Forestry management relies on combating the challenges posed by fire. Knowledge of fire risk helps in the planning for and reacting to forest fires. One method used is the mapping of the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI). Though it was not specifically designed to be a fire risk assessment tool it is used to highlight areas with a high potential of fire due to climactic factors. A statistical analysis is performed to determine the relevance of the use of this drought index to measure fire potential. Analysis is performed by testing the relationship of KBDI to the number of fires and area burned in the Mississippi Forestry Commission's south east fire district. These analyses showed a weak relationship between total fires and KBDI. In many cases there was no relationship. This calls into question the use of KBDI to determine fire potential.

Forestry management relies on combating the challenges posed by fire. Knowledge of fire risk helps in the planning for and reacting to forest fires. One method used is the mapping of the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI). Though it was not specifically designed to be a fire risk assessment tool it is used to highlight areas with a high potential of fire due to climactic factors. A statistical analysis is performed to determine the relevance of the use of this drought index to measure fire potential. Analysis is performed by testing the relationship of KBDI to the number of fires and area burned in the Mississippi Forestry Commission?s south east fire district. These analyses showed a weak relationship between total fires and KBDI. In many cases there was no relationship. This calls into question the use of KBDI to determine fire potential.

Excerpt from Drought Estimation in Southern Forest Fire Control During extended droughts, aerial fuels become more flammable, fire lines are hard to build and hard to hold, fires burn with great intensity and high rate of spread, and sometimes high-intensity fires produce convection columns that spew firebrands for long distances. As examples of what can happen during prolonged periods of little rain, in 1955 and 1956 four fires in the South each burned more than acres. Drought conditions coupled with certain atmospheric conditions caused this excessive loss. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.