United States

Department

of Agriculture

Forest Service

Rocky Mountain

Research Station

General Technical Report

RMRS-GTR-106WWW

June 2003

BehavePlus

fire modeling system

Version 2.0

User’s Guide

Patricia L. Andrews

Collin D. Bevins

Robert C. Seli
Abstract

Andrews, Patricia L.; Bevins, Collin D.; Seli, Robert C. 2003. BehavePlus fire modeling system, version2.0: 

User’s Guide. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-106WWW. Ogden, UT: Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 132p. 

The BehavePlus fire modeling system is a program for personal computers that is a collection of mathematical 

models that describe fire and the fire environment. It is a flexible system that produces tables, graphs, and 

simple diagrams. It can be used for a multitude of fire management applications including projecting the 

behavior of an ongoing fire, planning prescribed fire, and training. BehavePlus is the successor to the BEHAVE 

fire behavior prediction and fuel modeling system. Primary modeling capabilities include surface fire spread and 

intensity, safety zone size, size of point source fire, fire containment, spotting distance, crown scorch height, 

tree mortality, and probability of ignition. The User’s Guide describes operation of the program. Other papers 

describe the models and application of the system.

Keywords

Fire behavior, fire spread, fire intensity, computer program 

The Authors

Patricia L. Andrews is a Research Physical Scientist at the Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula, MT. She 

received a B.A. degree in mathematics and chemistry from Montana State University, Billings in 1970 and an 

M.A. degree in mathematics and computer science in 1973 from the University of Montana, Missoula. She has 

been at the Fire Sciences Laboratory since 1973, serving as Project Leader of the Fire Behavior Research 

Work Unit from 1991 to 1996.

Collin D. Bevins is Director of Systems for Environmental Management, a Missoula, MT, nonprofit research 

and educational organization founded in 1977. Collin earned a B.A. degree from Carleton College, Northfield, 

MN in 1974, and an M.S. degree in forestry, University of Washington, Seattle, 1975. 

Robert C. Seli is a Forester at the Fire Sciences Laboratory in Missoula, MT. He was previously a District Fire 

Management Officer on the Lolo National Forest, a Silviculturist on the Nezperce National Forest, and 

received a B.S. degree in forestry from North Carolina State University in 1974. 

Acknowledgments 

Funding for development of the BehavePlus program and supporting material was provided by the Joint Fire 

Science Program; USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Behavior Research Work 

Unit; USDA Forest Service, Fire and Aviation Management, Washington D.C.; and Systems for Environmental 

Management. 

Program development and supporting material was done primarily through contracts #53-0343-7-0020 and 

#53-0343-0-0011 with Systems for Environmental Management (SEM). 

The following SEM people contributed to the project: Collin Bevins (program design and development, version 

2 User’s Guide), Don Carlton (version 1 User’s Guide and online help system), Deb Tirmenstein (program 

testing, document review and editing), Joe Scott (online help and supporting material for the fire models added 

in version 2), and Miguel Cruz (Portuguese translation for the ‘language’ option). 

Other contributors include Dave Custer (tutorial editing and formatting), Rob Seli (tutorial development, 

editing, online help, and version 2 User’s Guide), and Pat Andrews (project manager, system design, program 

testing, tutorial development, version 2 User’s Guide).

Software technical support is provided by USDA Forest Service, Fire and Aviation Management, National 

Systems Support Group, Boise, ID. 

Cover Art: "WILDFIRE" (C) 1992, an original acrylic painting by Monte Dolack. Trumpeter swans take refuge 

in the air as a threatening wildfire rages through the forest habitat. This image is from a 29" x 24" poster 

commissioned by the National Wildfire Foundation and used here by permission of the artist. 

All images used in BehavePlus and its associated manuals and training materials are from original works by 

Monte Dolack and appear by permission of the artist.
Preface 

This User’s Guide explains how to use the BehavePlus fire modeling system software. Other papers will

describe the models incorporated into the system and application of the predictions. 

This is an RMRS online publication. It can be downloaded from the Rocky Mountain Research Station 

publications web page, http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/main/pubs/electronic.html

You can download this User’s Guide and the BehavePlus program and provide comments through the 

BehavePlus web site, http://fire.org

This User’s Guide is also an integral part of the BehavePlus system, serving as online help. 

This publication will be updated as features and modeling capabilities are added to the program. 

The BehavePlus system is supported by 

USDA Forest Service 

National Fire and Aviation Management Information Systems Team 

3833 S. Development Avenue 

Boise, ID 83705

(800) 253-5559

fire_help@dms.nwcg.gov

The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not 

imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service. 

Table of Contents 

1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................1

2. Operation .........................................................................................................................7

2.1. Overview ....................................................................................................................7

2.2. Design.........................................................................................................................8

2.3. Features....................................................................................................................10

2.4. Installation.................................................................................................................11

2.5. Definitions.................................................................................................................13

2.6. Menus and Toolbar....................................................................................................14

3. Worksheets ....................................................................................................................15

3.1. Worksheet layout......................................................................................................15

3.2. Loading a previously saved Worksheet........................................................................21

3.3. The startup Worksheet..............................................................................................22

3.4. Changing a Worksheet...............................................................................................22

3.5. Saving a Worksheet or a Run .....................................................................................22

4. Modules ..........................................................................................................................23

4.1. Input options.............................................................................................................23

4.2. Output options..........................................................................................................25

5. Entering input..................................................................................................................27

5.1. Shaded text boxes .....................................................................................................27

5.2. Direct entry ..............................................................................................................27

5.3. Range of values..........................................................................................................27

5.4. Discrete variables ......................................................................................................27

5.5. Choices.....................................................................................................................28

5.6. Linked input variables.................................................................................................29

6. Table output....................................................................................................................31

6.1. Single value calculation ...............................................................................................31

6.2. Table output..............................................................................................................32

6.3. Two way tables .........................................................................................................32

6.4. Table appearance.......................................................................................................34

6.5. Multiple pages............................................................................................................34

7. Graph output...................................................................................................................37

7.1. Single variable graph...................................................................................................37

7.2. Two variable graph ....................................................................................................39

7.3. Axis scales.................................................................................................................42

7.4. Graph appearance......................................................................................................47

7.5. Number of curve points.............................................................................................55

8. Diagram output ...............................................................................................................57

8.1. Wind/slope/spread direction.......................................................................................57

8.2. Fire characteristics chart ............................................................................................61

8.3. Shape of a point source fire ........................................................................................65

8.4. Containment shape....................................................................................................69

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 i
Table of Contents BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

9. View, print, & capture results............................................................................................73

9.1. View size...................................................................................................................73

9.2. Windows ..................................................................................................................73

9.3. Pages ........................................................................................................................74

9.4. Print .........................................................................................................................75

9.5. Capture ....................................................................................................................75

10. Error checking ...............................................................................................................77

11. Custom fuel models .......................................................................................................79

11.1. Using previously saved fuel models............................................................................79

11.2. Defining and saving custom fuel models.....................................................................81

12. Moisture scenarios.........................................................................................................83

12.1. Using previously saved moisture scenarios.................................................................83

12.2. Defining and saving moisture scenarios......................................................................85

13. Map applications.............................................................................................................87

13.1. Slope from map measurements.................................................................................87

13.2. Map distances..........................................................................................................90

14. Units.............................................................................................................................93

14.1. English or metric......................................................................................................93

14.2. Custom units set......................................................................................................93

14.3. Number of decimal places ........................................................................................93

14.4. Units conversion tool...............................................................................................94

15. Language........................................................................................................................95

15.1. English or Portuguese...............................................................................................95

15.2. Custom language set ................................................................................................95

16. Fine Dead Fuel Moisture Tool.........................................................................................97

17. Sun-Moon Calendar Tool................................................................................................99

18. File management ..........................................................................................................101

18.1. Workspaces ..........................................................................................................101

18.2. Load a Worksheet .................................................................................................102

18.3. Load a Run ............................................................................................................102

18.4. Save as..................................................................................................................102

18.5. Deleting Files & Folders..........................................................................................103

19. Help............................................................................................................................105

19.1. Browser pane help .................................................................................................105

19.2. Guide button .........................................................................................................106

19.3. User’s Guide..........................................................................................................106

References........................................................................................................................107

Appendices 

A – Version comparison..................................................................................A1

B – Input and Output Variable Tables...................................................................B1

C – Units Editor.............................................................................................C1

 D – The 0Startup.bpw worksheet, defaults.............................................................D1

E – Example Worksheets..................................................................................E1

ii USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
1. Introduction 

The BehavePlus fire modeling system is a PC-based program that is a collection of models that describe fire 

and the fire environment. It is a flexible system that produces tables and graphs and can be used for a 

multitude of fire management applications. BehavePlus is the successor to the BEHAVE fire behavior 

prediction and fuel modeling system (Andrews 1986, Andrews and Chase 1989, Burgan and Rothermel 1984, 

Andrews and Bradshaw 1990). It is called the BehavePlus fire modeling system to reflect its expanded scope 

(Andrews and Bevins 1999). 

This document describes operation of the BehavePlus program. The fire models and their application are 

described elsewhere.

Many of the fire models in BehavePlus are the same as those in the FARSITE fire area simulator (Finney 1998) 

and the FlamMap fire behavior mapping and analysis system. Each system meets a different need. The same 

surface fire spread model (Rothermel 1972) was used in each case. These three programs and supporting 

documentation are available through www.fire.org. Shown below are example outputs from each system. 

Sample table, graph, and diagram output from BehavePlus:

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 1 
Introduction BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

2 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Introduction 

Sample fire perimeter output from FARSITE: 

Sample landscape fire potential output from FlamMap: 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 3
Introduction BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

Version 1.0 of BehavePlus was based primarily on the same fire models that composed the old BEHAVE 

system. Development focus was initially on a new look and feel for the program. This paper describes version 

2.0, which provides additional models and features. A summary of changes from version 1.0 to version 2.0 is 

given in Appendix A. 

The primary modeling capabilities of BehavePlus, version 2.0, include 

• Surface fire spread and intensity 

• Safety zone size 

• Size of a point source fire 

• Fire containment 

• Spotting distance 

• Crown scorch height 

• Tree mortality

• Probability of ignition from fire brands or from lightning 

Other modeling capabilities include 

• Tables for fine dead fuel moisture 

• Tables for relative humidity or dew point 

• Standard and custom fuel models 

• Dynamic palmetto-gallberry fuel 

• Three methods for weighting two fuel models: two-dimensional expected spread, harmonic mean, 

area weighted 

• Sunrise, sunset, dawn, and dusk at any location or date 

Key features include 

• Diagrams for point source fire shape, shape of a contained fire, fire characteristics chart, wind / slope 

/ fire directions 

• Photographs and a key for the standard 13 fuel models 

• Distances in map units 

• User control of input options and output variables 

• Description of each input and output variable 

• User control of units and number decimal places displayed 

• Multiple values can be entered for almost any input variable

• User interface language can be changed (currently English and Portuguese) 

4 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Introduction 

The help system is an important part of the BehavePlus system. This User’s Guide is available with the 

program for help on operation of the program. In addition, a help browser is available in the dialog boxes 

providing immediate information on specific operations and definition of input and output variables as shown 

below. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 5
Introduction BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

This page is blank on purpose. 

6 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
2. Operation 

2.1. Overview 

This User’s Guide addresses only operation of the program. The fire models, associated variables, and 

application are described elsewhere. 

Organization of material on Operation of the BehavePlus program is different from the organization of the 

program itself. It is designed to help you find the answer to a question. Most users are comfortable with 

looking at menus and dialog boxes and associated information in the program without use of a User’s Guide. 

This is not a step-by-step operation manual, but a reference guide. The tutorials provide step-by-step

instructions. 

In describing operation of the program, we use the following font and/or conventions in describing menus, 

commands, buttons, tabs, and checkboxes:

Configure > Module selection > SURFACE > Options... > Fuel & Moisture > fuel models

option button. 

For example the sequence of menus, commands, check boxes, buttons, and tabs shown above refers to the 

following actions in BehavePlus: 

Each of the above elements would be described in this User’s Guide as

1. Configure menu 

2. Module selection command 

3. SURFACE check box 

4. Options... button 

5. Fuel & Moisture tab 

6. fuel models option button 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 7 
Operation BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

Other elements used in BehavePlus include

7. Spin box – select the value using the buttons or enter a value from the keyboard, 

8. Text box – click inside the box to enter values from the keyboard. 

9. Drop-down list – Choose the value from the list displayed with the button. 

In the interest of saving space and improving readability, we include screen captures of only the portion of 

concern. The Tutorials include more complete screen captures. 

2.2. Design 

2.2.1. Page Oriented 

BehavePlus is meant to be more than just a fire modeling tool. It is meant to be a lesson book with a built-in

training manual, and a planning tool whose results may be incorporated into management reports. It is meant 

to be a fire behavior assessment aid whose tables and graphs can be shared with others in briefings and in 

written documentation. BehavePlus is meant to be run over and over for multiple purposes, so it is meant to 

be self-documenting.

Because of these expectations, the BehavePlus user interface is designed around the concept of the standard 

8.5 x 11 printed page.

Given input information BehavePlus can generate documentation, diagrams, tables, and graphs. Fortunately,

they all fit on a standard printer page; merely press the Print button and file the copy. Six months later when 

you need to review the work, the What, How, and Why of each Run is considerably less obscure than it 

would have been otherwise.

