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Fire
Special Issues
Forest Fuel Treatment and Fire Risk Assessment
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Forest Fuel Treatment and Fire Risk Assessment

A special issue of Fire (ISSN 2571-6255).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2024 | Viewed by 7158

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiaodong Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
Interests: forest fire prevention; forest fuel treatment; forest fire risk assessment; prescribed burning
Dr. Mingyu Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
Interests: climate change and forest fires; forest fire monitoring; forest fire danger prediction; estimation for fire carbon emission; forest fire risk assessment
Dr. Feng Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
Interests: forest fire prevention; forest fire danger prediction; climate change and forest fires; fire ecology
Dr. Jili Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Center of Cold Temperate Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Harbin 150086, China
Interests: fire ecology; fire behavior; fire effects; wildfire simulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forest fires resulting from natural or human causes have harmful and destructive effects directly or indirectly on human societies. It is of great significance to use scientific forest fire prevention measures to reduce the economic loss and environmental damage caused by fire. Forest fuels are the material basis of fire occurrence. Fuel type, loading, fuel moisture content and characteristics of spatial distribution are closely related to forest fire behavior. As one of the three elements of forest burning, compared with the other two elements (fire source, fire environment), forest fuel are easier to be controlled by human, and the effectiveness of forest fire prevention can be reasonably evaluated quantitatively. The effective fuel treatment and reduction can reduce the risk of fires occurrence, and increase the stability of forest ecosystem and improve forest health. Nowadays, forest fire management is facing new challenges in the context of global warming and serious damage of forest ecosystem. Scientific forest fuel treatment is of great significance for fire prevention and forest management.

Forest fire risk assessment is also an important part of forest fire prevention. Reasonable classification of fire risk and targeted preventive measures can reduce fire occurrence and loss. Through the risk assessment to determine the high fire risk location and estimater its impact areas, to provide decision support for forest fire prevention and firefighting. The results of forest fire risk assessment have important reference value for the improvement and enhancement of current forest fire prevention measures，as well as the policy making.

This Special Issue aims to explore forest fuel treatment and fire risk assessment, giving particular attention but not exclusively to:

  • Methods of forest fuel treatment and reduction
  • Effect of fuel treatment（ie. thinning, prescribed burning）on fuel loading and fire behavior
  • Quantitative model of estimation for fuel loading
  • Fuel characteristics and flammability evaluation
  • Effect of fuel treatment on plant diversity
  • Climate change and forest fires
  • Forest fire danger prediction
  • Forest fire risk assessment
  • Evaluation of fire control capacity
  • Estimation for fire carbon emission
  • Effects of fire severity on forest ecosystems

Dr. Xiaodong Liu
Dr. Mingyu Wang
Dr. Feng Chen
Dr. Jili Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fire is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forest fire
  • prescribed burning
  • fire behavior
  • fuel treatment
  • fuel characteristics
  • fuel modelling
  • fire risk
  • fire control capacity
  • risk assessment
  • carbon emission

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 15557 KiB  
Article
Influence of Wooden Compartment’s Fuel Moisture Content on Time to Flashover: An Experimental and Numerical Study
by Sanjay Kumar Khattri, Torgrim Log and Arjen Kraaijeveld
Fire 2024, 7(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7010017 - 04 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1805
Abstract
Time to flashover is an important fire safety parameter. The present study investigated the effects of fuel moisture content on the time to flashover, crucial in fire safety analysis. Experiments and simulations of an ISO 9750-1 room model at 1/8 scale were performed [...] Read more.
Time to flashover is an important fire safety parameter. The present study investigated the effects of fuel moisture content on the time to flashover, crucial in fire safety analysis. Experiments and simulations of an ISO 9750-1 room model at 1/8 scale were performed by varying the wooden compartment boundaries’ moisture content between 5% and 16%. The results showed a linear increase in time to flashover with fuel moisture content. An empirical model to predict the time to flashover according to the moisture content was developed. The experiments showed that increasing the moisture from 6.5% to 14.4% prolonged the flashover time from 4.6 min to 8.75 min. These experimental results are consistent with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), which also depicts a corresponding increase in the time to flashover. These findings demonstrate the critical role of fuel moisture content in fire safety analysis. The results suggest that a 1/8-scale model can be utilized for cost-effective and easily manageable education and demonstration purposes. This includes helping fire brigades and fire academy students comprehend the significance of fuel moisture content in compartment fire development. Since the FDS modeling is not restricted to a 1/8 scale, the presented results are promising regarding CFD modeling of time to flashover in full-scale compartments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fuel Treatment and Fire Risk Assessment)
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24 pages, 6340 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Forest Fuel Properties and Potential Wildfire Dynamics in Xiuwu, Henan, China
by Yan Shi, Changping Feng, Liwei Zhang, Wen Huang, Xin Wang, Shipeng Yang, Weiwei Chen and Wenjie Xie
Fire 2024, 7(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7010007 - 22 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1451
Abstract
As global climate change and human activities increasingly influence our world, forest fires have become more frequent, inflicting significant damage to ecosystems. This study conducted measurements of combustible materials (moisture content ratio, ignition point, and calorific value) across 14 representative sites. We employed [...] Read more.
As global climate change and human activities increasingly influence our world, forest fires have become more frequent, inflicting significant damage to ecosystems. This study conducted measurements of combustible materials (moisture content ratio, ignition point, and calorific value) across 14 representative sites. We employed Pearson correlation analysis to ascertain the significant differences in combustible properties and utilized entropy methods to evaluate the fire resistance of materials at these sites. Cluster analysis led to the development of four combustible models. Using BehavePlus software, we simulated their fire behaviors and investigated the effects of wind speed and slope on these behaviors through sensitivity analysis. The results revealed notable differences in the moisture content ratios among different types of combustibles, especially in sites 2, 3, 8, 9, and 13, indicating higher fire risks. It was also found that while humus has a higher ignition point and lower calorific value, making it less prone to ignite, the resultant fires could be highly damaging. The Pearson analysis underscored significant variations in the moisture content ratios among different combustibles, while the differences in ignition points and calorific values were not significant. Sites 5 and 6 demonstrated stronger fire resistance. The simulations indicated that fire-spread speed, fireline intensity, and flame length correlate with, and increase with, wind speed and slope. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the significant influence of these two environmental factors on fire behavior. This study provides critical insights into forest fire behavior, enhancing the capability to predict and manage forest fires. Our findings offer theoretical support for forest fire prediction and a scientific basis for fire management decision-making. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fuel Treatment and Fire Risk Assessment)
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16 pages, 1722 KiB  
Article
Assessing Fire Risk Perception in the Vale do Guadiana Natural Park, Portugal
by Nuno Andrade, Flavio T. Couto and Jaime Serra
Fire 2023, 6(6), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6060243 - 19 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1424
Abstract
This is an exploratory study aiming to assess the fire risk perception by operators of the Vale do Guadiana Natural Park (PNVG), southern Portugal. To maximize the sample size, a questionnaire survey was distributed among 35 entities with activities in tourism, hunting, and [...] Read more.
This is an exploratory study aiming to assess the fire risk perception by operators of the Vale do Guadiana Natural Park (PNVG), southern Portugal. To maximize the sample size, a questionnaire survey was distributed among 35 entities with activities in tourism, hunting, and agriculture, as well as among members of PNVG’s co-management commission. For data analysis and interpretation, quantitative and qualitative analyses were used. Survey responses revealed that the entities expressed concern about and made efforts toward the search for and improvement in mitigation strategies in the occurrence of fires. A total of 69.6% of the respondents have knowledge of the occurrence of fires in the region. The qualitative analysis highlights the concern with biodiversity, as well as with the maintenance and cleaning of the PNVG. This study verifies the degree of importance that the tourism sector should give to the impacts caused by fires. The impact of climate change favoring fires was recognized by the entities, as well as the fact that the loss of biodiversity due to fires may have a direct impact on the attractiveness of this tourist destination, indicating the importance of environmental conservation strategies for the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fuel Treatment and Fire Risk Assessment)
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Review

