Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 2.1 Fuel characteristics of selected vegetation types
In crown fire ecosystems not all of the aboveground biomass is consumed in the fire, rather a subset
of the total comprises the available fuel and is typically the small diameter stems and dead biomass,
and the proportion varies with fire weather. In these crown fire regimes surface fuels are not heavily
involved in fire spread. In contrast in closed-canopy forests with surface fire regimes the primary driver
of fire spread is the dead surface fuels, and unless fire behavior switches to a crown fire, much of
the aboveground biomass is not burned, although a proportion of understory herbs, shrubs and
saplings may also be available fuels.
Total aboveground
biomass (Mg ha
1
)
Dead surface fuels
(Mg ha
1
)
Source
a
Vegetation
Mediterranean Basin
Phrygana
6-10
1
Quercus coccifera
garrigue
3 yr postfire
7
2
unburned
>
30 yrs
28-35
1,3
Mixed maquis
10-79
1,4
Ulex parviflorus
shrublands
3 yr postfire
13
5
9 yr postfire
36
5
17 yr postfire
59
5
Ulex
shrublands
28-45
6
Erica
shrublands
13-110
7,8
Perennial grassland
unburned 6 yr
18
9
Quercus ilex
woodlands
100-165
10
California
Sage scrub
15-19
2-8
11
Baccharis
scrub
25-40
12
Adenostoma
chaparral
2-6 yr
6-8
>
30 yr
14-22
13
Mixed chaparral
28-49
14
Arctostaphylos
chaparral
72
14
Ceanothus megacarpus
chaparral
5yr
21
15
21-22 yr
49-76
15,16
Ceanothus oliganthus
chaparral
6 yr
8-24
17
21 yr
43-115
17
Annual grassland
Sandstone
3-6
18
Pinus ponderosa
forest
10 yr
160
19
unburned
>
100 yr
191
19
Abies concolor
forest
1 yr
20-60
20
10 yr
160
19
>
unburned
100 yr
163-250
19
>
unburned
100 yr
180-214
20
