Correlation of mass loss rate and flame height for live fuels

Flame height and length have long been correlated with mass loss rate. Most correlations have been developed for various hydrocarbon fuels such as natural gas and alcohol. Little, if any, work has been performed relating flame properties to mass loss of burning living vegetation. Our current National Fire Plan research is studying combustion and fire spread in live fuels at several scales ranging from an individual leaf to field-scale prescribed burns. We have measured mass loss and flame properties at the leaf (2 cm), pan (45 cm), and fuel bed scale (2 m) and plan to measure similar properties at the field scale (20 m). Results of our attempts to develop a correlation that spans this range of scale (0.02 to 20 m) will be presented. Potential use of this type of correlation in fire spread models will be discussed.