Developing a fire danger rating system for the United Kingdom

Kitchen, K., Marno, P., Legg, C., Bruce, M. and Davies, G.M. (2006) Developing a fire danger rating system for the United Kingdom. Forest Ecology and Management, 234(S1), S21. (doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2006.08.037)

Abstract

Prescribed burning (muirburn) is used extensively in upland Britain for habitat management for sheep, red deer (Cervus elaphus) and red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus), an upland game bird that lives on heather (Calluna vulgaris) moorland. Although forest fires are unusual, wildfires are common in heathland (dominated by C. vulgaris, sometimes with Ulex gallii, western gorse), in stands of Ulex europaeus (gorse), especially where these are close to urban sites, and in grasslands dominated by Molinea caerulea (purple moor grass). Fire hazard is increasing in many areas for a variety of reasons including a reduction in man-power available for prescribed burning and reduced grazing offtake. Fire risk is also increasing due to recent changes in legislation permitting access to the countryside and an increase in recreational activities. While successfully predicting periods of exceptional fire weather conditions, the Met Office Fire Severity Index does not provide specific predictions of fire behaviour for different vegetation types, nor is it sufficiently sensitive for identifying conditions suitable for prescribed burning. C. vulgaris is a unique fuel forming a dense canopy of fine shoots with a proportion of dead fuel suspended in the canopy. The live fuel can, under certain circumstances, have a very low fuel moisture content (below 45%). This may occur when shoots are damaged by frost and ice or when the ground is cold or frozen and so reducing water uptake by the shoots. In this paper, we discuss the development of a fire danger rating system for the United Kingdom with regard to the unique situation of fuel characteristics, availability of numerical meteorological data, prescribed burning regime and infrastructure.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Davies, Dr Gwilym
• Authors: Kitchen, K., Marno, P., Legg, C., Bruce, M., and Davies, G.M.
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social & Environmental Sustainability
• Journal Name: Forest Ecology and Management
• ISSN: 0378-1127
• ISSN (Online): 1872-7042
• Published Online: 06 October 2006