JFSP Completed Projects
You may search JFSP Project Information by the following: Project Number, Title, Principal Investigator, Cooperators or key words contained in a brief description of the project.
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Forecasting of fire weather and smoke using vegetation-atmosphere interactions | |
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Project # 03-1-3-02; Principal Investigator: Karl Zeller | |
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Reliable forecasting of regional weather and wind flow patterns is critical for effective fighting of wildland fires and the operational management of prescribed burns. Accurate prediction of future wind fields is essential for predicting fire behavior; smoke dispersion, and mitigation of public health risks. Regional weather forecasts are currently produced by 3D mesoscale simulation models, which are quite sensitive to lower boundary conditions defined by the surface exchange of heat and water vapor between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. These exchange processes in meso-models might be a key step towards a more accurate forecast of fire weather and airflow. Based on this notion, we propose to : 1) Significantly improve the weather forecasting capabilities of the MM5 mesoscale model by coupling it with a detail biophysical model of soil-vegetation-atmosphere interactions called FORFLUX; 2) Use the coupled MM5-FORFLUX model to provide real-time operational weather forecast over a large portion of the Western US at 12-km and 4–km spatial resolution; 3) Provide improved real-time predictions of wind fields to fire-spread and smoke-dispersion simulators currently being developed at the FS Fire Science Laboratory in Missoula MT ; 4) Deliver the forecast products on the Web in a user-friendly and operationally usable form to fire behavior specialists and land managers. The proposed research will use tools, hardware, and information infrastructure developed and supported by other FS Programs such as the Fire Consortia for Advanced Modeling of Meteorology and Smoke (FCAMMS). Final Report Interactive user-friendly website delivering improved fire-weather forecast products to FMOs, GACC meteorologists, and land managers is available online 24/7. |
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Climatic controls of fire in the Western United States from the atmosphere to ecosystems | |
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Project # 01-1-6-05; Principal Investigator: Steve Hostetler | |
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The objective of this project is to conduct a diagnostic analysis of the variations in climate that govern the characteristics of the fire season in the western United States on intra-annual through decadal and longer time scales. We propose a retrospective, model-based analysis to understand better the role of climate as a control of fire in the historical record, to evaluate the ability of a hierarchy of climate models to simulate multi-year and specific pre-ignition and contemporaneous climate associated with known fires (e.g. Yellowstone, 1998), and to examine the regional and temporal variability of western ecosystems and their fire-related vegetation variables. Our approach will rely on a combination of existing climate data sets, regional climate models, and equilibrium and dynamic biogeography/ biogeochemistry models. We will make use of archived climate and fire data sets, and produce climate and vegetation simulations using existing climate and vegetation models with which we have extensive experience. We will develop and apply equilibrium vegetation classification models to define vegetation vulnerability to fire, and ultimately, dynamic models that incorporate explicit and predictive fire and vegetation interactions on a landscape scale to achieve a better understanding of the dynamics might play a role in restoring natural ecosystems and reducing fuel loads. Our research will result in information that will be useful for improving fire forecasts from seasonal to longer time periods by quantifying climatically controlled base conditions over which fire-season weather will occur, and by providing knowledge of how antecedent conditions might be expected to enhance or suppress fire conditions. We will work collaboratively with Sue Ferguson USDA Forest Service to assess the ability of climate models to simulate a range of fire conditions over a variety of temporal and spatial scales, and, during later stages of the research, we plan to develop a methodology in cooperation with National Park System at Crater Lake in Southeastern Oregon to transfer our knowledge to the operational level. Further information can be found at The Western U.S. Fire and Climate Research website along with an Atlas of Climatic Controls of Fire in the Western United States. |
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Fire and Climate Variability in the Inland Pacific Northwest: Integrating Science and Management | |
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Project # 01-1-6-01; Principal Investigator: David L. Peterson | |
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This project developed a multi-scale analysis of the relationships between climate and topography and spatio-temporal patterns in historical fire regimes in the inland Pacific Northwest, using existing fire history data from six watersheds on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Colville National Forests. The study investigated current year, lagged, and low frequency relationships between composite fire histories and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). The study documented clear differences in fire regimes between the historical period (ca. 1650-1900) and the period after initiation of fire suppression in the region (ca.1900) and developed a unique geo-spatial database that takes advantage of both the spatially explicit nature of the fire-history data and new paradigms in geographic information science. |
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Improving Model Estimates of Smoke Contributions to Regional Haze Using Low-cost Sampler Systems | |
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Project # 01-1-5-06; Principal Investigator: Andrzej Bytnerowicz | |