The page on which you enter input information appears first (page 1) and is called the Worksheet. A complex

Worksheet may span several pages. Once the Calculate button is pressed, BehavePlus generates additional 

pages containing output tables, graphs, and diagrams. These too are deigned to fit neatly on the printed page. 

Navigation buttons on the Tool Bar let you move to the first page, last page, next page, or previous page. The 

Pages menu lets you jump directly to any diagram, table, or graph. The Print dialog lets you print selected 

pages. 

8 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Operation 

2.2.2. Highly Configurable 

BehavePlus is meant to be the repository of many current and future models related to fire behavior and 

effects. These models may have alternate input sets and can produce many output variables. Individual models 

may be linked together so that outputs from one module automatically become inputs for another module. 

Input and output variables may have user-specified units of measure. Outputs may be in the form of diagrams, 

tables, and/or graphs. The language displayed on Worksheets and output pages may be changed.

BehavePlus may be used for fire behavior training, for fire planning, or for real-time fire behavior assessment. 

It may be used to assess just fire behavior, or just fire effects, or the link between them. It may be used to 

build custom fuel models, to determine astronomical events, or as a units conversion utility. 

2.2.3. Self Documenting 

The brooding step-brother of configurability is complexity. Because BehavePlus is so highly configurable and 

may be used by people in various roles for various purposes, it strives to be self-documenting in an attempt to 

thwart entropy. The input Worksheet automatically documents all Modules in use, all input variables and units 

of measure, all output variables and units of measure, and pertinent notes on the current configuration. The 

Worksheet also allows you to enter a Run description (and possibly additional training or fire incident

information) and contains a notes field for free-field entry of expository text. 

2.2.4. User Manual and Help 

BehavePlus tries to provide pertinent information to you when you need it the most. The Guide Button 

next to each entry field opens a dialog containing a help browser pane with suggested or valid inputs. The help

browser pane describes input and output variables and program operation. The browser provides tables, 

photographs, and figures to help you select inputs. 

In addition, this manual is available as part of BehavePlus through Help > Program help. 

2.2.5. Not Boring 

Finally, every attempt has been made to keep BehavePlus from becoming yet another boring program with a 

gray personality. Just in case all the complexity, configurability, widgets, dialogs, models, diagrams, tables,

graphs, browsers, and quirky behavior aren’t enough to hold your attention, here and there we’ve inserted 

some paintings we rather enjoy to ease our weary eyes. 

If you, however, prefer the gray approach, you can eliminate the pictures for the entire session by clearing the 

Show picture pane check box on the Configure > Appearance > Application tab

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 9
Operation BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

You can also choose to show the picture or not in individual windows by selecting or clearing the Picture

check box 

2.3. Features 

2.3.1. Fire Models 

BehavePlus contains models to estimate 

• surface fire spread, intensity, flame length, scorch height, and direction of maximum spread 

• surface fire spread rate, intensity, flame length, and scorch height in any compass direction 

• fire shape, area, and perimeter 

• spotting distance from a burning pile, from torching trees, or from a wind-driven surface fire 

• success or failure of suppression resources to build line around a fire

• recommended fire safety zone radius, separation distance, and zone size 

• fire-induced tree mortality 

• probability of fire ignition from firebrands 

• probability of fire ignition from lightning strikes 

• relative humidity or dew point temperature

• midflame wind speed 

• fine dead fuel moisture content 

• sun-rise, sun-set, dawn, and dusk at any location or date 

• palmetto-gallberry dynamic fuels 

• custom fuel models 

• custom moisture scenarios 

• weighted fire behavior within a two fuel model complex

10 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Operation 

2.3.2. Operation 

BehavePlus has the following operational features: 

• BehavePlus is cross-platform and works identically on all versions of Windows and Linux. 

• Multiple Worksheets may be open at one time. 

• Worksheets may be overlaid, tiled, cascaded, and resized.

• Modules (collections of related fire models) may be individually toggled on/off. 

• Modules may have alternate input options available through the Configure > Module > Options > 

Input Options dialog box. 

• Module output variables can be toggled on/off via the Configure > Modules > Options > 

Output Variables dialog box. 

• Modules may be linked so the outputs from one module are automatically input into another module. 

• All distance outputs may be scaled to map units. 

• All input and output units of measure may be modified by the user. 

• Custom Worksheet configurations may be saved and re-used. 

• Custom sets of units of measure may be saved and re-used.

• The Guide Button next to each Worksheet entry field displays a help browser pane with contextspecific text and either a list of valid choices (for discrete variables) or fields for generating a range of 

input values. 

• Zero, one, or two input variables may have multiple entry values, producing either a simple result list, 

a single one-way table, or a multipage two-way table, respectively. 

• If one input variable has multiple entry values, a separate graph can be generated for each output 

variable. If two input variables have multiple entry values each output variable graph contains a family 

of curves. 

• The SURFACE, SIZE, and CONTAIN Modules can produce diagrams of their results. 

• Help > Program Help makes this manual and all associated documentation available in PDF format 

for reading, web browsing, and printing. 

• The user interface language may be dynamically changed via Configure > Language. Currently 

English (U.S.) and Portuguese (Portugal) are supported. (Contact cbevins@montana.com if you’d like 

to volunteer to add support for another language). 

• Completed Runs may be saved and re-used.

2.4. Installation 

2.4.1. Download

BehavePlus is available for download from www.fire.org. Simply follow the BehavePlus links to the download 

page and select either the Windows or Linux installation package. 

You should check the downloaded file size against the original to ensure you received the entire package. To 

be absolutely certain the package arrived intact, use the md5sum program from a command line prompt: 

3⁄4 md5sum bp_2_0_0.exe 

If the resulting 32-digit hexadecimal number is not identical to the one published on the BehavePlus download 

page, your download copy is corrupt. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 11
Operation BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

2.4.2. System Requirements 

BehavePlus has modest system requirements met by the most inexpensive computers available on the market:

• Linux or Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, or XP 

• Minimum 800 x 600 video resolution with 256 (8-bit) colors (recommend 1024 x 768 video 

resolution with 64K (16-bit) colors) 

• 16 megabytes of available RAM 

• 20 megabytes of disk storage 

2.4.3. Windows Installation 

BehavePlus for Windows is packaged using the Wise Installation System. Simply type the name of the package 

(e.g., bp_2_0_0.exe) at a command prompt (or click on its name in Windows Explorer) and the installation 

wizard will guide you through the process. This mostly consists of pressing the OK button. 

2.4.4. Linux Installation 

BehavePlus for Linux is packaged as a tarball using tar and gzip. Move the downloaded file (bp-2.0.0.tar.gz) 

into the parent directory where you wish it to be installed, and enter 

3⁄4 tar xvzf bp-2.0.0.tar.gz 

This creates the bp-2.0.0 subdirectory and unpacks the BehavePlus binary executable, supporting library files, 

and data subdirectory structure within it. 

2.4.5. File Structure 

BehavePlus has a proscribed file system structure; all files must be located in specific subdirectories. The

parent directory of this file structure and all its subdirectories and files are collectively known as a Workspace. 

When BehavePlus is first installed it has a single Workspace called “DefaultDataFolder” as shown below. 

This is the default current Workspace every time BehavePlus is started. 

12 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Operation 

We recommend that you use Workspaces to aid file management as you apply BehavePlus to several projects. 

See the section 18.1 Workspaces for more information. 

A list of three letter file extensions used by BehavePlus is shown in the following table. These extensions are 

automatically attached to the files you create in BehavePlus. 

File extension File type Folder 

.bpf Custom fuel models FuelModelFolder 

.bpm Moisture scenarios MoistureScenarioFolder 

.bpr Runs RunFolder 

.bpu Custom Units Sets UnitsSetFolder

.bpw Worksheets WorksheetFolder 

2.5. Definitions 

A Worksheet is the first page or two containing the input Entry Fields. The content of a Worksheet depends 

upon the specific BehavePlus configuration including module selections, input options, output variables, units of 

measure, and diagram/table/graph options. Thus there are a large number of possible Worksheets. Some 

Example Worksheets are supplied with the BehavePlus distribution and are included in every Workspace. You 

may reconfigure BehavePlus as needed for any purpose, then save its Worksheet for later reuse. Functionally, 

a Worksheet is a BehavePlus configuration that does not have any input values associated with it. 

A Run is a Worksheet that has a complete set of valid inputs, but no ouputs are saved in a Run. You must

calculate a saved Run to obtain outputs. Any given Worksheet may have an infinite number of Runs, each 

determined by its input values. Runs may be saved for later use and review. The BehavePlus installation

includes Example Runs. 

A Model is a set of equations that estimate one or more output variables from one or more input variables. 

While BehavePlus contains many models, you will more commonly see references to Modules, which are 

collections of models. 

A Fuel Model is a set of numbers describing a fuel bed used by the surface fire spread model. 

A Module is a collection of one or more Models that can be activated/deactivated by the user during 

Worksheet configuration. Selecting the IGNITE Module, for example, includes both the firebrand ignition 

model and the lightning strike ignition model.

A Continuous Variable is an input or output variable that has a continuous range of values. Continuous

variables have a minimum and maximum valid value. Examples include fuel moisture content, and wind speed. 

A Discrete Variable has a finite set of valid values. Examples include Fuel Model, Spotting Source Location, and 

Tree Species. 

A Guide Button is the button with the arrow icon next to each Worksheet entry field. Pressing the Guide 

Button activates an Input Guide dialog box containing a help browser pane and input assistance. For 

continuous variables, the dialog facilitates entry of a large number of inputs by specifying the minimum input

value, maximum input value, and increment value. For discrete variables the dialog contains a list of all valid 

inputs from which the user may select zero or more values. 

A Workspace is a complete subdirectory tree containing all required BehavePlus files plus any additional 

Worksheet, Run, Fuel Model, Moisture Scenario, Units Set, or capture files saved by the user. A Workspace 

corresponds to a single BehavePlus project, and each BehavePlus project should have its own Workspace. 

Workspaces are created by the File > Workspaces > New workspace and the Files > Workspaces 

> Clone current workspace commands.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 13
Operation BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

2.6. Menus and Toolbar 

All BehavePlus operations are available from the menu bar.

The more common operations, such as Module Selection or Calculate, may also be invoked from Toolbar 

buttons. Toolbar buttons and their equivalent Menu commands are shown below:

Toolbar 

Buttons 

Definition Equivalent menu operation 

Open a new Worksheet File > New

Open a saved Run File > Open run

Print this Run File > Print

Module selection Configure > Module selection

Calculate this Run File > Calculate

Display first page Page > then select page #

Display last page Page > then select page #

Display previous page Page > then select page #

Display next page Page > then select page #

Access User’s Guide Help > Program help

14 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
3. Worksheets 

A Worksheet is a form on which you enter input. Worksheets vary in appearance and content in response to 

the current module configuration: a SURFACE module configuration requires different inputs than a SPOT

module configuration. 

Module selection, input options, and output variable selections determine BehavePlus configuration, which in

turn defines the Worksheet appearance and content. 

A number of predefined example Worksheets are included in the BehavePlus installation. You may use these 

Worksheets as provided, or use them as starting points for your own configuration. Simply open an example 

Worksheet and proceed to change your Module selection, input options, and/or output variables. Once

BehavePlus is configured the way you want, you may name and save it as a new Worksheet. During 

subsequent BehavePlus sessions you may load your custom Worksheet and BehavePlus is configured as 

expected. 

3.1. Worksheet layout 

A BehavePlus Worksheet is more than just an input form; it is the primary source of documentation about the 

Run. Worksheets include the following sections: 

Header – The Worksheet header shows the BehavePlus version number, useful for reporting bugs and 

determining if you have the most recent update. The header also includes the date and time of the last 

calculation and the page number, which lets you collate the correct pages after printing and spreading them 

out for further study. 

Border – The line surrounding the Worksheet body may be modified with the Configure > Appearance > 

Worksheet tab. 

Tabs – Zero, one, or more page tabs with labels along the right-hand margin of the Worksheet may be 

activated with the Configure > Appearance > Page Tabs tab. 

Documentation – This section lists all the currently selected modules and contains an entry field for the Run 

description. Additional documentation entry fields for training applications or for fire projection applications 

are optionally activated through Configure > Appearance > Worksheet tab.

Input – This section contains the required input data entry fields identified by a short phrase and their units of 

measure. Each entry text box also has a Guide button that may be pressed for input assistance. Entry text 

boxes are grouped under headings such as “Fuel/Vegetation”, “Fuel Moisture”, “Weather”, and “Terrain”. 

Run Options – This section documents some of the configuration settings that are selected for the 

Worksheet. 

Output Variables – This section lists all the selected output variables and their units of measure. This section 

may be toggled on/off in the Configure > Appearance > Worksheet tab.

Notes – This section permits the user to enter free-field expository text. The user has control of the size of 

this section or whether it is displayed using the Configure > Appearance > Worksheet tab.

Following is an example Worksheet:

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 15 
Worksheets BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

3.1.1. Page Header 

The header of each page includes the version number of the BehavePlus program, the date and time of the 

calculation, and the page number. 

The date and time and page number can be used to correctly collate printed documents.

3.1.2. Documentation 

Documentation is the header information on the Worksheet. The calculation modules that have been selected 

are listed. Documentation always includes a Description field.

16 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Worksheets 

Additional documentation lines can be added by selecting the Fire 

projection documentation and/or Training documentation

check boxes from the Configure > Appearance > Worksheet tab.

Selecting the Fire projection documentation check box adds the following input fields to the Worksheet: 

Selecting the Training documentation check box adds the following input fields to the Worksheet: 

Both options can be checked. 

