If the fuel is a 10 hour fuel the total amount of time needed to complete 3 timelags is 30 hours. However if this is a 1 hour fuel, the total amount of time needed to complete 3 timelags is 3 hours. The reverse of this is also true when considering a dry fuel moisture relative to a saturated environment. Dead Fuel Moistures are influenced most by both direct and indirect elements. Graph 4 illustrates these influences.
Studies show how average fuel moisture change with fuel sizes.
The larger the fuel, the slower it will respond to change. This knowledge assists with the prediction of fire behavior through well established algorithms, nomograms and studies of fire history and climatology. Many financial long term planning decisions are based on this also, such as fire suppression funding . Mathematical expressions of the BI are employed in all forest regions whether other kinds of danger ratings are utilized or not. In southern California, BI values for certain fuel models at different times of the year were the first level in the decision tree of issuing Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches.