Transcript FOFEM 5.0 - Fire.org

An Overview of FOFEM 5
Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory
Systems for Environmental Management
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5 is…
• A computer system to calculate first-order fire
effects from simple inputs.
• A Windows program with a graphical userinterface; also has a batch mode
• A fire effects calculator that can be linked to
GIS
First order fire effects are the
immediate consequences of
fire, whether direct or indirect.
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5 contains…
• scientific information from many research studies
• heuristic information to bridge gaps and to select
best data and equations
• an extensive set of default inputs
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5 applies in…
• Most U.S. forest types
• Some rangeland vegetation types
• Areas managed by different agencies
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5 is used for…
• Conducting environmental assessments
• Developing fire and silvicultural prescriptions
• Assessing fire severity
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5 predicts…
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Fuel consumption
Smoke production
Tree mortality
Soil heating
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Fuel consumption
• FOFEM 5 predicts consumption of…
– Duff and litter
– Surface woody fuels by size class, sound and rotten
– Live fuels and canopy fuels
• FOFEM 5 uses Burnup, a theoretical model for
predicting woody fuel consumption
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Fuel consumption
• Duff and live fuel consumption are predicted using
rules and regression equations based on
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cover type
region
moisture
season.
• BURNUP predicts woody fuel consumption by
simulating
– heat transfer between fuel particles
– combustion rate
– resulting fire intensity
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Fuel consumption
• Inputs needed:
– Fuel load by size class
– Fuel moisture
• Outputs generated:
– Fuel consumption by size class
– Post-burn fuel load
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Smoke production
• Predicts fuel consumption rate, emission
production rate, and fire intensity over time for
both surface and crown fires
• Simulates the proportion of flaming and
smoldering combustion
– Combustion efficiency and emission factors vary with
fuels and moisture.
• Estimates production of PM10, PM2.5, CO, CO2, CH4,
NOx, SOx
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Smoke production
• Smoke production is estimated by multiplying fuel
consumption by emissions factors
– FOFEM uses separate emissions factors for flaming and
smoldering combustion
– Flaming and smoldering combustion can occur
simultaneously, in relative amounts depending on fuel
moisture, fuel particle size class, and fire intensity.
– Emission production is estimated in time intervals from
ignition until combustion ceases.
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Smoke production
• Inputs needed:
– Fuel load by size class
– Fuel moisture
• Outputs generated:
– Smoke production over time for
each emission species
– Combustion efficiency and emission
factors
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Tree mortality
• by species and size
• 207 tree species
• fire behavior must be input by user
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Tree mortality
• Mortality predicted from bark thickness and
crown scorch
• Species influences mortality only through bark
thickness
– FOFEM estimates bark thickness from species and
diameter.
• FOFEM’s mortality algorithm has been found to be
robust in independent tests
– Does not account for season of burn, post-burn insect
attack, drought, or differences in burn duration.
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Tree mortality
• Inputs needed:
– Tree species, dbh, height, crown ratio
– Fire intensity (flame length or scorch height)
• Outputs generated:
– Probability of mortality
– Post-fire stand table
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Soil heating
• Soil heating model –
predicts time,
temperature, depth
profiles
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Soil heating
• If a duff layer is present
– Unconsumed duff is an insulator
– Consumed duff is a heat source
• If a duff layer is not present
– Heat from the surface fire drives soil heating
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Soil heating
• Inputs needed:
– Surface fuel load by size class
– fuel moisture content
– Soil texture and moisture content
• Outputs generated:
– Soil temperatures at a range of depths over time
– Depth to 60 C and 275 C
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Strengths
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Simple, easy to learn and use
Can be used for a variety of purposes
Accommodates variable level of input detail
Expandable structure
Uses heuristic information to bridge research
gaps
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Collaboration
• Fuel consumption: Mark Finney and Frank Albini helped
implement Burnup calculations and post-frontal emissions.
• Smoke production: Ann Acheson and Mark Schaaf helped design
smoke module
• Soil heating: Roger Hungerford and Dan Jimenez helped
implement the soil heating model
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: Acknowledgements
• James K. Brown (retired) conceived the FOFEM concept.
• FOFEM 5 was developed by Elizabeth D. Reinhardt and Robert
E. Keane, Missoula Fire Sciences Lab.
• Computer programming by Larry Gangi, Systems for
Environmental Management, Missoula, Montana.
• Roger Ottmar, PNW research station, helped allow the use of
FCC’s as a fuel input alternative.
• Duncan Lutes, Systems for Environmental Management, assisted
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with assignment of fuel and tree parameters.
Ecosystem classification and default fuel loadings were developed
by Scott Mincemoyer, Missoula Fire Sciences Lab.
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
FOFEM 5: more information
• See the FOFEM 5 website at www.fire.org for
more information and to download the software
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview
Oct-03
FOFEM 5 Overview