3.1.3. Input section 

The required input variables and their units are displayed next to their entry fields. Fuel moisture variables 

that are not required have the text box shaded. In the example below, only 1-h fuel moisture is required for 

fuel model 1, because the other fuel categories are not included in the fuel model.

The Guide button for each input variable provides access to definitions and input assistance. Input variables 

are organized by logical association (rather than by calculation module). A table of all possible input variables 

by category is given in Appendix B.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 17
Worksheets BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

3.1.4. Input codes 

The definition of valid input codes can be displayed on the

Worksheet by selecting the Show input codes for all 

discrete variables check box on the Configure > 

Appearance > Worksheet tab.

For example, with this option selected, fuel models names are given. 

3.1.5. Run options 

For clarification, Run options are given after the input variables. The user does not have the option of

suppressing this information.

3.1.6. Output variables 

Selected output variables and their units can be displayed at the end of 

the input Worksheet using the Configure > Appearance > 

Worksheet tab.

18 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Worksheets 

For example:

3.1.7. Notes 

The Notes section of the Worksheet allows the user to enter a 

large amount of text associated with a Run. The user has the 

option of changing the number of lines provided for notes or 

even eliminating the notes section on the Configure > 

Appearance > Worksheet tab with the Show notes 

section check box and the Notes Lines spin box.

3.1.8. Borders 

The border color and thickness on the Worksheet and output 

pages can be changed on the Configure > Appearance > 

Application tab using the Border Color drop-down list and 

the Border Width spin box. The border can be eliminated by 

entering a Border Width of 0. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 19
Worksheets BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

3.1.9. Page Tabs

Page tabs can be displayed along the right margin of the page. This is useful, for example, to identify Runs for a 

particular fire or training session that are subsequently bound in a three-ring binder or stored in filing folders. 

Page tabs can be added and defined with the Configure > Appearance > Page Tabs tab.

Tabs per page -- The size of the tab depends upon the value selected in this spin box. Only one tab is actually 

displayed per page. If tabs per page is 4, the displayed tab occupies one-fourth the page height. If it is 10, the 

displayed tab occupies one-tenth the page height. As this number increases, the displayed tab size decreases. 

Tab position -- Determines the position of the displayed tab. Tab position 1 is always at the upper edge of the 

right margin. 

Tab text -- The text to appear on the tab. The text is centered within the tab and will therefore be truncated 

at both ends if it is too long. 

Tab text color -- A color is selected from the drop-down list. 

Tab font size -- Font point size is selected using this spin box. 

The above settings create the tab on the Worksheet below: 

20 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Worksheets 

3.2. Loading a previously saved Worksheet 

A previously saved Worksheet can be loaded using 

• the File > New command, 

• or the toolbar button.

To see the Worksheets in the folder click on the button to the left of the folder. 

To select a Worksheet either

• double click on it, 

• or select and click the OK button. 

A set of Worksheets is supplied with the program in the “ExampleWorksheets” folder. A short description is 

given for each. See Appendix E for further description of the “ExampleWorksheets”. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 21
Worksheets BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

3.3. The startup Worksheet 

The 0Startup.bpw Worksheet automatically loads whenever you start Behave Plus v2.0. This Worksheet is a 

special case. It is used as the starting place for selecting calculation modules. It shows no input or output 

variables, but it sets defaults for all Run settings as described in Appendix D. The 0Startup.bpw Worksheet 

was used to initialize all of the example Worksheets. 

A Worksheet can be designed to meet specific needs by starting with the 0Startup.bpw Worksheet, selecting 

the desired modules, and changing options as needed. The startup Worksheet is named 0Startup.bpw to 

assure that it is the first selection of the Example Worksheets folder. 

3.4. Changing a Worksheet 

A Worksheet can be changed at any time by changing the selected modules and associated options. The 

changes are in effect only for the current session unless the revised Worksheet is saved. If a Worksheet that 

came with the program in the ExampleWorksheets folder is changed, the revised version must be saved in 

another Worksheet folder. 

3.5. Saving a Worksheet or a Run 

A Worksheet can be saved for later use with the File > save As > Worksheet command. The values 

entered onto the Worksheet are not saved. 

Save the Run, which is just a Worksheet with the defined input values, with the File > save As > Run

command.

See the Section 18.4, Save As, for more specific information.

22 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
4. Modules 

Modules define a set of fire models for a Worksheet. Selection can be made with the Configure > Module

command. 

The output variables that can be calculated by each module are given in the output variable table in Appendix

B. 

Indentation indicates that the modules can be linked, which means that output from one module is used as 

input to the other. For example, if both SURFACE and SAFETY are selected, the modules are linked. Output

from SURFACE is used as input to SAFETY. If only SAFETY is selected, all required input is entered by the 

user. A table of input variables and associated modules is given in Appendix B. 

Selection of modules, options, and output variables determines the required input variables.

The Options... button is used to configure a modules input options or change the output variables it

calculates. 

4.1. Input options 

Some modules offer options on alternate ways of specifying input. Others do not. For example, clicking the 

MORTALITY Options... button displays the “Mortality Module Options” dialog box with the Bark

thickness is input option:

The choice affects the input variables included on the Worksheet. If Bark thickness is specified on the 

worksheet is selected, the resulting Worksheet is as follows: 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 23 
Modules BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

If Bark thickness is estimated from species and d.b.h. is selected, the resulting Worksheet is as 

follows: 

The SURFACE module has many input options. For readability, they are available on several tabs: 

24 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Modules

4.2. Output options 

The desired output variables are selected through the Options... button associated with each module.The

selected output determines the input requirements. For example, input variables for the SPOT Module are 

different for each spotting source. 

Pause the mouse over the name of an 

output variable to see its description in

the browser pane. For example, a pause 

over Spotting Distance from a Wind 

Driven Surface Fire in the SPOT 

Output Variables tab results in this 

browser pane.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 25
Modules BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

This page is blank on purpose. 

26 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
5. Entering input 

There are several ways to supply input to the BehavePlus program. Values can be typed directly into the input 

field, a choice can be made from a list of valid input values, a range of values can be specified, and for some 

variables, a selection can be made from a list of common choices.

5.1. Shaded text boxes 

In some cases, input variables depend on values entered elsewhere on the Worksheet. When an input variable 

is not required, its text box is shaded. If a value is entered for a shaded text box, it is not used. 

5.2. Direct entry 

Values can be typed directly into the entry fields. Using the ‘Enter’ or ‘Tab’ keys move the cursor to the next

field. The cursor can be moved to any field by a mouse click. 

Valid input values can be viewed by using the guide button. 

5.3. Range of values 

More than one value can be entered for an input variable. Multiple values are separated by space or comma

delimiters. 

For continuous variables the Guide button allows definition of a range of values by a 

constant increment. For example, midflame wind speed from 0 to 20 mi/h in steps of 

5 enters 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 on the Worksheet below. 

You do not need to always specify equal steps. You can enter several independent values separated by 

commas directly in the text box. 

5.4. Discrete variables 

When the Guide button is clicked for a discrete variable, the allowed selections are given in the center pane. 

Clicking the values selects them; you can select several values. This example shows the fuel model “Input 

Guide” dialog box. The Ok button enters them on the Worksheet.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 27 
Entering input BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

28 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

5.5. Choices 

Although any value in the valid range can be entered for a continuous variable, in some cases common values 

can be entered with the Choices button. 

Clicking the Choices button displays commonly used values. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Entering input 

Selected values in the Slope Steepness choices. 

Clicking the Ok button enters them on the 

Worksheet. 

Selected values in the Slope Steepness choices. 

Clicking the Ok button enters them on the 

Worksheet. 

5.6. Linked input v ed input variables

In some cases input variables are directly associated with each other (an exception to the general rule). For 

example, in CONTAIN a line production rate, arrival time, and duration are assigned to each resource. In the 

following example, although multiple values are assigned to several input variables, those variables are linked 

together, so only a single calculation is done.

In some cases input variables are directly associated with each other (an exception to the general rule). For 

example, in CONTAIN a line production rate, arrival time, and duration are assigned to each resource. In the 

following example, although multiple values are assigned to several input variables, those variables are linked 

together, so only a single calculation is done.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 29
Entering input BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

30 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
6. Table output 

When more than one value is assigned to one or two input variables, table output is produced. Tables are 

produced by selecting the Display table results checkbox in the “Calculate Results” dialog box that 

displays after selecting a File > Calculate command.

6.1. Single value calculation 

When each variable is assigned only one value, a simple list of output is given. No table or graph is possible. 

For example:

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 31 
Table output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

32 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

6.2. Table output 

When more than one value is assigned to a variable, table output is produced. Each output variable is a 

specified column. For example, these Rate of Spread inputs produce the page 2 table below:

6.3. Two way tables 

When more than one value is assigned to two variables, a two way table is produced. A table is produced for 

each selected output variable. Either variable can be specified as the row variable in the “Calculate Results” 

dialog box. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Table output

USDA Forest Serv USDA Forest Service Gener ice General Technical Rep cal Report RMRS rt RMRS-GTR-106WWW. -GTR-106WWW. 2003 33

For example, with the above inputs this dialog box appears when you 

Calculate the Run. 

For example, with the above inputs this dialog box appears when you 

Calculate the Run. 

After selecting the Rate of Spread (maximum) option button and clicking 

the Ok button, the following tables are produced: 

After selecting the Rate of Spread (maximum) option button and clicking 

the Ok button, the following tables are produced: 

Changing the Table Row Variable to the Elapsed Time option button 

swaps the table columns and rows produces the following tables: 
Table output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

34 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

6.4. Table appearance 

Table shading can be changed with the Configure > Appearance > Tables tab.

Selecting the Shade alternate table rows check box causes all output 

tables to have alternating rows shaded with a background color. This 

may improve the readability of wide tables. If the check box is cleared, 

tables are displayed without any row background color. 

The table row background color is selected from the Shade drop-down list. 

6.5. Multiple pages 

There is essentially no limit on the number of values that can be assigned to a variable. But the resulting table 

might not fit on a single page. For example, if rate of spread is calculated for values from 2 to 30 in steps of 2,

and elapsed time is specified as the row variable, the table overlaps onto 3 pages. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Table output

The > or < symbols lined to the right and/or left of the table heading indicates that there are additional results 

for those variables in the indicated direction. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 35
Table output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

36 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

The box diagram at the upper left of the pages shows the relative position of the currently viewed page in the 

multipage table.

In this example, however, it would make more sense to specify rate of spread as the row variable since it 

produces a table that fits on a single page as shown below:
7. Graph output 

When more than one value is entered for one or two input variables, graphs can be produced. Graphs are 

viewed by selecting the Display Graph Results check box in the “Calculate Results” dialog box that 

displays after Calculate is requested. The form of the graph depends on whether the variables are continuous 

or discrete. The program automatically takes care of the differences for the user. 

7.1. Single variable graph 

When a range of values is entered for a single continuous variable, a graph is produced by calculating a fixed 

number of points (which can be changed in the Configure > Appearance > Graph Elements tab) over 

the entered range. Intermediate values entered on the Worksheet are ignored. For example, rate of spread 

entry of 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 produces the same graph as rate of spread entry of 5, 15:

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 37 
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

38 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

When a range of values is assigned to a discrete variable, a single calculation is performed for each value and a 

bar graph is produced. For example, the following is a comparison of surface fire spread rates for the standard 

13 fire behavior fuel models:
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Graph output

7.2. Two variable graph 

When a range of values is assigned to two variables, a graph is produced. If both variables are continuous, the 

variable used for the X-axis can be selected from the “Calculate Results” dialog box. For example:

In the “Calculate Results” dialog box clear the Display table results check box and accept the defaults in 

the Display graph results section:

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 39
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

40 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

Changing the X-Axis Variable to the Midflame Wind Speed (upslope) in the “Calculate Results” dialog 

box produces a very different graph:

If a range is assigned to two variables, one of which is continuous and one discrete, the continuous variable is 

always on the X-axis. For example:
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Graph output

Now you no longer have the option of changing the X-Axis Variable

in the “Calculate Results” dialog box. 

 

A graph is not possible when ranges are selected for two discrete variables. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 41
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

42 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

7.3. Axis scales 

7.3.1. X-axis

The X-axis variable and scale are the same for all graphs produced by a Run. The maximum for the x-axis is 

set to be the maximum value specified for the variable on the Worksheet. 

X Axis Origin and Y Axis Origin (minimum values) can be set for each as either zero or as the variable's 

minimum value as specified on the input Worksheet. The graph origin is set to (0,0) as the default. 

For example, consider the following Run:

Options to define the origin of the graph are set through the Configure

> Appearance > Graph Size tab. 

Setting both the X Axis Origin and Y Axis Origin to zero produces the 

following graph:
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Graph output

In the Configure > Appearance > Graph Size tab select Min Value from the X-Axis Origin dropdown list to alter the graph appearance. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 43
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

44 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

7.3.2. Y-axis

The Y-axis scale normally differs between graphs produced by a Run since each graph is for a different output 

variable. For example, fireline intensity and flame length have different ranges of output and require a different 

Y-axis scale. By default the Y-axis is scaled to the maximum calculated output value for the variable to make 

best use of the graph area. 

When you want to compare graphs between Runs, different Y-axis scales can obfuscate the comparison. A

rate of spread graph for fuel model 10, for example, usually has a narrower output range than for fuel model 5 

under the same conditions. To better compare calculated rate of spread graphs for the two fuel models, you 

can set both graphs to have the same Y-axis scale. 

