1A.2
Quantifying canopy fuels in conifer forests
Elizabeth Reinhardt, USDA Forest Service, Missoula, MT; and J. H. Scott and R. E. Keane
Five 0.1 acre plots were destructively sampled to determine the distribution of canopy fuels. Each tree’s location was mapped, and its diameter, height, crown base height and crown class recorded. Trees were removed sequentially by size. Each branch was weighed, and its diameter, height, branch angle and distance from the ground was recorded. A subsample of the branches were sorted into size classes, and a portion of each size class was oven dried to determine moisture content. Canopy bulk density was computed by for each one-meter height interval above the forest floor, as well as total canopy fuel load by size class. Canopy fuel characteristics are reported for the untreated stands, and then for each stand after 25%, 50% and 75% of the basal area was removed. Observed canopy fuel characteristics are compared to values predicted from stand characteristics. .
Session 1A, Fire and Fuels Management: Part 1 (TRACK I)
Monday, 17 November 2003, 11:00 AM-5:00 PM
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