Ten steps applied to development and evaluation of process-based biogeochemical models of estuaries
Environmental Modelling & Software
Development and application of a system for dynamic wildfire risk assessment in Italy
Environmental Modelling & Software
A simple index for assessing fire danger rating
Environmental Modelling & Software
Technical assessment and evaluation of environmental models and software: Letter to the Editor
Environmental Modelling & Software
Environmental Modelling & Software
Fire behaviour modelling in semi-arid mallee-heath shrublands of southern Australia
Environmental Modelling & Software
Uncertainty associated with model predictions of surface and crown fire rates of spread
Environmental Modelling & Software
Environmental Modelling & Software
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Evaluation is a crucial component for model credibility and acceptance by researchers and resource managers. The nature and characteristics of free-burning wildland fires pose challenges to acquiring the kind of quality data necessary for adequate fire behaviour model evaluation. As a result, in some circles it has led to a research culture that tends to avoid evaluating model performance. Operational fire modelling systems commonly used in western North America have been shown to exhibit an underprediction bias when employed to determine the threshold conditions necessary for the onset of crowning and the associated spread rate of active crown fires in conifer forest stands. This pronouncement was made a few years ago after at least a decade of model misapplication in fire and fuel management simulation modelling stemming from a lack of model evaluation. There are signs that the same situation may be repeated with developing physics-based models that simulate potential wildland fire behaviour; these models have as yet undergone limited testing against observations garnered from planned and/or accidental wildland fires. We propose a broad co-operative project encompassing modellers and experimentalists is needed to define and acquire the benchmark fire behaviour data required for model calibration and evaluation.