Graduate Exit Seminar - Ziyu Dong

Plan to join Ziyu Dong's graduate exit seminar on April 15, 2026, at 1:30 pm at Kottman Hall 333C. Ziyu will present, "Modeling and Simulation of Wildland Fire Dynamics Based on Spatial and Temporal Fire Environment"

Abstract: The wildland fire environment and regime have profoundly changed over the last few decades. Future predictions of fire probability have shown a dramatic increase in the eastern U.S., highlighting the need to develop a spatially and seasonally dynamic fire model. However, a reliable fire behavior estimation is challenging owing to complex interactions among weather, fuel, and topography, especially under variable conditions such as rugged terrain, different burn seasons, and changes in fuel compositions. In this study, the aim is to investigate how topography, burn seasons, and forest attributes affect fire behavior and build a dataset to develop a fire prediction model in eastern hardwood forests. The short-term post-fire fuel recovery is also analyzed. The results displayed that fire severity can be modeled and predicted by both linear and non-linear models based on field-measured data. The on-site measured data were linked with satellite indices, which were further used to build fire severity based on satellite-derived indices. This research provides insights regarding fire severity prediction and evaluation and provides fire managers with updated data and new insights for future fire severity estimation and prescribed fire planning, including effective fuel risk reduction and subsequent maintenance strategies.

Advisor: Dr. Roger A. Williams