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15 pages, 4030 KiB  
Review
Refining Ecological Techniques for Forest Fire Prevention and Evaluating Their Diverse Benefits
by Haihui Wang, Kaixuan Zhang, Zhenhai Qin, Wei Gao and Zhenshi Wang
Fire 2024, 7(4), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7040129 - 10 Apr 2024
Viewed by 606
Abstract
In this study, an ecological framework was developed to sort out the existing forest fire prevention techniques. The subsequent analysis involved comparing the ecological values and application prospects of these techniques developed in different time periods. As ecological applications, fire regimes reflect vegetation [...] Read more.
In this study, an ecological framework was developed to sort out the existing forest fire prevention techniques. The subsequent analysis involved comparing the ecological values and application prospects of these techniques developed in different time periods. As ecological applications, fire regimes reflect vegetation response to wildfires, providing valuable insights for shaping the fire risk and behaviors in forests through fuel treatment and vegetation modification. Fuel treatment and the construction of green fire barriers are both rooted in existing ecosystems and possess ecological characteristics. While fuel thinning focuses on reducing the potential fire intensity and severity, green fire barriers have been more targeted for fire prevention purposes. Among these techniques, green fire barriers demonstrate unique sustainability and have the potential to generate long-term ecological and environmental benefits. Through the comprehensive utilization of several fuel management formulas, we can effectively combine the fire prevention demands with ecological maintenance and environment protection. This integrated approach promotes the development of fire-resilient ecosystems and desirable living environments in a more realistic and sustainable manner. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fuel Treatment and Fire Risk Assessment)
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Other

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14 pages, 16013 KiB  
Technical Note
Modeling Fire Hazards Induced by Volcanic Eruptions: The Case of Stromboli (Italy)
by Roberto Guardo, Giuseppe Bilotta, Gaetana Ganci, Francesco Zuccarello, Daniele Andronico and Annalisa Cappello
Fire 2024, 7(3), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7030070 - 26 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1079
Abstract
We hereby present VolcFire, a new cellular automaton model for fire propagation aimed at the creation of fire hazard maps for fires of volcanic origin. The new model relies on satellite-derived input data for the topography, land-use, fuel, and humidity information, and produces [...] Read more.
We hereby present VolcFire, a new cellular automaton model for fire propagation aimed at the creation of fire hazard maps for fires of volcanic origin. The new model relies on satellite-derived input data for the topography, land-use, fuel, and humidity information, and produces probabilistic maps of fire propagation simulating fire spread. The model contains several simplifications compared to the current state-of-the-art, limiting its usability to plan fire-fighting interventions during an event in favour of a reduced computational load. The accuracy and reliability of the model are also discussed by presenting its ability to reproduce two recent fires on Stromboli island, with good spatial fit (Brier score of 0.146±0.002 for the 3 July 2019 volcanic fire, and of 0.073±0.001 for the 25 May 2022 anthropogenic fire) and less than 1.5% variation across multiple simulations for the same event. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fuel Treatment and Fire Risk Assessment)
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