@conference {BF-2460,
	title = {Fuel and fire behaviour in semi-arid mallee-heath shrublands},
	booktitle = { 6th International Forest Fire Research Conference},
	year = {2010},
	month = {November 2010},
	publisher = {ADAI},
	organization = {ADAI},
	address = {Coimbra, Portugal},
	abstract = {An experimental burning program was set up in South Australia aimed at characterizing fuel
dynamics and fire behaviour in mallee-heath woodlands.
Fuel complexes in the experimental area comprised mallee and heath vegetation with ages (time
since fire) ranging from 7 to 50 years old. Dominant overstorey mallee vegetation comprised
Eucalyptus calycogona, E. diversifolia, E. incrassate and E. leptophylla. A total of 66 fires were
completed. The range of fire environment conditions within the experimental fire dataset were: air
temperature 15 to 39{\textdegree}C; relative humidity 7 to 80\%; mean 10-m open wind speed 3.6 to 31.5
km/h; Forest Fire Danger Index 1.7 to 46. Total fuel load ranged from 0.38 kg/m2 in young (7-year
old) mallee to 1.0 kg/m2 in mature stands. Fire behaviour measurements included rate of spread,
flame geometry, residence time and fuel consumption. Measured rate of spread ranged between
0.8 and 55 m/min with fireline intensity between 144 and 11,000 kW/m.
The dataset provided insight into the threshold environment conditions necessary for the
development of a coherent flame front able to overcome the fine scale fuel discontinuities that
characterise the semi-arid mallee-heath fuel types and support self-sustained fire propagation. The
data also provided a better understanding of the variables determining the behaviour of selfsustained
fires, including rate of fire spread, flame dimensions, crowning and spotting activity.},
	isbn = {978-989-20-2157-7},
	author = {Cruz, Miguel G. and J.S. Gould}
}
