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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Shaman" data-source="post: 2859185" data-attributes="member: 26473">What is the climate of the area? Most deciduous forests get summer rain so fuels remain moist, reducing the rate of spread.What is the terrain? A fire will move faster upslope than down.Where is the fire? A surface fire (that is, one burning dead wood and small shrubs on the ground) in a woodland spreads more slowly than a crown fire (that is, a fire that spreads from treetop to treetop).Is the forest managed? If there are foresters who harvest wood, they may remove branches close to the ground (called ladder fuels) to prevent a surface fire from becoming a crown fire.When was the last fire? If the last fire was a long time ago, there will be more shrubs and down-dead woody material than if the forest last burned more recently, providing more fuel and a faster rate spread.What is the time of day? Fires spread faster in the afternoon than in the morning as the fuels have had time to warm up over the course of the day.How dense is the forest? If the tops of the trees (called the canopy) grow together (interlock), the rate of spread will be faster.Is the forest close to a water source like a stream or pond? Riparian forests tend to burn more slowly, if they ignite at all.If the ground is flat, the climate is humid, there's no wind, and the forest isn't too dense, the rate of spread could be as little as five feet per hour. Start adding in hillsides, a breeze, a dry spell, lots of woody debris, and five feet per round isn't unreasonable. Add wind and a steep slope, and anyone at the head of the fire better have some powerful protective magic.Hope this helps.</blockquote>

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