Theory 45/Desert & Dryland/Fire regime
Dryland Fire Needs Connectivity
The claim
Fire in drylands spreads only above a threshold in grass connectivity between shrubs, so fuel amount matters less than its arrangement.
01Mechanism
Fire requires continuous fine fuel; once connectivity is broken by bare ground, the front stops regardless of total biomass.
02Prediction
Spread should track connectivity.
03Refutation
Spread tracking fuel load would remove arrangement.