Home

Applications
(Last Update 01/05/2008)

Software
(Last Update 01/05/2008)

Documentation
(Last Update 01/05/2008)

Resources
(Last Update 30/08/2008)

FAQ
(Last Update 30/08/2008)

Contact
(Last Update 01/05/2008)

Links
(Last Update 30/08/2008)

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What happens when BFOLDS encounters an unburnable fuel type, such as water or rock?

BFOLDS treats these pixels as fuel breaks and stop fires from spreading in that direction.

2) Does BFOLDS completely extinguish individual fires? How does it do this?

Yes, BFOLDS extinguishes fires based on a user-defined DMC (duff moisture code) threshold. When the DMC value in all the cells within the fire area falls below the threshold, the fire stops.

3) Can fires remain dormant and flare up when suitable conditions return days, weeks, or even months later?

Yes. If the DMC does not fall below the user-defined threshold and the fire weather isn't severe enough to support fire spread, the fire will smolder until it either goes out (based on the user-defined DMC threshold value) or the fire weather becomes adequate to support further spread.

4) Does BFOLDS allow landscapes to re-burn? How long before it can happen?

Yes. A burned landscape can re-burn, but only after a minimum of 10 years.

5) Does BFOLDS model spot fires?

No.

6) Why do some BFOLDS fires appear circular?

BFOLDS may generate fires that appear circular as a result of the input data provided. For example, a weather data point imported into BFOLDS has only 1 value for wind direction for a day, thus a fire burning for 2 days with a wind direction change of 90 degrees will result in a circular fire if the forest fuel type and the fire weather remain similar for both days.