Theory of Precipitation Effects on Dead Cylindrical Fuels

Abstract

Abstract Numerical and analytical solutions of the Fickian diffusion equation were used to determine the effects of precipitation on dead cylindrical forest fuels. The analytical solution provided a physical framework. The numerical solutions were then used to refine the analytical solution through a similarity argument. The theoretical solutions predicted realistic rates of water exchange and the internal distribution of the water. The theory also (1) predicted that precipitation duration rather than amount or rate determined the amount of water uptake and (2) provided a function useful in practical applications. Forest Sci. 18:98-108.