Vertical Distribution of Fuel in a Chamise Chaparral Stand

The horizontal and vertical distribution of wildland fuels strongly influences fire behavior. Current operational fire spread models assume a uniform distribution of fuel over the depth of the fuel bed. In contrast, current research models allow for non-uniform distribution of fuels within the fuel bed. There is limited data available describing the vertical distribution of fuels in the crowns of selected conifers. Fires in chaparral burn in the crowns of the shrubs that comprise chaparral. Only one study (1979) was found in the literature describing the vertical distribution of fuel in chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) chaparral in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. In conjunction with a fire experiment in chamise chaparral in southern California, we have measured the vertical distribution of fuel in a chamise stand. These results will be presented and compared with the older study. Implications of the results for fire models will be discussed.