Event Website
http://www.nafew2009.org/
Start Date
6-24-2009 9:00 AM
End Date
6-24-2009 9:20 AM
Description
Kimmins (1997) argues that “words” and their correct usage are important and that the “careless use of language often causes confusion and misunderstanding and is a factor in many conflicts.” The public often lacks the technical knowledge to understand and interpret the use of inconsistent terminology and each discipline within resource science and management has developed their own definitions and application of specific terms. The fire community is no different. The only consistent component in the fire literature is the interchangeable use of the terms fire intensity, fire severity, and burn severity. Moreover, within each of these definitions, the terms low, moderate, and high severity and/or intensity and associated definitions are also inconsistent. Although some recognize the inconsistent use in terminology to describe different aspects of fire behavior and effects, discussions tend to favor the continuation of the incompatible use of terms. Furthermore, some suggest that a severity description should be specific to a particular interest, leaving it up to the reader to decipher the meaning of the terms. The objective of this oral presentation is to present a post-fire index (PFI) for temperate forests designed to diminish the inconsistent application of severity. We developed this index by synthesizing current severity literature and its potential relation to chemical, physical, and biological responses. We then validated the index using actual data collected post-fire from landscapes that contain mixed-severity fire regimes within the cold, moist, and dry forests within the Rocky Mountains of the United States.
Included in
A Post-Fire Index For Describing Mixed Severity Outcomes After Wildfire
Kimmins (1997) argues that “words” and their correct usage are important and that the “careless use of language often causes confusion and misunderstanding and is a factor in many conflicts.” The public often lacks the technical knowledge to understand and interpret the use of inconsistent terminology and each discipline within resource science and management has developed their own definitions and application of specific terms. The fire community is no different. The only consistent component in the fire literature is the interchangeable use of the terms fire intensity, fire severity, and burn severity. Moreover, within each of these definitions, the terms low, moderate, and high severity and/or intensity and associated definitions are also inconsistent. Although some recognize the inconsistent use in terminology to describe different aspects of fire behavior and effects, discussions tend to favor the continuation of the incompatible use of terms. Furthermore, some suggest that a severity description should be specific to a particular interest, leaving it up to the reader to decipher the meaning of the terms. The objective of this oral presentation is to present a post-fire index (PFI) for temperate forests designed to diminish the inconsistent application of severity. We developed this index by synthesizing current severity literature and its potential relation to chemical, physical, and biological responses. We then validated the index using actual data collected post-fire from landscapes that contain mixed-severity fire regimes within the cold, moist, and dry forests within the Rocky Mountains of the United States.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/nafecology/sessions/mixed_fire/7