Applicability analysis of flame height estimation based on Byram's fireline intensity model under flat and windless...

Area of Science:

• Forestry Science
• Fire Ecology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Forest fires pose significant risks to ecosystems and human safety.
• Flame height is a key indicator of forest fire behavior and crucial for management.
• Byram's model for flame height estimation is widely used but its applicability in specific regions is unverified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the applicability of Byram's flame height model to surface fuels in China's Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
• To analyze the impact of fuel bed characteristics on flame height in this region.
• To develop and propose accurate models for predicting surface fire flame height.

Main Methods:

• Conducted indoor burning experiments on surface fuels from typical Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau forest stands.
• Measured flame height under varying fuel bed characteristics (moisture, load, height).
• Evaluated three models: direct Byram's model, a corrected model, and a re-established prediction model.

Main Results:

• Flame heights ranged from 0.05 to 1.2 m, significantly influenced by fuel moisture, load, and height.
• Direct application of Byram's model yielded a mean prediction error exceeding 150%.
• Modified Byram's method and a fuel-characteristic-based model achieved mean relative errors within 15%.

Conclusions:

• Directly using Byram's model is impractical for predicting surface fire flame height in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.
• Modified and re-established models offer significantly improved accuracy for flame height prediction.
• The study provides two effective methods for predicting surface fire flame height, aiding scientific forest fire management in the region.