Fine woody fuel particle diameters for improved planar intersect fuel loading estimates in Southern Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine forests
Emma Vakili A C , Chad M. Hoffman A and Robert E. Keane BA Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, 1472 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
B USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, PO Box 8089, Missoula, MT 59807, USA.
C Corresponding author. Email: evakili@fs.fed.us
International Journal of Wildland Fire 25(7) 780-784 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF15029
Submitted: 31 January 2015 Accepted: 16 March 2016 Published: 11 May 2016
Abstract
Fuel loading estimates from planar intersect sampling protocols for fine dead down woody surface fuels require an approximation of the mean squared diameter (d2) of 1-h (0–0.63 cm), 10-h (0.63–2.54 cm), and 100-h (2.54–7.62 cm) timelag size classes. The objective of this study is to determine d2 in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of New Mexico and Colorado, USA in natural, partially harvested, and partially harvested and burned sites to improve fine woody fuel loading estimates. Resulting estimates were generally higher in the 1- and 10-h classes and lower in the 100-h classes when compared with previously published values from other regions. The partially harvested and burned values for 1- and 100-h classes were also significantly lower than in the other stand conditions. Using bootstrap analysis, it was determined that 35 samples would be sufficient to create an accurate estimate of d2 values.
Additional keywords: fine woody biomass, fuels management, Pinus ponderosa, planar intersect, sampling, surface fuels.
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