FBPS Fuel Models

The following thirteen fuel models, known variously as "standard", "stylized", "Fire Behavior" and "NFFL" models, were were originally tabulated by Rothermel (1972) and later expanded by Albini (1976) . These fuel models are a complete set of fuel inputs needed to use the Rothermel fire spread model (load and surface-are-to-volume ratio by size class and component, extinction moisture, heat content by component, and fuelbed depth) used in BEHAVE Plus and other fire behavior prediction systems to predict real time fire behavior across a range of conditions.

These models are conceptually organized into grass, shrub, timber, and slash fuel types. Below, the fuel model number from 1-13, example systems from the southeast, and related fuel models from the NFDRS model system are presented. The fuel loading and fuel bed depth for these 13 fuel types are shown in Table: FBPS Fuel Models.

Grass fuel models

1. grasslands and savannas (correlates to NFDRS models A, L, and S)
2. open shrub land, pine and scrub oak stands covering less than 2/3 area (correlates to NFDRS models C and T)
3. tall prairie and marshland grasses where influence of wind is high (correlates to NFDRS model N)

Shrub fuel models

4. stands of mature shrubs, closed jack pine stands (correlates to NFDRS models B and O)
5. young green stands with no dead wood such as laurel or vine maple (no model represented)
6. intermediate shrub stands and cured hardwood slash (correlates to NFDRS models F and Q)
7. stands of shrubs 2 - 6 feet such as palmetto-gallberry with pine overstory (correlates to NFDRS model D)

Timber fuel models

8. closed canopy stands of short-needle conifers or hardwoods that have leafed out and support fire in the compact litter layer (correlates to NFDRS models H and R)
9. long-needle conifer and hardwood stands (correlates to NFDRS models E, P, and U)
10. any stand with large quantities of dead-down fuel (correlates to NFDRS model G)

Slash fuel models

11. conifer or hardwood stands with light partial cuts or thinning (correlates to NFDRS model K)
12. heavily thinned conifer stands, clearcuts, medium – heavy partial cuts (correlates to NFDRS model J)
13. clearcuts and heavy partial cuts in mature stands where slash is dominated by material with diameter exceeding 3 inches (correlates to NFDRS model I)