April 1, 2020
New vegetation database supports better wildfire and smoke predictions
Dry landscapes, warmer temperatures and more development near forested areas all contribute to large wildfires across North America each year. Smoke and haze from these fires can travel hundreds of miles from their source, affecting the health and well-being of communities across the country.
Scientists currently rely on models that try to predict the severity of wildfires and smoke. The amount of living and dead vegetation on a landscape, known as fuels, is a key part of the equation when modeling wildfire and smoke behavior. Fuel estimates are often imprecise, however, leading to unreliable smoke and fire forecasts that has the potential to endanger communities.
To address this gap, researchers from the University of Washington and Michigan Technological University created the first comprehensive database of all the wildfire fuels that have been measured across North America. Called the North American Wildland Fuel Database, the tool incorporates the best available measurements of vegetation in specific locations to allow fire managers to see where information about fuels is missing altogether.