How aspens alter wildfire behavior

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Aspens impede fire spread

• The study found that, as the percentage of aspen cover increased in a burned patch, the daily area burned and maximum linear spread both decreased. This effect increased as the percentage of aspen cover increased. For example, when aspen cover within a daily burn patch was less than 10 percent, the mean burned patch size was 1112 ± 84 ha/day. However, when aspen cover exceeded 25 percent, the mean daily burned patch size averaged 368 ± 43 ha/day. The researchers found similar effects for linear spread.
• These effects remained consistent relative to other vegetation types regardless of weather or climate. So, while particularly dry or windy conditions cause all vegetation types to burn more, aspen stands still burn at a lower rate than conifer stands. Aspens influence fire perimeters
• Aspens were also disproportionally represented at the perimeters of fires—they were 44 percent more abundant in perimeters than burn interiors. While aspen stands will not stop a fire dead in its tracks,
  this result indicates that they can alter fire perimeters and potentially help slow fire spread.