The following Run is for fuel model 10, which has relatively low rates of spread. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Graph output

With the X Axis Origin and Y Axis Origin set to zero, the rate of spread graph below is produced:

To compare the results for fuel model 10 with the faster spreading fuel model 5, the scale for the fuel model 

10 Run is changed to match that produced by model 5. The calculated maximums are given for each of the 

selected output variables as a reference. 

In the “Calculate Results” dialog box select the Specify graph Y axis limits check box if you wish to 

modify the Y-axis ranges of the output graphs before they are displayed.

This displays the “Graph Limits” dialog box, where you can change the Y-axis maximum for the variable Rate 

of Spread (maximum) to 40: 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 45
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

46 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

The comparison with the corresponding graph for fuel model 5 is now more straightforward.
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Graph output

7.4. Graph appearance 

The appearance of the graph can be changed through the Configure > Appearance > Graph Size and 

Configure > Appearance > Graph Elements tabs. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 47
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

48 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

7.4.1. Graph Size 

The vertical graph height on the page is set with the Graph Size(%) spin box on 

the Configure > Appearance > Graph Size tab.

Graphs are drawn starting at the upper left corner of the page and may occupy 25% 

to 100% of the page height. The default is 50%, as shown in the following graph. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Graph output

Changing the Graph Size to 100% changes the above to the following graph:

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 49
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

50 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

7.4.2. Graph Title 

The graph title content is controlled using the Graph Title drop-down list 

on the Configure > Appearance > Graph Size tab.

Selecting Short from the Graph Title drop-down list displays just the 

contents of the Worksheet Description text box as the title. Selecting 

Long displays the Description text box and the graph variables. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Graph output

Using the above Run a graph with a short title (the default) looks like the following. 

Selecting Long from the Graph Title drop-down list on the Configure > 

Appearance > Graph Size tab adds more information to the title.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 51
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

52 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

7.4.3. Graph colors 

Graph colors can be changed with the Configure > Appearance > Graph Elements tab.

Colors are selected from the predefined drop-down lists. 

Background is the background color of the graph. 

Rainbow Colors sets the number of colors used to display graph lines or bars when Rainbow Colors is 

selected as the curve color. With three rainbow colors, the colors are red, green, and blue. If 4 colors are 

requested, four equally spaced hues from the color spectrum are used to display each graph line or bar in 

turn. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Graph output

USDA Forest Serv USDA Forest Service Gener ice General Technical Rep cal Report RMRS rt RMRS-GTR-106WWW. -GTR-106WWW. 2003 53

Bar Color is used to fill graph bars. Selecting Rainbow Colors fills each bar with its own color. The number 

of rainbow colors is set by the Rainbow Colors spin box discussed above. 

Curve Color is used to draw graph lines. Selecting Rainbow Colors draws each line with its own color. The 

number of rainbow colors is set by the Rainbow Colors spin box discussed above. 

Axis Color is used to draw graph axis lines, tic marks, and axis labels. 

Gridline Color is for the graph grid lines. The default is yellow. 

Changing Rainbow Colors to 10 results in the following graph

coloring: 
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

54 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

7.4.4. Line widths 

Line widths can be changed using the Curve Width, Axis Width, and Gridline Width spin boxes on the

Configure > Appearance > Graph Elements tab

Curve Width sets the width of graph lines. 0 is the thinnest and 9 

thickest.

Axis Width sets the width of axis lines drawn on the graph. 1 is thinnest

and 9 thickest. 

Gridline Width sets the width of grid lines drawn on the graph. 1 is 

thinnest and 9 thickest. To prevent the display of any grid lines set 

Gridline Width to 0.

The following graph uses the default line and color settings. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Graph output

USDA Forest Serv USDA Forest Service Gener ice General Technical Rep cal Report RMRS rt RMRS-GTR-106WWW. -GTR-106WWW. 2003 55

7.5. Number of curve points 

The resolution of the curves can be changed with the Curve Points spin 

box on the Configure > Appearance > Graph Elements tab.

The resolution of the curves can be changed with the Curve Points spin 

box on the Configure > Appearance > Graph Elements tab.

The Curve Points spin box determines the number of points calculated 

for each curve in the graph. A straight-line segment is drawn between each 

pair of points. The default of 20 is visually adequate for most graphs. 

Requesting more points usually results in a marginal improvement in the 

visual appearance and requires more computation time. In cases where 

many curves are plotted and the calculation time is slow, reducing the 

number of curve points will speed things up. 

The Curve Points spin box determines the number of points calculated 

for each curve in the graph. A straight-line segment is drawn between each 

pair of points. The default of 20 is visually adequate for most graphs. 

Requesting more points usually results in a marginal improvement in the 

visual appearance and requires more computation time. In cases where 

many curves are plotted and the calculation time is slow, reducing the 

number of curve points will speed things up. 

Changing Curve Points from the default of 20 to 5 results in the 

following graph: 

Changing Curve Points from the default of 20 to 5 results in the 

following graph: 
Graph output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

56 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

This page is blank on purpose. 
8. Diagram output

In addition to the usual table and graph output, BehavePlus produces diagrams for the following output 

variables. 

• Wind/slope/fire spread direction diagrams from the SURFACE module 

• Fire characteristics chart from the SURFACE module 

• Shape of a point source fire from the SIZE module 

• Shape of a fire after suppression action from the CONTAIN module 

The option of diagram output is given in the lists of output variables. 

8.1. Wind/slope/spread direction 

Direction diagrams can help the user avoid confusion on directions for wind, slope, and spread directions. 

Direction input options are selected on the Configure > Module selection > SURFACE > Options... > 

Directions tab. 

Direction diagrams are produced with the Configure > Module selection > SURFACE > Options... > 

Outputs tab and selecting the Wind/Slope/Spread Direction Diagram check box. 

The diagrams differ according to the direction Input Options selected from the Configure > Module 

selection > SURFACE > Options... > Directions tab. The following shows the Input Option selection, 

the resulting Worksheet, the outputs table and diagrams.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 57 
Diagram output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

58 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Diagram output

The following illustrates the effect of selecting the Wind & spread directions are option button on the 

variables that are requested on the Worksheet. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 59
Diagram output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

60 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Diagram output

8.2. Fire characteristics chart 

A fire characteristics chart diagram plots the relationship of rate of spread, heat per unit area, flame length, 

and fireline intensity. This option is a simplified plot and does not offer the user any display options. Axis 

scales are set automatically and points are labeled with simple numbers. In the future, BehavePlus will provide 

a Fire Characteristics Tool so that that the user can customize it for a specific need. 

Fire characteristics charts are produced with the Configure > Module selection > SURFACE > 

Options... > Outputs tab and selecting the Fire Characteristics Chart check box.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 61
Diagram output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

62 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

It is not necessary to select the four output variables that are plotted on the chart.

The following shows the Worksheet and resulting output table and Fire Characteristics Chart. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Diagram output

The points labeled 1, 2, and 3 correspond to the three lines of the output table. Point 1 is for fuel model 2, 

point 2 for fuel model 5, and point 3 for fuel model 10. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 63
Diagram output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

64 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

In the case of two variables with multiple entry values a two-way table is produced: 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Diagram output

The numbers on the chart correspond to the table cells in left-to-right and top-to-bottom order. In this 

example, Points 1 and 2 are for the first row of the result table (3% moisture) at the two wind speeds (7 and 

10 mi/h). Points 3 and 4 are for the second row of the result table (6% moisture) at the two wind speeds. 

Points 5 and 6 are for the third row of the result table (9% moisture) at the two wind speeds. 

8.3. Shape of a point source fire 

The elliptical shape of a point source fire can be plotted on the Configure > Module selection > SIZE > 

Options ... > Outputs tab by selecting the Fire Shape Diagram check box 

For example, the following shows the Worksheet, output table, and Fire Shape Diagram. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 65
Diagram output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

66 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Diagram output

In addition to the shape diagrams, values for all of the selected output variables are given on each diagram. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 67
Diagram output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

68 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

When the SIZE Module is linked to the SURFACE Module, the wind vector is also shown on the diagram. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Diagram output

8.4. Containment shape 

The Containment Diagram shows fire perimeter at time of report, at initial attack, and constructed fireline at 

the time the fire was successfully contained or when it escaped initial attack (all resources exhausted before 

containment). The Containment Diagram is displayed by selecting the Containment Diagram checkbox

from the Configure > Module selection > Containment > Options ... > Output Variables tab.

Select the Contain Status checkbox to output whether the fire was Contained or Escaped on the 

Containment Diagram. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 69
Diagram output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

70 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Diagram output

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 71
Diagram output BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

72 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

This page is blank on purpose. 
9. View, print, & capture results 

9.1. View size 

The View > xx% command changes the size of your Worksheet and Run when viewed on screen. It does 

not affect the size of printed output. 

9.2. Windows 

When a Worksheet is first opened, the Run it represents is assigned a default name such as “unnamed01.bpr”,

“unnamed02.bpr”, etc. This name is displayed on the title bar at the top of the BehavePlus application window. 

When you save a Run with the File > saveAs > Run command you should rename the Run. The name of 

the Run is then displayed in the title bar of the BehavePlus window. The complete path name for the Run is 

shown at the bottom of the BehavePlus application window. 

BehavePlus allows you to have any number of Runs open at once. Each Run has its own display window 

containing a Worksheet and possibly containing calculation results. Only one Run window is active at a time.

The Windows menu item allows you to switch between Runs. It also allows you to cascade or tile the Runs 

within the BehavePlus window area. By default the Run windows are stacked on top of each other, so you 

only see the active Run. If your Run windows are already cascaded or tiled, you can make a Run active by 

clicking it. 

The following is a “tiled” display of the two Runs, one English, one metric. The English Run (unnamed01.bpr) is 

the active Run. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 73 
View, print, & capture results BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

74 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

9.3. Pages 

While each Run has its own window, the window has one or more Pages. The first page(s) contain the 

Worksheet, and subsequent pages contain results tables, graphs, and diagrams. 

You can navigate between pages using the following toolbar buttons:

Go to the first page

Go to the last page

Go to the previous page

Go to the next page

The keyboard navigation arrows will also move you from one page to the next. The Pages > command 

allows you to jump directly to a specific page. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide View, print, & capture results

Selection can be made from the list of pages with text descriptions and an icon indicating whether it is a table,

graph, diagram, etc. 

9.4. Print 

You can print all pages or selected pages with the File > Print command. Alternatively, select Print from the 

shortcut menu when you right click inside a page. 

Whenever an output page is printed, it is good practice to print the associated Worksheet pages to avoid 

confusion on conditions for the Run. Printed pages are numbered and the date and time of the Run are 

included on the page header.

9.5. Capture 

The currently displayed page can be captured and saved as a file in bmp, jpg, or png format with the File > 

Capture command. In the “Save As” dialog box enter a file name in the Capture File text box and select a 

file type from the Capture Description drop-down list. 

The saved file can then be edited with an image processor or inserted into other documents. 

In addition to the File > Capture command, you can use the ALT-Print Screen key or a screen capture 

utility (e.g. FullShot) to insert results from BehavePlus in other documents. The following steps are an example 

and do not constitute endorsement of specific software. 

• Startup BehavePlus, WORD word processor, and FullShot software. 

• On BehavePlus display, select the ‘R’ (for Region) in upper right hand of the window (put there by 

FullShot). 

• Use the cursor to select the desired area 

• Upon release of the mouse, FullShot opens with the selected image 

• CTRL-C to save it in a clip board 

• Go to the WORD document 

• CTRL-V to insert the image 

This is a quick and efficient method. There is no need to save the image in a file of its own. The image can be 

resized, cropped, or moved within WORD if desired. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 75
View, print, & capture results BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

76 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

This page is blank on purpose. 
10.Error checking 

If you do something that causes the program to crash, it is a program bug. Please report it through 

www.fire.org. 

When you do something in error, the program will tell you what the problem is and give you a chance to fix 

it. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 77 
Error checking BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

This page is blank on purpose. 

78 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
11.Custom fuel models 

A fuel model is a set of values that describe a fuel type for the surface fire spread model. The standard fuel

models are numbered 1 through 13. Additional fuel models, called Custom Fuel Models, can be developed, 

tested, saved, and used in BehavePlus. 

11.1. Using previously saved fuel models 

The 13 standard fuel models are always available. In order to use previously saved custom fuel models, the 

folder in which they are stored must be attached using the Configure > Fuel model set selection

command. 

Click on a folder's button to view its fuel model files. Each fuel model is stored in a separate file. 

Fuel model files are attached by attaching the folder in which they reside. This makes the fuel models in that

folder accessible for use. It is not possible to select and attach individual fuel models; the entire folder must be 

attached. For example, all the southern California fuel models are attached by selecting the SoCalifornia folder. 

Once a fuel model folder is attached, the fuel models appear in the Fuel Model input guide and may be entered 

as fuel model input. 

After the SoCalifornia fuel model folder is attached, the Fuel Model

input Guide Button gives the following valid selections for the Fuel 

Model text box.

To view the parameters of a particular fuel model, right-click on its name

and select View parameters from the shortcut menu. 

 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 79 
Custom fuel models BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

80 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

Folders (and files) with a paper clip icon are currently attached to (i.e., accessible for use by) BehavePlus in the 

current session. Once the Ok button is pressed, only the selected folders will have their files attached. 

Unselected folders will NOT have their files attached, even if they are currently marked as attached by the 

paper clip icons. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Custom fuel models

11.2. Defining and saving custom fuel models 

To change the Worksheet so that individual fuel parameters are entered in place of the fuel model code use 

the Configure > Module selection > SURFACE > Options... > Fuel and moisture tab and select 

the fuel parameters. option button.

