A group of Texas A&M researchers are working on a project that could help the Texas A&M Forest Service better predict fire dangers in different regions across the state.
Wayne Hamilton, senior lecturer in the ecosystem science and management department and a principal investigator at the Center for Natural Resource Information Technology, said the modeling system incorporates the simulation of the plant growth process into the model of fire danger in order to predict intensity of potential wildfires, to help better prepare for the fight against wildfires.
Fuel loading is the amount of combustible materials grass for instance per unit area on a weight basis. It is directly related to the intensity of the fire once it starts and therefore it is important to determine the risk of wildfires to the local area. Thomas Spencer, head of fire predictive services at Texas A&M Forest Service, said the group hopes this modeling system can give them a way to remotely sense fuel loading.
Spencer said to judge fuel loading in an area, the wildfire community can only send an specialist to judge for themselves. Therefore, the decision of whether the fuel loading is normal or not is based on experience and judgment.
“The reason it is important is that we really do not have a good scientific way to remotely sense herbaceous fuel loading,” Spencer said. “So if this model works, it will help streamline the process, reduce the subjectivity. Also if it works, then we are able to get that information out to the folks in the field, and help make our citizens safer, and our firefighters safer.”
From The Batallion Online: https://www.thebatt.com/news/a-m-scientists-aim-to-predict-wildfires-in-texas-1.3050378#.Ug5IzVOE6y6