Crown Fire (Van Wagner)

The Van Wagner crown fire model predicts the conditions under which surface fires will transition to active crown fires and the rate of crown fire spread. Developed by Cornelius Van Wagner in the 1970s–1990s, the model is grounded in the physics of heat transfer from the surface flame to the canopy and the rate of vertical flame propagation. The model is used to assess crown fire danger and to guide fuel management decisions in forests with high canopy flammability.