Impacts of tree canopy structure on wind flows and fire propagation simulated with FIRETEC

Forest fuel management in the context of fire prevention generally induces heterogeneous spatial patterns of vegetation. However, the impact of the canopy structure on both wind flows and fire behavior is not well understood. Here, a coupled atmosphere wildfire behavior model, HIGRAD/FIRETEC, was used to investigate the effects of canopy treatment on wind field and fire behavior in a typical Mediterranean pine ecosystem. First, the treatment-induced winds were simulated with the model. We observed that with decreasing cover fraction the wind velocity increased within the treated zone. The wind spatial variability increased when the vegetation was aggregated into larger clumps. Fire simulations indicated that a decrease of fire intensity occurred after several meters of propagation in the treated zone. This intensity decrease was significant with a cover fraction below 25%, but negligible with a cover fraction greater than 50%. The treatment also induced a more significant inclination of the plume away from vertical. The size of the tree clumps did not show significant effects on fire behavior. This study was a preliminary investigation of wind/fire interaction over various canopy treatments, by using a physically based model. It gives some practical considerations for discerning the appropriate cover fraction and open perspectives for further investigations.