Scholarlink

<p>The growing size and number of wildfire events over recent decades suggests the need for developing effective strategies for wildfire mitigation. Prescribed burning is employed in both forests and grasslands for wildfire prevention, although the efficacy of this strategy is understudied within grasslands. Using collected fuel load data from the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve and the FARSITE fire modelling software, we investigated prescribed burning’s effect on future wildfire behavior within a tallgrass prairie under varying fire weather conditions and fuel status (loads and height). We estimated wildfire behavior under seven fuel conditions, ranging from 1 to 40 growing-season months since the last prescribed burn, and seven categories of fire weather conditions using the calculated Burning Index (BI) at our study site in Northeast Oklahoma. From our FARSITE simulations using the Monte Carlo method, we collected the outputs for Heat per Unit Area, Fire Spread Rate, and Flame Length, and used these variables to test the efficacy of prescribed burning in mitigating future wildfire behavior. The measured fuel conditions during the postfire period recovered rapidly, and by ten growing-season months since burn the fuel load was already greater than three metric tons/ha. By forty growing-season months, the fuel loads plateaued at slightly over four metric tons/ha. The theoretical flame lengths of our FARSITE simulations varied greatly, although were often within zones two or three, even after only a few growing-season months had passed. For example, the average flame lengths were greater than 1.2&#xa0;m after two growing-season months since burn and the BI was greater than 40. At five growing-season months since burn, average flame lengths were always over 1.2&#xa0;m, suggesting that the rapid recovery of fuel loads within tallgrass prairie reduces prescribed fire effectiveness at mitigating wildfire impacts. Moreover, after five growing-season months had passed, flame length averages were always greater than 2.4&#xa0;m under extreme fire weather conditions (BI &gt; 80); thus, wildfires can become unmanageable within tallgrass prairies in short lengths of time. As a result, our research highlights the necessity for fire managers to account for the interaction of local fuel and weather conditions when using prescribed fire as a tool for management tool to reduce wildfire risk. Additionally, within tallgrass prairies and other high productivity grasslands, our findings suggest that the frequent application of prescribed fire is necessary to suppress future fire behavior.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Model-based assessment of prescribed burning frequency to mitigate wildfire risks in tallgrass prairie

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月1日

查看全文
  • A. Desjardins,
  • J. Yang,
  • X. Jiao,
  • Q. Zhang,
  • R. DeSantis,
  • R. Sutherland,
  • S. Fuhlendorf

摘要

The growing size and number of wildfire events over recent decades suggests the need for developing effective strategies for wildfire mitigation. Prescribed burning is employed in both forests and grasslands for wildfire prevention, although the efficacy of this strategy is understudied within grasslands. Using collected fuel load data from the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve and the FARSITE fire modelling software, we investigated prescribed burning’s effect on future wildfire behavior within a tallgrass prairie under varying fire weather conditions and fuel status (loads and height). We estimated wildfire behavior under seven fuel conditions, ranging from 1 to 40 growing-season months since the last prescribed burn, and seven categories of fire weather conditions using the calculated Burning Index (BI) at our study site in Northeast Oklahoma. From our FARSITE simulations using the Monte Carlo method, we collected the outputs for Heat per Unit Area, Fire Spread Rate, and Flame Length, and used these variables to test the efficacy of prescribed burning in mitigating future wildfire behavior. The measured fuel conditions during the postfire period recovered rapidly, and by ten growing-season months since burn the fuel load was already greater than three metric tons/ha. By forty growing-season months, the fuel loads plateaued at slightly over four metric tons/ha. The theoretical flame lengths of our FARSITE simulations varied greatly, although were often within zones two or three, even after only a few growing-season months had passed. For example, the average flame lengths were greater than 1.2 m after two growing-season months since burn and the BI was greater than 40. At five growing-season months since burn, average flame lengths were always over 1.2 m, suggesting that the rapid recovery of fuel loads within tallgrass prairie reduces prescribed fire effectiveness at mitigating wildfire impacts. Moreover, after five growing-season months had passed, flame length averages were always greater than 2.4 m under extreme fire weather conditions (BI > 80); thus, wildfires can become unmanageable within tallgrass prairies in short lengths of time. As a result, our research highlights the necessity for fire managers to account for the interaction of local fuel and weather conditions when using prescribed fire as a tool for management tool to reduce wildfire risk. Additionally, within tallgrass prairies and other high productivity grasslands, our findings suggest that the frequent application of prescribed fire is necessary to suppress future fire behavior.