Adaptation of the United States Fire Danger Rating System to Fynbos Conditions

Abstract

The development of a fynbos fuel model for fire danger rating is described. The fuel model consists of values representing the fuel characteristics of fynbos vegetation, to be used in conjunction with weather data and a fire spread model to produce fire danger indices. The model represents average tall open shrubland vegetation with a post-fire age of 15 years and is compared with values and predictions from a chaparral fuel model. The model is not intended for fire behaviour prediction.