Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: Critique of Sikkink and Keane's comparison of surface fuel sampling techniques

Author: Wright, Clinton S.; Ottmar, Roger D.; Vihnanek, Robert E.

Date: 2010

Source: International Journal of Wildland Fire. 19: 374-376

Description: The 2008 paper of Sikkink and Keane compared several methods to estimate surface fuel loading in western Montana: two widely used inventory techniques (planar intersect and fixed-area plot) and three methods that employ photographs as visual guides (photo load, photoload macroplot and photo series). We feel, however, that their study design was inadequate to evaluate the accuracy of these methods when measured against a series of reference sites. Incorrect use may have contributed to the authors' inferences that the photo series method was the least accurate in this case. Furthermore, sampling efficiency was not adequately taken into account when evaluating overall efficacy of the five methods studied.

Keywords: fuel inventory techniques, photo series

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Citation

Wright, Clinton S.; Ottmar, Roger D.; Vihnanek, Robert E.  2010.  Critique of Sikkink and Keane's comparison of surface fuel sampling techniques.   International Journal of Wildland Fire. 19: 374-376.