Vietnam War: Forest Fire as a Military Weapon - Paperless Archives

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I SECRET FUEL TYPE 8o e1 82 83 84 I SHRUB WEIGHT (LB/FT 2 ) TWIGS ½/2 IN. .25 .25 .25 .25 .25 I LEAVES .15 .15 .15 .15 .15 I I T`70 RH60 LITTER .01 .20 .40 .60 .80 INTENSITY 2 5 9 13 28 FIRE TYPE CREEPING CREEPING CREEPING RUNNING RUNNING T'90 RH40 .. . NTENSTY .7 17 35 70 120 FIRETYPE CREEPING RUNNING RUNNING CROWNING CROWNING UPRIGHT DEAD WOODY PLANTS I LEAVES MAINLY INTACT I| I FIG. 16 ] OPTIMUM UNDERSTORY FUELS .is SECRET
SECRET The figures illustrate the fuel and weather situations under which a creeping ground fire will be generated, the point at which the fire can develop into a running ground fire, and the point at which fire intensity is sufficiently great to develop a crown fire. The lightest fuel loading will not burn at all under marginal conditions, and crown fires can only be obtained under near optimum conditions of fuel and weather. Only two classes of grounid level woody fuels have been shown, each wath a full range of ground litter. Hundreds of intermediate claSses occur-with various arrangements of dead shrubby plants having different sizes and shapes. Fuel moisture content at the time of burning can be expected to vary on either side of the 15 percent level assumed here. Numerous other combinations of air temperature and relative humidity will be encountered, and their effects on fire intensity will be modified by wind and terrain. Obviously, the thousands of different combinations of fuel moisture content and weather can not be illustrated. Instead, the expected fire intensity for a specific situation must be determined from data on fuel and clima.ic conditions and knowledge of how these conditions affect fire behavior. The remainder of this report discusses forest fire behavior as determined by specific fuel, weather and ignition system factors, and shows how these factors can be utilized in considering and planning forest incendiary operations. VEGETATION TYPES The most obvious requirement for forest burning is the presence of fuel to burn. The amount and arrangement of potential forest fire fuels depends on the type of vegetation and the climate. In considering susceptibility to forest fires, we can distinguish four primary vegetation types and four subtypes: I. Grass I. Shrub Ill. IV. Conifer Forest A. Pine B. Other conifers Hardwood Forest A. Deciduous B. Evergreen Grass The grass type includes all areas where more than 50 percent of the ground surface, as viewed from the air, is covered with grasses, forbs, sedges, reeds, canes or mosses. This includes such vegetative cover as tundra, steppe, savanna, prairie, meadow, marsh, bamboo, anid open woodland. The grass type varies from cover a few inches high with a fuel weight less than 0.04 pounos per square foot in the tundra to 20 foot tall stands of elephant grass that weight over I pound per square foot in parts of the Congo. Yet all grass type fuels have certain characteristics in common that produce a profound effect on fire behavior. 1. Individwal plants with very thin leaves provide an extremely fast burning fuel that ignities easily when dry. 2. A moisture content that is well indicated by color. Green grass won't burn, yellow grass will. 3. A uniform distribution of fuel, both horizontally and vertically, produces fires that stabilize quickly and spread evenly and predictable. 4. Fuel surfaces that are completely exposed to rain, sunshine and the full sweep of the wind. SECRET 16
Page 1: VIETNAM WAR Forest Fire as a Milita
Page 4 and 5: Forest Fire as a Military Weapon A
Page 6 and 7: OF7 A iD5S Hil'---0 __ = IIIII- _w
Page 8 and 9: SECRET FOREST FIRE AS A MILITARY WE
Page 10 and 11: SECRET INDEX (Continued) Page Weath
Page 12 and 13: SECRET FOREST FIRE AS A MILITARY WE
Page 14 and 15: SECRET detailed and timely intellig
Page 16 and 17: SECRET I I I i it FI.I FIG. 2 I I B
Page 18 and 19: I SECRET I I I I I S....... '•FIG
Page 20 and 21: SECRET FI.I TYIAIRONFR BEOR FIG.FIG
Page 22 and 23: SECRET REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL
Page 24 and 25: I I SECRET heating adjacent unburne
Page 28 and 29: I SECRET I ii 11 I S~FIG. 17 | GRAS
Page 30 and 31: I I SECRET I I FIG. 18 SHRUB TYPE I
Page 32 and 33: Relative Humidity SECRET Table 2 "S
Page 34 and 35: I U I I I I I SECRET I FIG. 21 CONI
Page 36 and 37: S~SECRET A I. B O I I I IB. IN O LE
Page 38 and 39: I I SECRET I- I I I I I I I FIG. EV
Page 40 and 41: SECRET In developing recommended pr
Page 42 and 43: U SECRET The yearly sums of (+) val
Page 44 and 45: I Fireclimate Classification SECRET
Page 46 and 47: SECRET TABLE 5 KEY TO IDENTIFICATIO
Page 48 and 49: SECRET SHumid, long bum season (HUL
Page 50 and 51: I SECRET Table 6 Surfac,,/Volume Ra
Page 52 and 53: I SECRET FIG. 29 AVAILABLE FUEL WEI
Page 54 and 55: SECRET 100 80 FIG. 31 FLAME HEIGHTS
Page 56 and 57: I SECRET I Table 7 Precipitation Ef