Or you can load the Example Worksheet FuelModeling.bpw, which as been set up this way, using the File > 

New command or toolbar button.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 81
Custom fuel models BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

82 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

Fuel model parameters can be typed directly into the parameter text boxes. Or they can be initiated with an 

existing fuel model by clicking the Initialize from a Fuel Model button on the Worksheet. 

The process of developing a custom fuel model is more complex that just filling in these blanks. It involves a 

process of evaluation and revision. 

Once the fuel model parameters are defined, a custom fuel model can be saved for later use with the File > 

Save as > Fuel model command. In the “Save As” dialog box enter a file name in the Fuel Model File

text box and a short description in the Fuel Model Description text box. If more than one value is

assigned to a fuel model parameter for testing purposes, the first value in the list is the one that is saved. 

Fuel models should be grouped in folders named by some logical association of meaning to the user. See 

Section 18.4 , Save As, for more information.
12.Moisture scenarios 

A moisture scenario is a set of fuel moistures for 1-h, 10-h, and 100-h dead fuel and herbaceous and woody 

live fuel. It is analogous to the fuel model concept in that a single code represents a set of moisture values. 

Fuel moisture scenarios may be developed, for example, to represent local 90-, 95-, and 97-percentile weather 

situations. The set of moisture scenarios used in the old BEHAVE TSTMDL fuel modeling program are 

provided with the BehavePlus program. 

Fuel model scenarios are for developing and comparing fuel models. They are not designed for fire behavior 

prediction, in which case fuel moisture values should be assigned directly.

12.1. Using previously saved moisture scenarios 

A folder of moisture scenarios is attached using the Configure > moisture Scenario set selection

command to open the “Moisture Scenarios” dialog box. 

Click on a folder's to view its moisture scenario files. Each moisture scenario is stored in a separate file.

Moisture scenario files are made available by attaching the folder in which they reside. This makes the

moisture scenarios in that folder accessible for use. It is not possible to select and attach individual moisture 

scenarios; the entire folder must be attached. For example, the moisture scenarios that come with the

BehavePlus program are attached by selecting the Tstmdl folder. Once a moisture scenario folder is attached, 

its moisture scenarios appear in the Moisture Scenario input guide.

Set up the Worksheet to enter fuel moistures with moisture scenarios using the Configure > Module 

selection > SURFACE > Options... > Fuel & Moisture tab and select the Moisture is entered by 

moisture scenario. option button.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 83 
Moisture scenarios BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

84 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

After the Tstmdl moisture scenario folder is attached, the 

Moisture Scenario Guide 

After the Tstmdl moisture scenario folder is attached, the 

Moisture Scenario Guide button on the Worksheet 

gives the following valid selections for moisture scenarios.

To view the parameters of a particular moisture scenario, 

right-click on its name and select View parameters from

the context menu. 

When viewing folders (and files) in the “Moisture Scenario” dialog box, those scenarios with a paper clip icon 

are currently attached to (e.g., accessible for use by) the BehavePlus application. Once the Ok button is

pressed, only selected folders will have their files attached. Unselected folders will NOT have their files 

attached, even if they are currently marked as attached by the paper clip icons. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Moisture scenarios

12.2. Defining and saving moisture scenarios 

To define a Moisture Scenario first set the Worksheet to require individual fuel moisture values by selecting 

individual size class in the Configure > Module selection > SURFACE > Options... > Fuel & 

Moisture tab.

Enter values for each size class on the Worksheet, even if that item is shaded. Other input text boxes don’t 

matter.

Save the moisture scenario with the File > Save as > Moisture scenario command. In the “Save As” 

dialog box enter a file name in the Moisture Scenario File text box and a short description in the 

Moisture Scenario Description text box. See Section 18.4 , Save As, for more information on saving 

moisture scenarios. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 85
Moisture scenarios BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

86 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

This page is blank on purpose. 
13.Map applications 

BehavePlus allows calculation of slope steepness from map measurements and conversion of distances to map 

distances. 

Map scale is given as map representative fraction, which is the ratio of the number of units on the map 

between two points to the distance on the ground between the same two points. For example, if the map 

representative fraction is 1:24,000, then for each inch on the map there are 24,000 inches on the ground. 

Although any value can be entered, the “Input Guide” dialog box provides common map scales, available by

clicking the Choices button.

13.1. Slope from map measurements 

To set up a Worksheet to calculate slope steepness from measurements on a topographic map use the 

Configure > Module selection > SURFACE > Options... > Slope tab and select Slope steepness 

is calculated from map measurements.

You can add the calculated slope steepness and intermediate values to the output list with the Configure > 

Module selection > SURFACE > Options... > Outputs tab. Select any or all of the Slope 

Steepness, Slope Elevation Change, or Slope Horizontal Distance check boxes. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 87 
Map applications BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

88 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Map applications

The Worksheet then includes a Map section with text boxes for data. 

The contour interval is the difference in elevation between adjacent topographic contours on a topographic 

map. 

The map distance is the distance between two points on a map generally expressed in inches or centimeters. 

Number of contour intervals is a count between two points on a map. 

If only slope values are requested as output, then only Map input variables are requested. An existing 

Worksheet, SlopeMap.bpw, showing this configuration is found in the ExampleWorksheets folder. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 89
Map applications BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

90 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

13.2. Map distances 

To specify that output calculated distances should also be given in map units use the Configure > Module 

selection command and select the Display output distances in map units check box. 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide Map applications

When a distance is calculated in SURFACE, SIZE, or SPOT and the Display output distances in map 

units check box is selected, a Map Representative Fraction (1x) text box is added to the Worksheet 

and map distances are added to the list of output variables.

For example, when the Spread Distance check box is selected in the Configure > Module selection > 

SURFACE > Options... > Outputs tab the following Worksheet results:

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 91
Map applications BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

92 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

This page is blank on purpose. 
14.Units 

Default units for BehavePlus are English for use in the United States It is easy to change all units to metric 

using the Configure > Units > metric command. 

If a user wishes to use something other than the units we have selected for English or metric, a custom set of 

units can be defined and saved for later use. 

The Units set also defines the number of decimal places displayed for each variable. 

Note that whenever a Worksheet or Run is saved, its current units of measure and display decimals are saved 

with it. The next time you open the Worksheet or Run, the units and decimal settings are restored.

BehavePlus also provides a quick units conversion tool accessed with the Tools > Units converter

command. 

14.1. English or metric 

The units set can be changed using the Configure > Units > English or metric or custom commands. 

Immediately upon change, the units on the active Worksheet and all values that have been entered are

changed.

Because units are stored with a Worksheet or Run, if units are changed to metric and then another 

Worksheet is loaded from the ExamplesWorksheets folder, with the File > New command, the new

Worksheet will be English units. 

14.2. Custom units set 

Develop and save a custom units set using the “Units Editor” dialog box opened with the Tools > units 

Editor command. 

The Units editor controls the selection of units of measure and decimal places for the input, display, and 

output of variables. The selected units are then applied to the current Worksheet and saved as a custom units 

set. 

The units of measure initially displayed by the dialog are those in use for the current Worksheet. 

Select the desired units for each variable set. Rather than repetitiously having to enter units for every variable, 

they are grouped by type of unit of measure. Appendix C gives these groupings and their default English and 

metric units. 

Once you have defined and saved a custom units set, you can apply it to a Worksheet or Run with the

Configure >Units > Custom command that opens the “Select A Units Set” dialog box. 

14.3. Number of decimal places 

In addition to setting units of measure, the “Units Editor” dialog box also allows you to change the number of 

digits displayed after the decimal place of all input and output variables. 

For example, fire area has 1 decimal place as the default. You may want to round area to the nearest acre by 

changing the number of decimals to 0. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 93 
Units BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

14.4. Units conversion tool 

For all those times when somebody gives you an observed spread rate in furlongs/fortnight or you just need 

to know what the temperature is at that Canadian RAWS station just across the border, BehavePlus has a 

utility you can reach with the Tools > Units conversion tool command. 

In the “Units Conversion Tool” dialog box enter your known observation into the From Amount and 

From Units text boxes (12.3 meters per second in the above example). Then enter the desired units in the 

Into Units text box and click the Convert button to get your results (27.5143 miles per hour in the above 

example). 

In the help window of the “Units Conversion Tool” dialog box there is a list of all the available units.

94 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
15.Language 

The FIRE1 program of the old BEHAVE system was translated into several languages including Spanish and 

Chinese. We have designed BehavePlus to make the translation process easier. A Portuguese translation is 

included as an example. Instructions are available for translation to other languages. This translation process 

applies to the program interface itself, not to the help files. 

15.1. English or Portuguese 

To change the language from the default English to Portuguese use the Configure > Language > 

Portuguese (Portugal) command. 

15.2. Custom language set 

To develop a custom language set contact Collin Bevins at cbevins@montana.com. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 95 
Language BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

This page is blank on purpose. 

96 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
16.Fine Dead Fuel Moisture Tool 

The “Fine Dead Fuel Moisture Tool” dialog box can be accessed with the Tools > Fine dead fuel 

moisture command. 

This tool is an automation of the daytime tables from Rothermel (1983). Selections are made through drop 

down lists. As soon as a change is made, the results are displayed. Since these tables are not based on

equations, they can’t effectively be incorporated as a module into BehavePlus. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 97 
Fine Dead Fuel Moisture Tool BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

This page is blank on purpose. 

98 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
17.Sun-Moon Calendar Tool 

The “Sun-Moon Calendar” dialog box is opened with the Tools > Sun-moon calendar command.

This tool allows you to specify any month of any year at a location on the globe and generate a calendar of 

sun-rise, sun-set, civil dawn, civil dusk, moon-rise, and moon-set times in table or calendar format. It can also 

display a table of equinox, solstice, and moon phases for the year. 

The calendar tool also includes a large database of named places within the United States so you can select a 

location by name rather than by coordinates. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 99 
Sun-Moon Calander Tool BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

This page is blank on purpose. 

100 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
18.File management 

18.1. Workspaces 

BehavePlus has a proscribed file system structure; all files must be located in specific subdirectories. The

parent directory of this file structure and all its subdirectories and files are collectively known as a Workspace. 

A Workspace is a complete subdirectory tree containing all required BehavePlus files plus any additional 

Worksheet, Run, Fuel Model, Moisture Scenario, Units Set, or screen capture files saved by the user. A 

Workspace corresponds to a single BehavePlus project, and each BehavePlus project should have its own 

Workspace. Workspaces are created with either the File > Workspaces > New Workspace or Clone 

current workspace commands. 

When BehavePlus is first installed it has a single Workspace called the “DefaultDataFolder”. This is the default 

current Workspace every time BehavePlus is started. 

We recommend you create a new Workspace using the File > Workspaces > New Workspace

command for every BehavePlus project you’re working on. A project can be a collection of fire behavior

projections for a wildfire or a fuels analysis for an environmental impact statement. The new, “pristine”

Workspace is automatically populated with all example Worksheets, example Runs, and standard and

predefined custom fuel models just like the “DefaultDataFolder” Workspace. 

Alternatively, you may clone an existing Workspace with the File > Workspaces >Clone current 

workspace command to copy all of the current Workspace into a new Workspace, including all Run, Units 

Sets, custom Fuel Models, and custom Moisture Scenarios.

The Workspace concept provides the following benefits: 

• All files pertaining to a specific training class, fire situation, or other project are segregated into their 

own file structure. 

• Workspaces are easily backed up or copied onto removable media using either the File > 

Workspaces > Clone current workspace command or Windows Explorer. 

• BehavePlus has self-validation tests and informs you whenever it is missing required files.

• BehavePlus knows where to find all custom Fuel Models and Moisture Scenarios and include them in

Guide Button dialog boxes.

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 101 
File management BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

102 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

We recommend using a compression utility such as WinZip, PKZip, or gzip when emailing or moving a 

Workspace over the Internet as compression significantly reduces BehavePlus file sizes. 

A list of three letter file extensions used by BehavePlus is shown in the following table. These extensions are 

automatically attached to the files you create in BehavePlus. 

File extension File type Folder 

.bpf Custom fuel models FuelModelFolder 

.bpm Moisture scenarios MoistureScenarioFolder 

.bpw Worksheets WorksheetFolder 

.bpr Runs RunFolder 

.bpu Custom Units Sets UnitsSetFolder

.exe Executable program file BehavePlus 

.png Portable network graphic image format MyScreenCaptures 

.bmp Bitmap graphic image format MyScreenCaptures 

.jpg JPEG graphic image format MyScreenCaptures 

.xml Extensible Markup Language Various places

18.2. Load a Worksheet 

A previously saved Worksheet is loaded with the File > New command, which opens the “Select a 

Worksheet” dialog box. 

The Worksheet is ‘blank’ in that none of the input variables have been assigned values. But all of the 

associated options are still part of the Worksheet (e.g., graph appearance). 

18.3. Load a Run 

A previously saved Run is loaded through File > Open Run command, which opens the “Select a Run” dialog 

box.

A Run is a Worksheet with valid values assigned to all input variables. Calculated values, tables, graphs, and 

diagrams are not saved. These are generated with the File>Calculate command. 

18.4. Save as... 

A sub-menu of the File > saveAs command offers several choices of what to save from the active 

Worksheet: 

• Run 

• Worksheet 

• Fuel model 

• Moisture scenario 

A Run can be saved only if all valid values have been assigned to all variables on the Worksheet. The Run can 

be opened at a later time using the File > Open Run command or the toolbar button.

