Theory 112/Forestry & Fire Ecology
Spread Is Wind Over Slope
The claim
Fire spread rate is set by the ratio of wind speed to slope steepness rather than by either alone.
01The mechanism
Both tilt the flame toward unburned fuel; their effects combine through the same geometric mechanism, so only the ratio matters for a given fuel.
02Predictions
- P1Spread should collapse onto the ratio.
- P2Wind alone should mispredict.
03Refutation
Spread tracking wind alone would remove the slope term.