Key Fuel Data Components
Technosylva’s wildfire modeling is driven by detailed, high-resolution fuel data – one of the primary factors influencing fire behavior. Fuel characteristicsdirectly determine how quickly a wildfire will spread and how intense it will burn. This glossary defines the fuel-related terms and classifications used throughout the platform to characterize the landscape and model fire behavior.
Understanding fuel terminology is critical for interpreting simulation outputs, assessing risk across different vegetation types, and making informed decisions about suppression strategies and resource deployment. From fuel models that describe vegetation communities to fuel moisture values that indicate ignition potential and fire intensity, these definitions connect landscape characteristics to operational fire behavior predictions.
Fuel Moisture Variables
Fuel moisture content plays a critical role in wildfire ignition and spread. When fuel moisture is high, fires are unlikely to ignite because much of the heat energy is used to evaporate water from the plant material before combustion can occur. Conversely, when fuel moisture is low, fires ignite easily and spread rapidly, as more heat energy is available for burning.
Technosylva models incorporate the following fuel moisture variables:
It is generally accepted that soil moisture content of 15% is the threshold for fire extinction; at or above this level, fire spread is unlikely.
Fuel Layers
Technosylva’s high-resolution input data includes multiple fuel layers, each contributing uniquely to fire behavior:
Canadian Fuels Variables
Canadian customers may be accustomed to different Fuels terminology and variables. For Canadian fuel metric equivalents, please refer to the Canadian Glossary.