When a Worksheet is saved, it is saved without any values assigned to input variables. The Worksheet can be 

opened at a later time using the File > New command or the toolbar button. 

Before saving a fuel model make sure the SURFACE module check box is selected and the fuel parameters

checkbox is selected in the Fuel is entered as section of the SURFACE > Options... > Fuel & 
BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide File management

Moisture tab. Valid values must be assigned to each fuel model parameter. To make custom fuel models 

available at a later time use the Configure > Fuel model set selection command.

Before saving a moisture scenario make sure the SURFACE module is selected and the individual size 

class check box is selected in the Moisture is entered by section of the SURFACE > Options... > 

Fuel & Moisture tab. Valid values must be assigned to each size class, even those that are shaded. To make 

a moisture scenario available use the Configure > moisture Scenario set selection command.

The following example saves a Worksheet. The process is the same for other file types. In all cases, the File > 

saveAs command requests input of folder name, file name, and file description in the “Save As” dialog box.

In this case, the Worksheet Folder field is initially set to MyWorksheets. To create a new folder, simply type a 

new name into the Worksheet Folder text box: TestFolder in the above example. You are asked to enter a 

Worksheet folder description. The folder description subsequently appears in the file selection dialog box as a 

reminder of its contents. The Worksheet description is initially set to whatever is in the Description text

box on the Worksheet. When saving a Worksheet, you should assure that it describes the blank Worksheet, 

not the specific Run. 

18.5. Deleting Files & Folders 

Files and folders in a BehavePlus Workspace are deleted using Windows Explorer. However you should only 

delete files and folders you create, not any of the files and folders BehavePlus creates for the Workspace. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 103
File management BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

104 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

This page is blank on purpose. 
19.Help 

Help features are a primary feature of BehavePlus. The Users Guide is available from the menu bar, and all 

dialogs and wizards include a help browser pane. Input fields include a Guide button for help in entering 

range inputs or selecting one or more discrete choices. 

19.1. Browser pane help 

The right-hand pane of many BehavePlus dialog boxes is a help browser. These can be printed by right-clicking 

in the help window to display a shortcut menu and selecting the appropriate command.

It includes a description of input variables when the guide button associated with the variable on the 

Worksheet is clicked. It includes a description of output variables when the cursor is held over a variable 

name on the list of possible output variables for a MODULE, reached through Configure > Module 

selection > MODULE > Options... > Outputs tab.

For each variable, information includes 

• Short description 

• Input to modules 

• Output from modules 

• More Information 

• See also 

• Links 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 105 
Help BehavePlus v2.0 User’s Guide 

19.2. Guide button 

Help on entering a specific Worksheet variable is available by pressing the Guide button next to each 

Worksheet entry field to activate an “Input Guide” dialog box containing a help browser pane and input 

assistance. For continuous variables, the dialog facilitates entry of a large number of inputs by specifying the 

minimum input value, maximum input value, and increment value. 

Additional values are sometimes displayed by clicking the Choices button where available in the “Input

Guide” dialog box.

For discrete variables the dialog contains a list of all valid inputs from which the user may select values. 

19.3. User’s Guide 

This User’s Guide can either be printed or accessed interactively using a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat 

Reader. It serves as the online help for BehavePlus and can be opened with the Help > Program help

command. When viewed with the Adobe Acrobat Reader, the contents at the left provide access to the 

section in question.

106 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
References 

Anderson, Hal E.1982. Aids to Determining Fuel Models For Estimating Fire Behavior. Gen. Tech. 

Rep. INT-122. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research 

Station. 22 p. 

Andrews, Patricia L.1986. BEHAVE: fire behavior prediction and fuel modeling system-BURN 

subsystem, Part 1. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-194. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service, Intermountain Research Station. 130 p. 

Andrews, Patricia L. and Collin D. Bevins. 1999. Update and expansion of the BEHAVE fire behavior 

prediction system. 3rd International Conference on Forest Fire Research; 14th Conference on Fire and 

Forest Meteorology. 21-22 November 1998, Luco-Coimbra, Portugal. Vol. I, pp.733-740. 

Andrews, Patricia L.; Bradshaw, Larry S. 1990. RXWINDOW: Defining windows of acceptable burning

conditions based on desired fire behavior. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-273. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service. Intermountain Research Station. 54 p. 

Andrews, Patricia L.; Chase, Carolyn H. 1989. BEHAVE: fire behavior prediction and fuel modeling 

system-BURN subsystem, Part 2. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-260. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 93 p. 

Burgan, Robert E.; Rothermel, Richard C. 1984. BEHAVE: fire behavior prediction and fuel modeling 

system-FUEL subsystem. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-167. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 126 p. 

Finney, Mark A. 1998. FARSITE: Fire area simulator–model development and evaluation. Res. Pap. 

RMRS-RP-4. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research 

Station. 47 p. 

Fried, J.S. and B.D. Fried. 1996. Simulating Wildfire Containment with Realistic Tactics. Forest

Science 42:267-281. 

Rothermel, Richard C. 1972. A mathematical model for predicting fire spread in wildland fuels. Res. 

Pap. INT-115. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and 

Range Experiment Station. 40 p. 

Rothermel, Richard C. 1983. How to Predict the Spread and Intensity of Forest and Range Fires. 

Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-143. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain 

Forest and Range Experiment Station. 161 p. 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 107 
This page is blank on purpose. 

108 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 
USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 A1 

Appendix A: Version Comparison 

Version 1 and Version 2 

Following are significant differences between BehavePlus version 1.0 and version 2.0. Minor changes are 

not listed here. 

• Safety zone size model added as a new SAFETY module 

• Containment model added as a new CONTAIN module. This is a new model that allows multiple 

resources to make direct or parallel attack. 

• Probability of ignition by lightning model added to the IGNITE module 

• Two fuel weighting, three methods added to the SURFACE module 

• Dynamic palmetto-gallberry fuel model added to the SURFACE module 

• Size diagram output added to SIZE 

• Contain diagram output in CONTAIN 

• Direction diagram added to SURFACE 

• Fire characteristics chart diagram output added to SURFACE 

• Fine dead fuel moisture added as a new tool 

• A Run Option section is added to the worksheets for clarification 

• The contents of the Notes section on example worksheets is blank. The description of the 

worksheet that was there for version 1 is not necessary, especially with the addition of the Run 

Options section. 

• The ‘Standard’ worksheet folder that was supplied with version 1 of the program is called the 

ExampleWorksheets folder in version 2 to better reflect what it is. The worksheets in that folder 

are just some that the developers put together. The term ‘standard’ gave them significance that 

they didn’t deserve. 

• The Blank.bpw Worksheet that was in version 1 is called the 0Startup.bpw Worksheet in version 

2 to better reflect what it is—the worksheet to use as a startup in selecting calculation modules. 

The ‘0’ (zero) as a first character of the file name puts it as the first item on the list for easy 

selection.

• The program now automatically loads the 0Startup.bpw worksheet upon initiation. This saves 

some steps if the worksheet is set up by module selection. If a previously saved worksheet is 

desired, it is selected and loaded as before with the File > New command. 

• The Fuel model guide button gives you access to the photographs and descriptions in Anderson 

(1982) “Aids to selecting fuel models” and to the selection key in Rothermel (1983) “How to 

predict the spread and intensity of forest and range fires” 

• The Program Help and the Users Guide for version 1 have been replaced by a single, new 

document—a users guide in PDF format that can be both printed and accessed online for specific 

help. 

• A Language option has been added. Portuguese is provided as an example. 

• Additional Workspace options aid in file management. 

• Graph Y-axis are now user-scalable. 

BEHAVE and BehavePlus 

The old BEHAVE fire behavior prediction and fuel modeling system is a set of five DOS programs, three 

of which were first available in 1984. The whole look and feel of the BehavePlus fire modeling system is 

different, using modern user interface technology 

 
Appendix A BehavePlus v2.0 Users Guide 

A2 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

Following are some specific differences that will be of interest to users of the old BEHAVE system. 

• BehavePlus is one program. The old BEHAVE was five programs (FIRE1, FIRE2, RXWINDOW, 

NEWMDL, TSTMDL). The separation was due to computer limitations at the time and an 

extended development period. 

• BehavePlus gives the user control of input options that were fixed on the old BEHAVE. For 

example, in the old BEHAVE, the DIRECT module required direct input of fuel moisture by size 

class, midflame wind speed, and direction of wind and spread with respect to upslope. The SITE 

module calculated fine fuel moisture and requested input of 20-ft wind speed, exposure to the 

wind, and direction of wind and spread. The DISPATCH module requested dead and live fuel 

moisture, 20-ft wind speed and wind adjustment factor. Calculations were for upslope spread 

with the wind. In the TSTMDL program, fuel moisture was specified by category. In contrast, the 

BehavePlus SURFACE module allows users to specify the method of entry for fuel moisture, 

wind speed, and directions. 

• In BEHAVE only continuous variables could be assigned more than one value for a maximum of 

seven values. For example, wind speed could be assigned a range of values, but fuel model could 

not. BehavePlus allows multiple input values for every variable and there is essentially no limit to 

the number of values. Table output is carried over to multiple pages if necessary. 

• BehavePlus produces graphs and diagrams as well as tables. The primary output of the old 

BEHAVE was tables. Crude graphs were produced using characters. 

• The fuel modeling portion of the old BEHAVE consisted of the NEWMDL and TSTMDL 

programs. The features in NEWMDL are not in BehavePlus. The TSTMDL fuel model testing 

methods are in BehavePlus. 

• BehavePlus does not include the fine dead fuel moisture model in MOISTURE and SITE modules 

in the FIRE2 program of BEHAVE. A better moisture model based on hourly weather data has 

been developed and is being incorporated into the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) 

and the FireFamily Plus program. Eventually it will be available for fire behavior calculations in 

BehavePlus. BehavePlus offers the fuel moisture tables as a tool. 

• The CONTAIN module of BehavePlus is different from that used in BEHAVE. The old model had 

a mathematical problem that occasionally surfaced. BehavePlus uses a model by Fried and Fried 

(1996) that offers the application of multiple resources with various productivity rates and arrival 

times, and direct or parallel attack at either the fire head or rear. BehavePlus does not offer the 

option of reverse calculation that was in the old BEHAVE (i.e. given a final fire size, what is the 

required line production rate). 

• The RxWindow program is not and will not be part of BehavePlus. Reverse calculation becomes 

more difficult (essentially impossible) as models are added. The plan is to provide a new method 

of table shading to aid in prescribed fire planning. 

• The equations in the MORTALITY module in BehavePlus have been updated to match those of 

FOFEM. Many new tree species have been added. 

• BehavePlus lists input values by category (Fuel/Vegetation, Weather, ...) rather than by module 

(DIRECT, SIZE, ...) as was done in the old BEHAVE. 

• In BehavePlus users select the output variables to be displayed. In BEHAVE the output list was 

fixed. 

• Map distance calculation was a stand-alone feature in BEHAVE. It is integrated into BehavePlus. 

• BEHAVE asked users whether they were using a computer with a screen. The program could be 

run in either WORDY or TERSE mode. BehavePlus assumes it is being run on a 21st century 

personal computer. 
USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 B1 

Appendix B: Input and Output Variable Tables

Each input variable in BehavePlus, version 2, is listed in the table according to category. ‘I’ (for Input) in a 

Module column indicates that it is a possible input for that module. In some cases an input variable may 

also be an output variable, indicated by ‘O’ (for Output). It depends on the selected modules, input 

options, and output variables. 

For example, note that 

• Midflame wind speed is an input to SURFACE under the input option Wind speed is entered 

as midflame height. However, it is an output variable if Wind speed is entered as 20-ft 

wind and wind adjustment factor is selected. 

• Rate is spread is an output from SURFACE and an input to SIZE. If both SURFACE and SIZE are 

selected, the rate of spread from SURFACE is automatically used in SIZE. If only SIZE is selected, 

then the user must input values for rate of spread. 

• Temperature is used only in SCORCH and RH, it is not used for the spread rate and intensity 

calculations in SURFACE. 