Page 58 and 59: I SECRET FIG. 32 EQUILIBRIUM MOI$TU
Page 60 and 61: •Sunshine: SECRET Solar radiation
Page 62 and 63: I I SECRET I Ii I II I g I FIG. 34
Page 64 and 65: Technique"s for Kdlin, D•rming an
Page 66 and 67: SECRET I t '4Pi I I FIG. 35 * AERIA
Page 68 and 69: SECRET FIG.36 EFFECTS OF OVERSTORY
Page 70 and 71: SECRET FIG. 37 TYPICAL EFFECT OF CO
Page 72 and 73: I .SECRET Use of Systemic Desiccant
Page 74 and 75: SECRET 6. Effectiveness of foliar s
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SECRET Example of a Desiccation Pla
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SECRET If a lighted match is droppe
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SECRET 0 0 ----- 0" E I- -- z -- o
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SECRET The advantages of multiple i
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SECRET DISCUSSION The deliberate in
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1 SECRET U MINH FOREST FIRES PROLOG
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SECRET Spread Analysis: Spread to K
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SECRET HEADQUARTERS US ARMY ADVISOR
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I SECRET MACV-IVC-2 24 May 1968 SUB
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SECRET NAVAL GUNFIRE MISSIONS DATE
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SECRET Rach Gia - Kien Giang Hourly
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SECRET APPENDIX B Pertinent Incendi
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SECRET Major vegetation type: Tropi
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SECRET CLIMATE FF-HUSB FROSTFREE WI
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SECRET FIG. B2 CLIMATE FF-HUSB HANO
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SECRET Soil appiicat ion: Apply 20
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SECRET CLIMATE FF-NHLB FROSTFREE WI
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SECRET CLIMATE FF-DRYL FROSTFREE WI
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SECRET CLIMATE MI-HUYL MILD WINTER;
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SECRET FIG. B6 CLIMATE MI-HUYL NEW
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SECRET Soil application: Apply 15 p
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SECRET CLIMATE MI-HULB MILD WINTER;
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SECRET FCa. W8 CLIMATE MI-HULB RHOD
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SECRET FIG. B9 CLIMATE MI-NHSB AUST
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SECRET Dates for examl ocationAU.s
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SECRET CLIMATE MI-DRYL MILD WINTER;
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* climates& j SECRET CLIMATE CL-HUY
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SECRET FIG. 512 CLIMATE CL-HUYL COL
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SECRET Dates for example location (
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SECRET t (IIMATI (L HILD ('(X)I WIN
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SECRET (1lMAU- (L NH.% 41()1. *INTI
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I SECRET (IIM-AIF ( Hl•Nt1 ( Wl W
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SECRET FIG. 816 CLIMATE CL-NHLB GRA
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SECRET FIG. 817 CLIMATE CL-DRYL LAS
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Foliar sTray: Apply per acre: SECRE
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Warm continental climates SECRET CL
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SECRET FIG. B19 CLIMATE SC-HUSB MT.
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SECRET Dates for cxampre location (
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SECRET CLIMATE SC-NHYL SHORT COLD W
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SECRET FIG. B21 CLIMATE SC-NHYL PAR
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SECRET FIG. 522 CLIMATE SC-NHSB SAN
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SECRET FIG. 823 CLIMATE SC-NHLB REN
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SECRET Foliar Žpxa: Apply per acre
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SECRET CLIMATE LC-HUSB LONG COLD WI
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SECRET Foliar spray: Apply during t
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"SECRET CLIMATE LC-NHLB LONG COLD W
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SECRET CLIMATE VC-HUYL VERY COLD WI
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I SECRET FIG. 827 CLIMATE VC-HUYL D
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SECRET "CLIMATE VC-NHSB VERY COLD W
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SECRET I Publiction-,: Protect EMOT
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