Fuels and Fire Behavior on the Bor Forest Island Fire

A field experiment, Fire Research Campaign Asia-North (FIRESCAN), organized under the joint sponsorship of the International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA) and the IGBP International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Project, was carried out in north-central Siberia in July 1993. A 49-hectare site, Bor Forest Island, was selected near Bor, located on the Yenesei River approximately 600 km north of Krasnoyarsk. A pure mature stand of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) covered the Island, with a sparse shrub understory, and ground cover dominated by Cladonia lichens. Various techniques were used to determine preburn and postburn fuel loads. Ground fuel loads (lichen and duff layer) averaged 4.27 kg/m2 (1.39 kg/m2 for lichen and 2.88 kg/m2 for duff). Surface fuel loads (downed woody material) averaged 1.51 kg/m2, while aerial fuel loads (needles and fine shoots) were estimated to be 0.80 kg/m2. Since winds were light and variable during the burn day, the island was ignited completely along the perimeter, creating a very intense, convection-style fire that spread rapidly, accelerating toward the island centre. The average rate of spread was 25 m/min. Total fuel consumption was 3.44 kg/m2 (ground fuels 2.07 kg/m2, surface fuels 0.81 kg/m2, and aerial fuels 0.56 kg/m2). Fire residence times (above 100°C) were approximately 5 min. overall frontal fire intensity was estimated to be 25,800 kW/m. This level of fire behavior translated into a high-intensity, stand replacement fire that crowned out over 70 % of the island, resulting in virtually 100 % mortality of the overstory trees. This high rate of energy release produced a convection column approximately 5 km high, with a well-developed capping cumulus top.

Data and Resources

This dataset has no data

Field Value
access_constraints ["Use Constraints: none", "Access Constraints: none"]
bbox-east-long 89.45
bbox-north-lat 60.8
bbox-south-lat 60.7
bbox-west-long 89.35
contact-email bstocks@nrcan.gc.ca
coupled-resource []
dataset-reference-date [{"type": "publication", "value": "1996-01-01"}]
frequency-of-update notPlanned
licence ["Although these data have been processed successfully on computer systems by the FIRESCAN team, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data. It is strongly recommended that these data are directly acquired from a FIRESCAN Team member, and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. It is also strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data. The FIRESCAN Science Team shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein."]
metadata-date 2002-02-28
metadata-language eng; USA
metadata_type geospatial
progress completed
resource-type dataset
responsible-party [{"name": "Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service", "roles": ["pointOfContact"]}]
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[89.35, 60.7], [89.45, 60.7], [89.45, 60.8], [89.35, 60.8], [89.35, 60.7]]]}
spatial_harvester true
Groups
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tags
  • amerigeo
  • amerigeoss
  • bor-forest-island
  • ckan
  • fuel-loads
  • geo
  • geoss
  • krasnoyarsk
  • national
  • north-america
  • siberia
  • stand-replacement-fire
  • united-states
isopen False
metadata_created 2025-11-21T18:20:15.924023
metadata_modified 2025-11-21T18:20:15.924027
notes A field experiment, Fire Research Campaign Asia-North (FIRESCAN), organized under the joint sponsorship of the International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA) and the IGBP International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Project, was carried out in north-central Siberia in July 1993. A 49-hectare site, Bor Forest Island, was selected near Bor, located on the Yenesei River approximately 600 km north of Krasnoyarsk. A pure mature stand of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) covered the Island, with a sparse shrub understory, and ground cover dominated by Cladonia lichens. Various techniques were used to determine preburn and postburn fuel loads. Ground fuel loads (lichen and duff layer) averaged 4.27 kg/m2 (1.39 kg/m2 for lichen and 2.88 kg/m2 for duff). Surface fuel loads (downed woody material) averaged 1.51 kg/m2, while aerial fuel loads (needles and fine shoots) were estimated to be 0.80 kg/m2. Since winds were light and variable during the burn day, the island was ignited completely along the perimeter, creating a very intense, convection-style fire that spread rapidly, accelerating toward the island centre. The average rate of spread was 25 m/min. Total fuel consumption was 3.44 kg/m2 (ground fuels 2.07 kg/m2, surface fuels 0.81 kg/m2, and aerial fuels 0.56 kg/m2). Fire residence times (above 100°C) were approximately 5 min. overall frontal fire intensity was estimated to be 25,800 kW/m. This level of fire behavior translated into a high-intensity, stand replacement fire that crowned out over 70 % of the island, resulting in virtually 100 % mortality of the overstory trees. This high rate of energy release produced a convection column approximately 5 km high, with a well-developed capping cumulus top.
num_resources 0
num_tags 13
title Fuels and Fire Behavior on the Bor Forest Island Fire