derived from FL, ROS, and/or CFA
- Metric is classified by relative value
- Classification is relative to an analysis area
- Metric is ***NOT*** consistent between analysis areas
- Identifies most problematic areas w/in analysis area

## FBAT Metrics

***Custom Metrics: ***
**Simple Query**
- Queries defined by user
- Only conditions meeting requirements are mapped
- Binary (yes/no)
**Classification Query**
- Classes are defined by user
- All conditions (classes) are mapped
- Consistent between analysis areas *only if* queries are consistent

## Fire Behavior Assessment ToolInputs

**Spatial Inputs**
**Fuels**
- Fire Behavior Fuel Model
- Canopy Base Height
- Canopy Height
- Canopy Cover
- Canopy Bulk Density
**Topography**
- Elevation
- Slope (optional)
- Aspect (optional)
**Tabular Inputs**
- Fuel moisture
- 20-ft wind speed

**Notes:**
Need to add foliar moisture content as an input

## Fire Behavior Assessment ToolOutputs

**Fire Behavior Assessment Tool****Outputs**

- Spatial Outputs
- Absolute Fire Behavior
- Relative Fire Behavior
- Simple Query
- Classification Query

## Absolute Fire Behavior

- Fire behavior attributes are classified into 3 classes (low, moderate, & high)
- Classified attributes are integrated using rule sets depending on lifeform
**Forest rule set** integrates Crown Fire Activity & Flame Length
**Non-forest rule set** integrates Flame Length & Rate of Spread
- Fire behavior metric is derived consistently across all analysis areas

**Notes:**
Rule sets are “hardwired”.

## Classifying Attributes

- Crown Fire Activity
- Low: Surface fire
- Mod: Passive crown fire
- High: Active crown fire
- Flame Length
- Low:  >0 to 4 feet
- Mod:  4 to 11 feet
- High:  > 11 feet
- Rate of Spread
- Low:  >0 to 5 chains/hour
- Mod:  5 to 50 chains/hour
- High:  > 50 chains/hour

## Absolute Fire Behavior Rule Sets

- Forest Lifeform: _>_10% canopy cover
- Integrates Crown Fire Activity & Flame Length

| Crown Fire
Activity | Flame Length
(feet) | Fire Behavior
Metric |
| --- | --- | --- |
| None | None | None (0) |
| Surface
Fire | >0 to 4 | Low (1) |
|  | 4 to 11 | Moderate (2) |
|  | >11 | High (3) |
| Passive or Active Crown Fire | >0 | High (3) |

## Absolute Fire Behavior Rule Sets

- Non-forest Lifeforms: <10% canopy cover
- Integrates Flame Length & Rate of Spread

| Flame Length
(feet) | Rate of Spread
(chains/hour) | Fire Behavior
Metric |
| --- | --- | --- |
| None | None | None(0) |
| >0 to 4 | >0 to 5 | Low (1) |
|  | 5 to 50 | Low (1) |
|  | >50 | Moderate (2) |
| 4 to 11 | >0 to 5 | Low (1) |
|  | 5 to 50 | Moderate (2) |
|  | >50 | High (3) |
| >11 | >0 to 5 | Moderate (2) |
|  | 5 to 50 | High (3) |
|  | >50 | High (3) |

## AbsoluteFire Behavior

- Derived from forest and non-forest rule sets.

- CFA Class

- FL Class

- ROS Class

- Absolute Fire Behavior

## Relative Fire Behavior

- Relative to the analysis area
- Can’t compare different analysis areas
- High relative values could equal low absolute values
- Identifies the most problematic areas w/in an analysis area

**Notes:**
Relative to the analysis area means that you can’t compare different analysis areas together.
High relative values may have low absolute values.  For example, if a flame length of 3-ft is the maximum flame length of an analysis area, its relative value will be high, even though a 3-ft flame length is not very problematic from a fire behavior perspective.
This metric may be useful if your objective is to identify the worst case conditions within an analysis area. 

## Absolute versus RelativeClassification

- Absolute
- Flame Length
- Class

- Relative
- Flame Length
- Class

**Notes:**
This slide shows an example of how absolute and relative values may be very different.
Note: Relative FL is not derived by FBAT.

