Alberta Agriculture and Forestry

Mulch fuels in boreal forests: structure, moisture, and initial fire behaviour observations

Vegetation management (or fuel management) is one important component of wildfire risk mitigation outlined by the FireSmart program in Canada. Treating fuels can alter how they react to fire. Fuel treatments, such as mulching, generate stand and surface characteristics that are significantly different from the standard fuel types described within the Canadian Fire Behaviour Prediction System. These differences pose challenges for forestry and fire management practitioners. In addition to FireSmart treatments, mulching is a widespread activity in utility corridors such as electrical transmission and oil and gas development. The objective of this Forest Management Note is to highlight some of the results from recent mulch research conducted in Alberta and British Columbia that can be applied and used by forestry and fire management practitioners.