NREM Seminar - Andrew D. Pierce

October 10, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Mānoa Campus, Sherman Lab Conference Room 103 Add to Calendar

Title: The Effect of Topography on Heterogeneity in Fire Fuels, Intensity, and Severity

Abstract:
Variation in fire intensity and severity are driven by many factors. Chief among these are vegetation type, amount, and arrangement, weather and winds, and disturbance history. Topography, while broadly understood to be a further contributing factor, has only rarely been singled out for detailed study. This presentation will focus on historical and model based evidence for the effects of topography on fire intensity and severity in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. The historical evidence includes the interpretation of aerial photographs, the analysis of plot level tree-ring data, and contemporary remote sensing data. I use these data along with plot level data not only to analyze the effect of topography on fire intensity and severity but also to create realistic maps of surface and canopy fuels. With these in hand, I use the fire behavior modeling program FlamMap© to assess where high intensity fire is predicted and also how these predictions corroborate or conflict with historical evidence based desc-riptions of the influence of topography on fire intensity and severity. Finally, I will conclude with a forward looking discussion of the important management implications of these results, not only for California, but also for Hawaii.


Event Sponsor
NREM, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Lois Agena, 956-7530, laagena@hawaii.edu

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