@article{ref1,
title="Effects of fuel load and moisture content on fire behaviour and heating in masticated litter-dominated fuels",
journal="International journal of wildland fire",
year="2013",
author="Kreye, Jesse K. and Kobziar, Leda N. and Zipperer, Wayne C.",
volume="22",
number="4",
pages="440-445",
abstract="Mechanical fuels treatments are being used in fire-prone ecosystems where fuel loading poses a hazard, yet little research elucidating subsequent fire behaviour exists, especially in litter-dominated fuelbeds. To address this deficiency, we burned constructed fuelbeds from masticated sites in pine flatwoods forests in northern Florida with palmetto-dominated understoreys and examined the effects of fuel load and fuel moisture content (FMC) on fire behaviour. Flame lengths (49-140 cm) and fireline intensity (183-773 kJ m-1 s-1) increased with loading (10-30 Mg ha-1) and were reduced by 40 and 47% with increasing FMC from 9 to 13%. Rate of spread was not influenced by fuel load, but doubled under drier FMC. Fuel consumption was >90% for all burns. Soil temperatures were influenced by both fuel load and FMC, but never reached lethal temperatures (60°C). However, temperatures of thermocouple probes placed at the fuelbed surface reached 274-503°C. Probe maximum temperature and duration at temperatures ≥60°C (9.5-20.0°C min) both increased with fuel load, but were unaffected by FMC. The fire behaviour observed in these unique litter-dominated fuelbeds provides additional insight into the burning characteristics of masticated fuels in general.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1049-8001",
doi="10.1071/WF12147",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WF12147"
}