• These tables also give the English and metric units and number of decimal places and the output 

variables selected for display initiated by the 0Startup.bpw worksheet. (See Appendix D.) 
Appendix B Behav

B2 USDA Forest Service General Technical Rep

Input Variables and Modules 

Input variable 

 SURFACE 

 SAFETY 

SIZE 

CONTAIN

SPOT 

SCORCH 

MORTALITY 

IGNITE 

RH 

Variable Type English Range/Units Metric Range/Units 

Fuel / Vegetation Fuel model I D N/A N/A First fuel model I D N/A N/A Second fuel model I D N/A N/A First fuel model coverage I C 0-100% 0-100% 1-h fuel load I 

C 0.0-30.49 ton/ac 0.0-68.35 tonn

10-h fuel load I C 0.0-30.49 ton/ac 0.0-68.35 tonn100-h fuel load I C 0.0-30.49 ton/ac 0.0-68.35 tonnLive herbaceous fuel load I C 0.0-30.49 ton/ac 0.0-68.35 tonnLive woody fuel load I C 0.0-30.49 ton/ac 0.0-68.35 tonn1-h surface area / vol ratio I C 109-4,000 ft2/ft3 358-13,123 mLive herb surface area / vol ratio 

I C 109-4,000 ft2/ft3 358-13,123 m

Live woody surface area / vol ratio 

I C 109-4,000 ft2/ft3 358-13,123 m

Fuel bed depth I/O C 0.05 to 10.0 ft 0.02-3.05 Dead fuel moisture of extinction 

I C 5 – 100% 5 – 100% 

Dead fuel heat content I C 6,000-12,000 BTU/lb 13,967-27,934Live fuel heat content I C 6,000-12,000 BTU/lb 13,967-27,934
BehavePlus v2.0 Users Guide 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

Input Variables and Modules 

Input variable 

SURFACE 

SAFETY 

SIZE 

CONTAIN

SPOT 

SCORCH 

MORTALITY 

IGNITE 

RH 

Variable Type English Range/Units Metric Range/Unit

Fuel / Vegetation (cont.) Palmetto-gallberry age of rough 

I C 1-25 years 1-25 year

Height of understory I C 1-6 ft 0 -2 m Palmetto coverage I C 15-85 % 15-85 % Overstory basal area I C 30-110 ft2/ac 6.8-25.3 m2Mean cover height I C 0 –300 ft 0 –91 m Tree height I I C 10 – 300 ft. 3 – 91 m Crown ratio I C 0.1 – 1.0 0.1 – 1.0 Mortality tree species I I D (206 species) (206 specieSpot tree species I D (14 species) (14 specieD.B.H. I I C 5 – 40 in 13 – 102 cBark thickness I/O C 0.1 – 2.0 in 0.3 – 5.1 cLightning ignition fuel type I D PPL, PWC, PWD, 

PWS, LPD, DFD, ESH, PMC 

PPL, PWC, PWPWS, LPD, DFESH, PMC 

Lightning duff and litter depth 

 I C 0-12 in 0-30 cm 
Appendix B Behav

B4 USDA Forest Service General Technical Rep

Input Variables and Modules 

Input variable 

SURFACE 

SAFETY 

SIZE 

CONTAIN

SPOT 

SCORCH 

MORTALITY 

IGNITE 

RH 

Variable Type English Range/Units Metric Range/Unit

Fuel Moisture Moisture scenario D N/A N/A 1-h moisture I I C 1 – 60% 1 – 60% 10-h moisture I C 1 – 60% 1 – 60% 100-h moisture I I C 1 – 60% 1 – 60% Live herbaceous moisture I C 30 – 300% 30 – 300% Live woody moisture I C 30 – 300% 30 – 300% Dead fuel moisture I I C 1 – 60% 1 – 60% Live fuel moisture I C 30 – 300% 30 – 300% 
BehavePlus v2.0 Users Guide 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

Input Variables and Modules 

Input variable 

SURFACE 

SAFETY 

SIZE 

SPOT 

SCORCH 

MORTALITY 

IGNITE 

RH 

CONTAIN

Variable Type English Range/Units Metric Range/Units 

WeatherMidflame wind speed I/O I C 0 – 60 mi/h 0.0 – 96.6 20-ft (or 10-m) wind speed 

I I C 0 – 99 mi/h 0.0 – 159 

Wind adjustment factor I C 0.1 – 1.0 0.1 – 1Effective wind speed O I C 0 – 60 mi/h 0.0 – 96.6 Wind direction  (from North) or  (from upslope) 

I C 0 – 360 deg 0 – 360 

Air temperature I I I C -40 – 120 deg F -40 – 49 dWet bulb temperature I C -40 – 120 deg F -40 – 49 dDew point temperature I/O C -40 – 120 deg F -40 – 49 dFuel shading from the sun I C 0 – 100% 0 – 100Lightning strike type I D +, -, or unknown +, -, or unkTerrainSlope steepness I C 0 – 45 deg 

0 – 100% 

0 – 45 d

0 – 100

Aspect I C 0 – 360 deg 0 – 360 Site elevation I C -1,000-30,000 ft -305 – 9,1Ridge-to-valley elevation difference 

 I C 0 – 4,000 ft 0 – 1,21

Ridge-to-valley horizontal distance 

 I C 0 – 4.0 mi 0 – 6.4 

Spotting source location I D RT, MW, VB, ML RT, MW, V
Appendix B Behav

B6 USDA Forest Service General Technical Rep

Input Variables and Modules 

Input variable 

SURFACE 

SAFETY 

SIZE 

CONTAIN

SPOT 

SCORCH 

MORTALITY 

IGNITE 

RH 

Variable Type English Range/Units Metric Range/Units 

FireRate of spread (maximum) 

O I I C 0 – 500 ch/h 0.0-167.6 

Flame length O I I I C 0 – 200 ft 0 – 61 Fireline intensity O I C 0 – 10,000 BTU/ft/s 0 – 34,641 Flame height from a burning pile 

 I C 0 – 100 ft 0 – 30.

Spread direction  (from North) or  (from upslope) 

I/O C 0 – 360 deg 0 – 360 

Number of torching trees I C 0 – 30 0 - 3Scorch height O I C 0 – 200 ft 0 – 61 Elapsed time I I C 0.5 – 8.0 h 0.5 – 8Fire size at report O I C 0.1-100 ac 0.0-40.Length-to-width ratio O I C 1-7 1-7 
BehavePlus v2.0 Users Guide 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

Input Variables and Modules 

Input variable 

SURFACE 

SAFETY 

SIZE 

CONTAIN

SPOT 

SCORCH 

MORTALITY 

IGNITE 

RH 

Variable Type English Range/Units Metric Range/Units 

MapMap representative fraction (1:x) 

I I I C 1,980 – 1,013,760 1,980 – 1,0

Contour interval I C 1 - 1000 ft 0.3 – 304Map distance I C 0.1 – 100 in 0.3 – 25Number of contour intervals 

I C 1 – 100 1 - 10
Appendix B Behav

B8 USDA Forest Service General Technical Rep

Input variable 

SURFACE 

SAFETY 

SIZE 

CONTAIN

SPOT 

SCORCH 

MORTALITY 

IGNITE 

RH 

Variable Type English Range/Units Metric Range/Units 

Suppression Suppression tactic I D Head or Rear Head or Line construction offset I C 0-100 ch 0-2012 Resource name I D N/A N/A Resource line production rate 

 I C 1-200 ch/h 20.1-4023

Resource arrival time I C 0-8 h 0-8 h Resource duration I C 0.0-10 h 0.0-10 Resource base cost I C 0-500,000 0-500,Resource hourly cost I C 0-500,000 0-500,Number of personnel I C 1-200 1-20Area per person I C 10-100 ft2 .93-9.3 Number of heavy equipment 

 I C 0-10 0-10 

Area per heavy equipment 

 I C 100-500 ft2 9.3-46.5 

I = Input O = Output I/O = Input or Output depending on the selected modules and options C = Continuous variable D = Discrete variable 
BehavePlus 2.0 Users Guide 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 

Output Variables and Modules 

Output variable Default output 

variable

English 

Units

Metric 

Units

SURFACERate of spread X ch/h m/min Heat per unit area X BTU/ft2 KJ/m2 Fireline intensity X BTU/ft/s KW/m Flame length X ft m Reaction intensity BTU/ft2/min KW/m2 Direction of maximum spread X degrees degrees Spread distance ch m CaMidflame wind speed mi/h km/h Effective wind speed mi/h km/h Maximum reliable wind speed mi/h km/h Maximum wind exceeded? X Yes or No Yes or No Slope steepness percent percent Slope elevation change ft m Slope horizontal distance ft m Wind/slope/fire direction diagram N/A N/A Fire characteristics chart N/A N/A P-G dead fine fuel load ton/ac tonne/ha P-G dead medium fuel load ton/ac tonne/ha P-G dead foliage fuel load ton/ac tonne/ha P-G live fine fuel load ton/ac tonne/ha P-G live medium fuel load ton/ac tonne/ha P-G live foliage fuel load ton/ac tonne/ha P-G litter fuel load ton/ac tonne/ha Fuel bed depth ft m 
Appendix B Beha

B10 USDA Forest Service General Technical Rep

Output Variables and Modules 

Output variable Default output 

variable

 English  Units

Metric 

Units 

SAFETY Safety zone separation distance X ft m Safety zone size X ac ha Safety zone radius ft m SIZE Area X ac ha Perimeter X ch m Length-to-width ratio N/A N/A ReForward spread distance ch m CaBacking spread distance ch m CaFire length ch m CaMaximum fire width ch m CaFire shape diagram N/A N/A CONTAIN Time from report X h h To 

esc

Contain status X Contained, Withdrawn, or 

Exhausted 

Contained, Withdrawn, 

or Exhausted 

Eitex

Contained area X ac ha At 

If 

Fireline constructed X ch m Number of resources used X N/A N/A IntCost of resources used N/A N/A Containment diagram N/A N/A 
BehavePlus 2.0 Users Guide 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 

Output Variables and Modules 

Output variable Default output 

variable

English 

 Units

Metric 

Units

SPOT Spotting distance from torching trees X mi km Spotting distance from a burning pile mi km Spotting distance from a wind-driven surface fire 

 mi km 

SCORCH Scorch height X ft m MORTALITY Bark thickness in cm Tree crown length scorched ft m Tree crown volume scorched percent percent Probability of mortality X percent percent IGNITE Probability of ignition from a firebrand X percent percent Probability of ignition from lightning percent percent RH Relative humidity X Percent Percent Dew point temperature deg F deg C 

 
USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 C1 

Appendix C: Units Editor 

Variable English units No. 

Dec. 

Metric units No. 

Dec. 

Fuel and Vegetation Units 

Fuel Load 

• 1-h fuel load 

• 10-h fuel load 

• 100-h fuel load 

• Live herbaceous fuel load 

• Live woody fuel load 

• Palmetto-gallberry dead fine 

fuel load 

• Palmetto-gallberry dead 

medium fuel load 

• Palmetto-gallberry dead 

foliage fuel load 

• Palmetto-gallberry live fine 

fuel load 

• Palmetto-gallberry live 

medium fuel load 

• Palmetto-gallberry live 

foliage fuel load 

• Palmetto-gallberry litter fuel 

load 

ton/ac 2 tonne/ha 2 

Surface Area/Vol Ratio 

• 1-h surface area/volume 

ratio 

• Live herb surface 

area/volume ratio 

• Live woody surface 

area/volume ratio 

ft2

/ft3 0 m2/m3 0 

Understory Fuel Depths 

• Fuel bed depth 

• Palmetto-gallberry height of 

understory 

ft 2 m 2 

Ground Fuel Depth 

• Lightning duff and litter 

depth 

in 1 cm 0 
Appendix C BehavePlus 2.0 Users Guide 

C2 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 

Variable English units No. 

Dec. 

Metric units No. 

Dec. 

Fuel Moisture & Extinction 

Moisture 

• Dead fuel moisture of 

extinction 

• 1-h moisture 

• 10-h moisture 

• 100-h moisture 

• Live herbaceous moisture 

• Live woody moisture 

• Dead fuel moisture 

• Live fuel moisture 

percent 0 percent 0 

Fuel Heat Content 

• Dead fuel heat content 

• Live fuel heat content 

Btu/lb 0 kJ/kg 0 

Tree Height & Mean Cover Height 

• Mean cover height 

• Tree height 

• Tree crown length scorched 

ft 0 m 0 

Tree D.b.h. and Bark Thickness 

• D.b.h. 

• Bark thickness 

in 0 cm 0 

Coverage 

• First fuel model coverage 

• Palmetto coverage 

percent 0 percent 0 

Basal Area 

• Palmetto-gallberry overstory 

basal area 

ft2/ac 0 m2/ha 0 

Weather Units 

Wind Speed 

• Midflame wind speed 

• 20-ft wind speed 

• 10-m wind speed 

• Effective wind speed 

• Maximum reliable wind 

speed 

mi/h 1 km/h 1 

Temperature 

• Air (dry bulb) temperature 

• Wet bulb temperature 

• Dew point temperature 

o

F 0 oC 0 

Relative Humidity 

• Relative humidity 

percent 0 percent 0 

Shading from sun percent 0 percent 0 
BehavePlus 2.0 Users Guide Appendix C 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 C3 

Variable English units No. 

Dec. 

Metric units No. 

Dec. 

Terrain & Spotting Units 

Slope Steepness 

• Slope steepness 

(Note: these units only apply when 

the SURFACE Module option Slope 

is specified as percent is selected. 

When Slope is specified as 

degrees is selected, all slope units 

are degrees.) 

percent 0 percent 0 

Site Elevation & Ridge-to-Valley 

Elevation Difference 

• Site elevation 

• Ridge-to-valley elevation 

difference 

• Elevation change (slope 

rise) 

• Horizontal distance (slope 

reach) 

ft 0 m 0 

Spotting Distance & Ridge-toValley Horizontal Distance 

• Spotting distance from 

torching trees 

• Spotting distance from a 

burning pile 

• Spotting distance from a 

wind-driven surface fire 

• Ridge-to-valley horizontal 

distance 

mi 1 km 1 

Fire & Effects units 

Rate of Spread ch/h 1 m/min 1 

Fire Heat Per Unit Area Btu/ft2 0 kW/s/m2 0 

Fireline Intensity Btu/ft/s 0 kW/m 0 

Flame Length & Scorch Height 

• Flame length 

• Flame height of a burning 

pile 

• Scorch height 

ft 1 m 1 

Fire Reaction Intensity Btu/ft2/min 0 kW/m2 0 

Spread Distance 

• Spread distance 

• Forward spread distance 

• Backing spread distance 

• Fire length 

• Maximum width of fire 

ch 1 m 1 
Appendix C BehavePlus 2.0 Users Guide 

C4 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 

Variable English units No. 

Dec. 

Metric units No. 

Dec. 

