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NWCG Glossary of Wildland Fire (PMS 205)

Term Steward Status Definition
fuel bed depth FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Average height of surface fuels contained in the combustion zone of a spreading fire front.
fuel break FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved A natural or manmade change in fuel characteristics which affects fire behavior so that fires burning into them can be more readily controlled.
fuel break system FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved A series of modified strips or blocks tied together to form continuous strategically located fuel breaks around land units.
fuel characteristics FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Factors that make up fuels such as compactness, loading, horizontal continuity, vertical arrangement, chemical content, size and shape, and moisture content.
fuel class FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved Group of fuels possessing common characteristics. Dead fuels are grouped according to 1-, 10-, 100-, and 1000-hour timelag, and living fuels are grouped as herbaceous (annual or perennial) or woody.
fuel condition FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Relative flammability of fuel as determined by fuel type and environmental conditions.
fuel continuity FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved The degree or extent of continuous or uninterrupted distribution of fuel particles in a fuel bed thus affecting a fire's ability to sustain combustion and spread. This applies to aerial fuels as well as surface fuels.
fuel depth FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved The average distance from the bottom of the litter layer to the top of the layer of fuel, usually the surface fuel.
Fuel Dryness Level (DL) IWSC Incident Weather Subcommittee Approved A quantitative measure of fuel moisture and receptability to ignition as determined by an accepted Fire Danger Rating System index that influences fire growth, intensity, or activity.
fuel group FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved An identifiable association of fuel elements of distinctive species, form, size, arrangement, or other characteristics. General fuel groups are grass, brush, timber, and slash.
fuel loading FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved The amount of fuel present expressed quantitatively in terms of weight of fuel per unit area. This may be available fuel (consumable fuel) or total fuel and is usually dry weight.
fuel management FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Act or practice of controlling flammability and reducing resistance to control of wildland fuels through mechanical, chemical, biological, or manual means, or by fire, in support of land management objectives.
fuel model FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved Simulated fuel complex for which all fuel descriptors required for the solution of a mathematical rate of spread model have been specified.
fuel modification FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Manipulation or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of ignition and/or to lessen potential damage and resistance to control (e.g., lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and burning).
fuel moisture analog FASC Fire Analysis Subcommittee Approved Device that emulates the moisture response of specific classes of dead fuels, constructed from organic or inorganic materials (e.g., half-inch ponderosa pine dowels representing ten-hour timelag fuels).
fuel moisture content FASC Fire Analysis Subcommittee Approved The quantity of moisture in fuel expressed as a percentage of the weight when thoroughly dried at 212 degrees F.
fuel moisture indicator stick FASC Fire Analysis Subcommittee Approved A specially prepared stick or set of sticks of known dry weight continuously exposed to the weather and periodically weighed to determine changes in moisture content as an indication of moisture changes in wildland fuels.
fuel reduction FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Manipulation, including combustion, or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of ignition and/or to lessen potential damage and resistance to control.
fuel size class FASC Fire Analysis Subcommittee Approved A category used to describe the diameter of down dead woody fuels. Fuels within the same size class are assumed to have similar wetting and drying properties, and to preheat and ignite at similar rates during the combustion process.
fuel temperature FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved The temperature reading measured from a fuel stick fully exposed to sunlight, above a representative fuel bed, using one of two methods (within a 3/4-inch or across a 1/2-inch pine dowel).
fuel tender AMC Aviation Management Committee, ETSC Equipment/Technology Subcommittee Approved Any vehicle capable of supplying engine fuel to ground or airborne equipment.
fuel treatment FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved Manipulation or removal of fuels to reduce the likelihood of ignition and/or to lessen potential damage and resistance to control (e.g., lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and burning).
fuel type FMSC Fuels Management Subcommittee Approved An identifiable association of fuel elements of distinctive species, form, size, arrangement, or other characteristics that will cause a predictable rate of spread or resistance to control under specified weather conditions.
fuels FDSC Fire Danger Subcommittee Approved Non-decomposed material, living or dead, derived from herbaceous plants.
fuels treatment polygon GISC Geospatial Information Subcommittee Requested A polygon representing the area(s) of unique fuels treatments during a single timeframe.
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