## Absolute versus RelativeClassification

- Absolute
- Rate of Spread
- Class

- Relative
- Rate of Spread
- Class

**Notes:**
This slide shows an example of how absolute and relative values may be similar.
Note: Relative ROS is not derived by FBAT.

## Relative Fire Behavior

- Attributes – user defined (FL, ROS, **and/or** CFA)
- Values are standardized between 0 and 100 			std value = (*x*/*maximum*)
- Metric = logarithmic average of values
- Classified none, low, moderate, or high based upon standard deviation

**Notes:**
The user can select any combination of FL, ROS, or CFA to derive Relative Fire Behavior.
Note: This slide may have to be changed depending on what is decided during the Jan 24/25 meeting.

## Relative Fire Behavior

- Strengths
- Allows managers to focus on the *most* problematic conditions w/in analysis area
- Limitations
- Can’t be used to compare different analysis areas
- Relative values may be high, but absolute values may actually be low

## Relative Fire Behavior

- Flame Length
- Rate of Spread
- Crown Fire Activity

- Flame Length
- Rate of Spread

- Flame Length
- Crown Fire Activity

- Different options yield different results

**Notes:**
This slide shows 3 different examples of deriving Relative Fire Behavior.  It should be of no surprise that using different methods will yield different results. 

What is potentially flawed with the analysis performed on the far left which derives Relative Fire Behavior from all 3 attributes?
Typically, ROS and CFA are inversely related.  For example, high ROS values occur in areas with low CFA values.  Consequently, these two attributes will cancel each other out.  If so, then Relative Fire Behavior will be based almost entirely on relative Flame Length.

If your analysis area is dominated by forest settings, I would recommend computing Relative Fire Behavior based upon FL and CFA.

If your analysis area is dominated by non-forest settings, I would recommend computing Relative Fire Behavior based upon FL and ROS.

Be careful to think about these issues thoroughly. 

## Absolute v. Relative Fire Behavior

- Absolute
- Fire Behavior

- Relative
- Fire Behavior

**Notes:**
This slide demonstrates how Absolute Fire Behavior will yield a different outcome compared to Relative Fire Behavior.

## Simple Query

- Output – only those fire behavior characteristics meeting the conditions of the query
- Option for “and” & “or” queries
- Binary expression
- 1 = values meeting the conditions of query
- 0 = all other values
- Useful for locating specific fire behavior characteristics

**Notes:**
Discuss and/or

## Simple QueryExample

- Where:
-  Flame Length _>_ 3 meters
**              ****OR**
- Crown Fire Activity = passive or active.

- FL _>_ 3 m

- CFA _>_ 2

- FL _>_ 3 or CFA _>_2

## Classification Query

- Can query 1 to 3 fire behavior attributes
- 4 classes (very low, low, moderate, high)
- Class thresholds defined by user
- Option for “and” & “or” queries

## Classification QueryExample

- Where:
**Class 3 (High)**
- 	FL > 4 meters
- 	CFA = Passive or Active
**Class 2 (Moderate)**
- 	FL: 2 to 4 meters
- 	CFA = Passive or Active
**Class 1 (Low)**
- 	FL: 1 to 2 meters
- 	CFA = Surface
**Class 0 (Very Low)**
- 	FL <1 meters
- 	CFA: = Surface or None

## Summary

- FlamMap is a great tool!!!
- But...
- Requires ASCII grids
- Data inputs must commonly be converted to use FlamMap
- Data outputs must be converted back to ArcGRID format for additional analysis
- FBAT runs FlamMap in the background from ArcMap platform
- No need to convert data formats back & forth

## Summary

- FBAT synthesizes FlamMap outputs
- Absolute Fire Behavior provides a consistent stand-level metric
- Options are available for users to develop custom metric via queries
- Queries are handy for exploring data

## “All models are wrong...
...but some are useful”.

**...****but some are useful”.**

- George E. P. Box

## Objectives

- Understand fire and fuels applications for the Fire Behavior Assessment Tool (FBAT)
- Load, evaluate, and interpret LANDFIRE fuels data in ArcMap
- Load, evaluate, and interpret ancillary data
- Apply LANDFIRE fuels data and other FBAT inputs in the FBAT tool
- Understand FBAT fire behavior outputs in the context of strategic fuels planning

## National Interagency Fuels Technology Team“a trail to integration”

- National Interagency Fuels Technology Team“a trail to integration”