FLAM workflow on FLAM-DOCS

1. Daily Fuel Moisture

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Daily Fuel Moisture #

FLAM › Daily Fuel Moisture calculates the daily moisture content of fine dead fuels from weather data. It uses the moisture model behind the Canadian Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC). The result feeds the ignition probability (P_m), the burned area and the spread steps.

Skip this step if you already have daily fuel moisture as a fraction of dry weight.

Inputs #

2. Frequency Probability

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Frequency Probability #

FLAM › Frequency Probability calculates, for each pixel and day, the probability that a fire starts and isn’t put out right away (P). It combines population, lightning, fuel load and fuel moisture.

Steps #

Parameter file. Click New to create an .ini file with default values, or Load to open an existing one. Keep the file: you need the same parameters for scenario runs.
FLAM Parameters. Adjust the values, then click Save. This writes the .ini file and opens the next window.
FLAM Preprocess Probability. Set the inputs and click Run.

3. Create Labeling Data

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Create Labeling Data #

FLAM › Create Labeling Data turns fire perimeter polygons into rasters of observed burned area on your model grid. Calculate Burned Area uses these rasters for calibration.

You don’t need this step if your observations are already gridded (for example GFED). In that case, see Input data.

Inputs #

Field	Description	¶ fills from
Fire Delineation	Polygon shapefile, one polygon per fire, in a projected CRS in metres	Fire Shape
Time Column	Attribute with the fire date as `YYYY-MM-DD`. The tool preselects the first column whose name contains “date” or “time”.	—
Base Raster	Defines the output grid	Base Map
Output Folder	Where the subfolders are created	Results

Output types #

Tick Daily and/or Monthly for each type:

4. Calculate Burned Area

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Calculate Burned Area #

FLAM › Calculate Burned Area converts fire probability into expected burned area. It has two modes:

Calibration (Optimize): fits the suppression efficiency q to observed burned area.
Projection (Use existing data): applies a q you calibrated earlier.

Steps #

Parameter file. Click New or Load (a separate .ini from the probability step).
FLAM Parameters. Adjust u_max and m_e, then click Save.
FLAM Calculate Burned Area. Set the inputs and click Run.

5. Spread Simulation

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Spread Simulation #

FLAM › Spread Simulation spreads the burned area from Calculate Burned Area across neighbouring pixels. The result shows where fires burn, not just how much area burns per pixel.

How it works #

Find fires larger than a pixel. For each day, the tool computes the expected size of a fire in each pixel (A_burn / P). Pixels where this exceeds the pixel area become fire origins.
Spread those fires. Each fire grows across pixels, driven by that day’s fuel moisture and wind (and wind direction, if you provide it).
Stop at fuel breaks. Pixels with fuel below the connectivity threshold, or with NoData, act as barriers.
Keep small fires in place. Fires smaller than a pixel keep their original A_burn value.

Inputs #

Future scenarios

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Future scenarios #

To project fire activity, you calibrate FLAM on historical data, then rerun it with scenario inputs while keeping the calibrated parameters and q.

Calibrate on the historical period. Run steps 1–4 of the workflow with Optimize selected for q. Keep both parameter .ini files and the q folder.
Prepare scenario inputs. You need daily weather and, if they change over time, yearly population and fuel. Use the same grid and the same file naming.
Create a new Output Folder for the scenario. Tools always write to the same subfolder names, so a shared folder would overwrite your historical results or reuse the wrong a/.
Daily Fuel Moisture: run it with the scenario weather.
Frequency Probability: Load the historical parameter file. Point the inputs to the scenario data and set the scenario period.
Calculate Burned Area: Load the historical parameter file and select Use existing data. As Existing q, select the historical q files, copied to a separate folder as described in Calculate Burned Area.
Optionally, run Spread Simulation.

The ¶ button loads the historical paths from the configuration. After clicking it, replace every time-dependent input (weather, moisture, P, and population and fuel if they change) with its scenario equivalent.