|
Fire behavior is defined by the National Wildfire Coordinating group as: "the manner in which a fire reacts to the influences of fuel, weather and topography." A cursory review of the topography (vertical) in Florida and for much of the South, will reveal that this element is not the most critical when considering the impacts wildland fire might have on a particular site, while weather and fuels play a major role. Within the national Fire Behavior Prediction System there are 13 standard fuel models. Each of these has associated characteristics that describe how a fire will "behave" under certain weather and topographic conditions. One of these characteristics includes the "moisture of extinction." Moisture of extinction is the percent moisture content of the fuels ¼ inch in diameter or less where the fire will not continue to readily burn. The model most common in the South is fuel model (FM) 7, and its moisture of extinction is 40%. Most of the other 12 models range between 15 and 25%. This is a clear indication that the most important subject concerning wildland fire behavior in the South deals with what is burning, what we call fuel. This presentation will focus on Southern vegetation, and to some extent weather influences that are specific to the South. |