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Proper planning for prescribed fires requires evaluation of the potential contributions of smoke dispersion, transport, and deposition to regional haze. This is particularly difficult in Class I areas (National Parks and Wilderness Areas). A network of 60-90 monitoring sites were set up to gather data that can be used to describe spatial patterns of urban and smoke contributions to regional haze and to test regional visibility models. These models will be made available to Forest Service and Department of Interior smoke and resource managers. The final report is available upon request from the JFSP Program Office |
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Fire effects on regional air quality including visibility | |
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Project # 01-1-5-01; Principal Investigator: William Malm | |
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While considerable research has been done on coarse particulate emissions (PM10), there is less information on fine particulates and aerosols that contribute to regional haze. To meet new air quality monitoring requirements, there will be a need for improved information on fire emissions and their fate in the atmosphere and for consistent approaches to adequately identify and document the contribution of wildland fire to regional haze. This proposal works to quantify the impacts of smoke on regional air quality, especially regional haze, using tools that will be used by the regulatory community for its development of emissions restrictions on fire and other sources. We will develop a fire smoke emissions inventory for selected periods and regions in support of regional air quality modeling and update the existing NEI emissions inventory to include smoke from fire. We also propose to process the updated fire emissions inventory through SMOKE to generate the necessary input data for regional air quality models, and the third task proposes to add fire emissions to an ongoing regional air quality modeling activity. Finally, we will evaluate results of these simulations against regional measurements of visibility and aerosol species concentrations at IMPROVE monitoring locations throughout the western United States. Models or systems developed will be broadly applicable and acceptable to Federal, State, Tribal, and local wildland and air quality managers. They will also be compatible with the computing capabilities of users (e.g., Federal, State, Tribal, and local managers) through the WRAP website and with implementation in a query-able national data base structure. |
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Fire Emission Production Simulator (FEPS) | |
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Project # 98-1-9-05; Principal Investigator: David Sandberg | |
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FEPS replaces and enhances the functionality of the original EPM (Emission Production Model). A significant number of improvements were made to the usability, applicability, and accuracy of the model. The calculation approach was totally redesigned. Algorithms are included to predict fuel\consumption that partitions outputs among flaming, smoldering and residual combustion stages based on fuel moisture inputs. Approximate plume rise is also predicted by FEPS. |
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Technically Advanced Smoke Estimation Tools (TASET) | |
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Project # 98-1-9-03; Principal Investigator: Allen R. Riebeau | |
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The TASET project was funded by the Joint Fire Science Program to develop a structured analysis of smoke management and to recommend specific developments for advancing the state of science in this field. The problem was approached by developing a structured analysis, using existing information from an assortment of sources, including the EPA interim Guidelines for Wildland Smoke, the Forest Service National Strategic Plan: Modeling and Data Systems for Wildland Fire and Air Quality, EPA regional haze regulations, similar documents, workshops and surveys completed by fire and air quality specialists. A specific set of nine recommendations were developed. |
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Fire Effects Tradeoff Model (FETM) | |
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Project # 98-1-8-01; Principal Investigator: Jim Russell | |
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The Fire Effects Tradeoff Model Version 4 (FETM 4) is a landscape-scale, vegetation dynamics and strategic planning model designed to simulate the long-term tradeoffs between wildland fire and various fuel treatment alternatives over large areas of the landscape encompassing diverse environmental conditions, natural fire regimes, and land management policies. Descriptions, downloads, capabilities and example outputs of the FETM |
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VENTILATION CLIMATE INFORMATION SYSTEM (VCIS) - Assessing Values of Air Quality and Visibility at Risk from Wildland Fires | |
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Project # 98-1-4-14; Principal Investigator: Sue A. Ferguson | |
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The Ventilation Climate Information System (VCIS) allows users to assess risks to values of air quality and visibility for historical patterns of ventilation conditions through an interactive, Internet map server. Ventilation potential can be overlain with sensitive receptors, terrain features, or political boundaries. The data apply to local, regional, or national scales. VCIS is based on a 40-year database that includes twice-daily values of wind, mixing height, and a ventilation index that is the product of wind speed and mixing height. Data are spatially interpolated to a grid of spacing of 2.5 minute latitude / longitude (about 5 km), except Alaska where the grid spacing is fixed at 5 km x 5 km. VCIS offers the first nationally-consistent maps of surface wind and ventilation index and includes the longest climate record of mixing height in the country. |
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