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Author(s):
Joe H. Scott, Elizabeth D. Reinhardt
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Fuels
Fuel Descriptions
Ecosystem(s):
Montane wet mixed-conifer forest, Montane dry mixed-conifer forest

NRFSN number: 8403
FRAMES RCS number: 13135
Record updated:

Crown fires occur in a variety of coniferous forest types (Agee 1993), including some that are not historically prone to crown fire, such as ponderosa pine (Mutch and others 1993). The head fire spread rate of a crown fire is usually several times faster than that of a surface fire burning under the same conditions, which leads to a significant increase in the number of acres burned during a given period. In addition, crown fires cause more severe and lasting damage than do surface fires. Consequently, predicting the behavior and effects of crown fire, determining the susceptibility of stands to crown fire, and designing treatments to mitigate the potential damage from crown fires are priorities for fire managers.

Citation

Scott, Joe H.;Reinhardt, Elizabeth D. 2002. Estimating canopy fuels in conifer forests. Fire Management Today. 62(4):45-50.

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