Fire Area 

• Area 

• Contained area 

• Fire size at report 

ac 1 ha 1 

Fire Perimeter ch 0 m 0 

Probability of Mortality & Crown 

Volume Scorched 

• Tree crown volume 

scorched 

• Probability of mortality 

percent 0 percent 0 

Probability of Ignition 

• Probability of ignition from a 

firebrand 

• Probability of ignition from a 

lightning strike 

percent 0 percent 0 

Time & Map Units 

Time 

• Elapsed time 

• Resource Arrival Time 

• Resource Duration 

• Time from Report 

h 1 h 1 

Contour Interval 

• Map contour interval 

ft 0 m 1 

Map Distance 

• Map distance (for slope 

calculation) 

• Fire spread map distances 

• Fire length and width map 

distances 

• Spotting map distance from 

torching trees 

• Spotting map distance from 

a burning pile 

• Spotting map distance from 

a wind-driven surface fire 

in 2 cm 1 
BehavePlus 2.0 Users Guide Appendix C 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 C5 

Variable English units No. 

Dec. 

Metric units No. 

Dec. 

Contain & Safety Units 

Rate 

• Resource Line Production 

Rate 

ch/h 1 m/h 1 

Distance, Containment 

• Fireline Constructed 

• Line Construction Offset 

ch 1 m 0 

Distance, Safety Zone 

• Safety Zone Radius 

• Safety Zone Separation 

Distance 

ft 0 m 0 

Area, Safety Zone 

• Safety Zone Size 

ac 2 ha 0 

Area, Personnel and Equipment 

• Area per person 

• Area per heavy equipment 

ft2 0 m2 0 
USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 D1 

Appendix D: The 0Startup.bpw worksheet, defaults 

The 0Startup.bpw worksheet is generally the starting place for selection of calculation modules. Therefore, 

upon initiation, the BehavePlus program automatically loads that worksheet. You have the option of ignoring 

or closing it and loading a previously saved worksheet loaded through the File > New command. 

The 0Startup.bpw worksheet doesn’t look like much on the screen, but it carries with it all of the ‘default’ 

selections for calculation modules and displays. Any of those selections can be changed, of course. The 

0Startup.bpw worksheet can be reloaded at any time to reset the defaults. The 0 (zero) is the first character 

in the file name to assure that it is listed first in the list of Example Worksheets for easy selection. 

If you want to use a different set of ‘defaults’, simply develop and save a similar startup worksheet in your own 

folder. For example, if you generally use metric units or if you prefer to display graphs as full screen rather 

than 50%, then you can define an alternate appropriate startup worksheet. The program will, however, 

continue to load our 0Startup.bpw worksheet when the program is initiated. You will need to load your own 

using the File > New command. 
Appendix D BehavePlus v2.0 Users Guide 

D2 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 

Following are the ‘default’ selections that come with the 0Startup.bpw worksheet. 

Module Input option 0Startup.bpw 

selection 

Other options

SURFACE Fuel is entered as • Fuel models • Fuel parameters 

• Dynamic palmetto-gallberry 

• Two fuel models, twodimensional expected spread 

• Two fuel models, harmonic 

mean 

• Two fuel models, area 

weighted 

Moisture is entered 

by 

• Individual size class • Dead and live category 

• Moisture scenario 

Wind speed is 

entered as 

• Midflame height • 20-ft wind and wind 

adjustment factor 

• 10-m wind and wind 

adjustment factor 

Wind direction is • Specified on the 

worksheet 

• Upslope 

 

Rate of spread is 

calculated 

• Only in the direction 

of maximum spread 

• In directions specified on the 

worksheet 

 Wind & spread 

directions are 

• Degrees clockwise 

from upslope 

(direction the wind is 

pushing the fire) 

• Degrees clockwise from 

north (direction from which 

the wind is blowing) 

 Slope is specified as • Percent • degrees 

 Slope steepness is • Specified on the 

worksheet 

• Calculated from map 

measurements 

SCORCH Fire intensity is 

entered as 

• Flame length • Fireline intensity 

MORTALITY Bark thickness is • Specified on the 

worksheet 

• Estimated from species and 

d.b.h 

RH Relative humidity is 

derived from 

• Dew point and dry 

bulb temperature 

• Dry and wet bulb 

temperature and elevation 
BehavePlus v2.0 Users Guide Appendix D 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 D3 

Module 0Startup.bpw 

output variable 

selection

Other output variables

SURFACE • Rate of spread 

• Heat per unit area 

• Fireline intensity 

• Flame length 

• Direction of maximum spread 

• Maximum wind exceeded? 

• Reaction intensity 

• Spread distance 

• Midflame wind speed 

• Effective wind speed 

• Maximum reliable wind speed 

• Slope steepness 

• Slope elevation change 

• Slope horizontal distance 

• Wind/slope/spread direction 

diagram 

• Fire characteristics chart 

• For Palmetto-gallberry dynamic 

fuel: 

• P-G dead fine fuel load 

• P-G dead medium fuel load 

• P-G dead foliage fuel load 

• P-G live fine fuel load 

• P-G live medium fuel load 

• P-G live foliage fuel load 

• P-G litter fuel load 

• Fuel bed depth 

SAFETY • Safety zone separation distance 

• Safety zone size 

• Safety zone radius 

SIZE • Area 

• Perimeter 

• Length-to-width ratio 

• Forward spread distance 

• Backing spread distance 

• Fire length 

• Maximum fire width 

• Fire shape diagram 

CONTAIN • Time from report 

• Contain status 

• Contained area 

• Fireline constructed 

• Number of resources used 

• Cost of resources used 

• Containment diagram 

SPOT • Spotting distance from torching 

trees 

• Spotting distance from a burning 

pile 

• Spotting distance from a winddriven surface fire 

SCORCH • Scorch height 

MORTALITY • Probability of mortality • Bark thickness 

• Tree crown length scorched 

• Tree crown volume scorched 

IGNITE • Probability of ignition from a 

firebrand 

• Probability of ignition from 

lightning 

RH • Relative humidity • Dew point temperature 
Appendix D BehavePlus v2.0 Users Guide 

D4 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 

Menu item 0Startup.bpw 

selection 

Other options 

View 100% 50, 67, 75, 83, 117, 133, 150, 167, 

200% 

None SURFACE, SAFETY, 

SIZE,CONTAIN, SPOT, 

SCORCH, MORTALITY, IGNITE, 

RH 

Configure > Module selection 

Display output distances in map 

units. Off 

On 

Configure > Units English Metric 

Custom 

Configure > Language English (US) Portuguese (Portugal) 

Configure > Fuel model set 

selection 

None No other options. 

Fuel model set selection must be 

done every time a Worksheet or 

Run is loaded 

Configure > Moisture scenario 

set selection 

None No other options 

Moisture scenario set selection 

must be done every time a 

Worksheet or Run is loaded 
BehavePlus v2.0 Users Guide Appendix D 

USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-xxxWWW. 2003 D5 

Configure > 

Appearance 

Tab 

Option 0Startup.bpw 

selection 

Other options 

Show help pane On Off 

Show picture pane On Off 

Border color Black Other colors 

Application 

Border width 1 0 = no border 

2-9= thicker border 

Graph size 50% 25-100% 

Graph title Short Long 

X axis origin Zero Min value 

Graph size 

Y axis origin Zero Min value 

Background White Other colors 

Rainbow colors 3 4-18 

Bar color Red Other colors 

Curve points 20 4-100 

Curve color Rainbow colors Single color 

Curve width 3 0-9 

Axis color Black Other colors 

Axis width 1 2-9 

Gridline color Yellow Other colors 

Graph elements 

Gridline width 1 0=no gridlines 

2-9=thicker gridlines 

Display page tab Off On 

Tabs per page 4 0 = no tabs 

1-10 

Tab position 1 0=no tabs 

1- #tabs per page 

Tab text Blank User defined 

Tab text color Black Other color 

Page tabs 

Tab font size 12 8-24 

Shade alternate table 

rows 

Tables On Off 

Shade Light grey Other colors 

Fire projection 

documentation 

Off On 

Training documentation Off On 

Show input codes for all 

discrete variables 

Off On 

Show output variables 

to be calculated 

On Off 

Show notes section On Off 

Worksheet 

Notes lines 4 1-10 
USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 E1 

Appendix E: Example Worksheets 

BehavePlus allows the user to define and save a worksheet for later use. A set of Example Worksheets is 

provided with the program. Those worksheets are described in this appendix. A worksheet is selected 

through File > New. Clicking on the by the Example Worksheets folder displays the following list. A 

double click on the selection or a single click and Ok loads the worksheet.

It is important to recognize that these are only examples. We expect that people will set up their own folder 

of commonly used worksheets. 

0Startup.bpw 

This worksheet is a special case. It is used as the starting place for selecting calculation modules. It shows no 

input or output variables, but it sets defaults for all run settings as described in Appendix D. The 0Startup.bpw 

worksheet was used to initialize all of the following example worksheets. 

SurfaceSimple.bpw 

This worksheet is the ultimate simplification of the setup for a surface fire spread and intensity calculation. It 

can be used to examine relationships among the basic variables (fuel, moisture, wind, and slope) on surface fire 

spread. For specific fire behavior prediction, more information would be used. 

• Fuel moisture is entered as dead and live category. A single value is used for 1-h, 10-h, and 100-h 

moisture content and another for live herbaceous and live woody fuel moisture. 

• Calculations are for maximum spread rate, upslope spread with the wind. 

SurfaceBasic.bpw 

This worksheet is similar to the DIRECT module in the old BEHAVE. This method of specifying directions is 

used to show the relative effects of wind and slope by vectoring. Reference is to upslope, so there is no need 

to define aspect or reference directions with respect to north. 

• A fuel moisture value is required for each size class. 

• Calculations are only for the direction of maximum spread 

• Wind and spread directions are specified as degrees clockwise from upslope 

• Wind direction is specified as the direction the wind is pushing the fire 
Appendix E BehavePlus v2.0 Users Guide 

E2 USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-106WWW. 2003 

SurfaceBasicFrom.bpw 

This worksheet is like SurfaceBasic.bpw except the other option for specifying directions is selected. This 

method of specifying directions is suited for onsite calculations for a specific location on the landscape. The 

wind direction is that used in weather forecasts. 

• A fuel moisture value is required for each size class. 

• Calculations are only for the direction of maximum spread. 

• Wind and spread directions are specified as degrees clockwise from north. 

• Wind direction is the direction from which the wind is blowing. 

FuelModeling.bpw 

This is the SURFACE module set up to examine the effect of changing fuel parameters, part of the process of 

developing a custom fuel model. 

• Fuel is entered as fuel parameter. 

• Fuel moisture is entered as moisture scenario. 

• Wind is blowing upslope. 

• Calculations are only for the direction of maximum spread. 

• Only rate of spread (maximum) and flame length are selected as output. 

SurfaceMap.bpw 

This worksheet might be used when using maps in projecting fire growth. 

• The header includes those for ‘fire projection documentation’. 

• Output distances are displayed as map units. 

• Calculations are only for the direction of maximum spread. 

• Wind and spread directions are degrees clockwise from north. 

• Wind direction is the direction from which the wind is blowing. 

• Direction of maximum spread and spread distance are selected as additional output variables. 

• Slope steepness is calculated from map measurements. 

SlopeMap.bpw 

This simple worksheet is used to calculate slope steepness from map measurements. It is available from the 

SURFACE module. 

• Slope steepness is specified to be calculated from map measurements. 

• Only the slope output variables are selected. 

SurfaceScorchMortality.bpw 

This worksheet enables the three modules SURFACE, SCORCH, and MORTALITY. 

• Calculations are for specified spread directions (rather than for the direction of maximum spread). 

• Wind and spread directions are degrees clockwise from upslope. 

• Wind direction is the direction the wind is pushing the fire. 

SurfaceSpotIgnite.bpw 

This worksheet enables the three modules; SURFACE, SPOT, and IGNITE 

• Spotting distance is calculated from a wind-driven surface fire, which is the only spotting distance 

output option that makes sense for a link to SURFACE. 

• Wind is entered as 20-ft wind speed and wind adjustment factor (rather than as midflame wind 

speed). 

• Wind direction is upslope. 

• Calculations are only for the direction of maximum spread (the only option that is valid for this 

spotting option). 
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION

RMRS

 The Rocky Mountain Research Station develops scientific 

information and technology to improve management, protection, and 

use of the forests and rangelands. Research is designed to meet the 

needs of National Forest managers, Federal and State agencies, 

public and private organizations, academic institutions, industry, and 

individuals. 

 Studies accelerate solutions to problems involving ecosystems, 

range, forests, water, recreation, fire, resource inventory, land 

reclamation, community sustainability, forest engineering technology, 

multiple use economics, wildlife and fish habitat, and forest insects 

and diseases. Studies are conducted cooperatively, and applications 

may be found worldwide. 

Research Locations 

Flagstaff, Arizona Reno, Nevada 

Fort Collins, Colorado* Albuquerque, New Mexico 

Boise, Idaho Rapid City, South Dakota 

Moscow, Idaho Logan, Utah 

Bozeman, Montana Ogden, Utah 

Missoula, Montana Provo, Utah 

Lincoln, Nebraska Laramie, Wyoming 

*Station Headquarters, Natural Resources Research Center, 

2150 Centre Avenue, Building A, Fort Collins, CO 80526 

 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination 

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national 

origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, 

or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all 

programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 

communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, 

etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 

(voice and TDD). 

 To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of 

Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 

(voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.