The objective of this Statement of Need was to improve understanding of self-organization of convective structures and near-fire smoke plume development for the purpose of ultimately improving the management of fire for military land-use. Specific research objectives included the following:

• Improve understanding of physical fire processes at spatial and temporal scales relevant to plume dynamics, fire behavior, and spotting,
• Advance understanding of the impact of wild land fires on both ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM),
• Advance understanding of fuel dynamics and structure, especially fuel moisture dynamics and the importance of fuel heterogeneity as it relates to fire intensity, ember production, emissions, and crown fire.

Proposers were asked to specifically state the rationale for their research approach, describe their understating of current practice, and explain how their approach would result in new insight into fire phenomena and would result in research outcomes that move fire science and fire management forward. In addition, proposers were asked to clearly articulate their objectives in terms of knowledge points or research objectives critical to the success and further progress of their proposed project. If a knowledge point was critical for overall project success, the proposer should have established a go/no go criterion and stated an approach to risk mitigation should the research outcome at a critical knowledge point not have met the established go criterion.

Research efforts should have coordinated with and leveraged other, concurrent national efforts such as the Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE) research effort (Ottmar et al., 2017. Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE) study plan. Joint Fire Sciences Program Project 15-S-01-01, 148 pp.). Proposers also should have demonstrated a knowledge of the SERDP Fire Science Strategy: Resource Conservation and Climate Change (September 2014), relevant current and past SERDP research efforts, and place their proposed research within the context of the SERDP strategy and current efforts. To the extent that modeling was proposed, a model validation scheme and approach to incorporation of the resultant model into current tools must have been explicitly described.

All three research objectives did not need to be addressed in a proposal; however, preference was given to robust interdisciplinary research teams proposing holistic research efforts that encompassed the stated objectives.

Funded projects will appear below as project overviews are posted to the website.