Pyrosketchology Guide
Pyrosketchology is an approach aimed at building awareness of the fire environment through observations, sketching, and nature journaling practices. You do not need artistic skills or knowledge of fire to use this guide. Whether you're an educator seeking creative outdoor exercises, a nature enthusiast interested in the fire environment, a property owner evaluating fire hazards, or a firefighter/practitioner aiming to enhance situational awareness, this guide will serve many purposes grounded in personal observation practices.
In pyrosketchology, journaling practices prioritize capturing field observations over creating realistic and artistic sketches. Given the limited time in the field, more artistic details can be omitted or added later, ensuring simplicity in field notes and sketches. I do share a number of techniques to help enhance some sketching and painting techniques for those interested in expanding their visualization skills.
The technical information presented has been synthesized and distilled for a general audience, with visuals stylized or simplified to support sensory observations and creative journaling practices. While the majority of observations and practices are intended for the outdoors, references to online resources and technologies are provided for expanded observation scales.
Book illustrations may be licensed, with a small fee, for limited educational and not-for-profit purposes. Use the contact form to discuss and request use.
A free pdf file is available for individual educational purposes.
Paperbacks can currently be ordered on Amazon.com.
Fire Environment
The fire environment is defined as the mix of elements and conditions influencing fire ignition, combustion, and spread. Weather, topography, and fuels (vegetation) constitute the primary elements of the fire behavior triangle and the interactions between those are used to frame observations of the fire environment. Some pyrosketchology practices will focus only on individual elements within the fire behavior triangle, to enhance specific observation or journaling skills, while other observations require combined observations to build an overall sense of fire. All pyrosketchology observations should relate to at least one of the fire behavior triangle elements. Additionally, the guide includes broader topics such as fire seasons and regimes that are intended to help unravel the complexities of the fire environment and foster a deeper understanding of fire as a part of the earth systems.
Sensemaking & Situational Awareness
One of the goals of pyrosketchology is to help develop a better sense of place, which includes fire. Sensemaking is something we develop naturally as we interact with the places where we live, work and play. Our sense of place is usually framed around our values, experiences and education. Thus, our sense of place can be biased and lacking in ecological connections and the context of fire. Nature journaling is a helpful tool in expanding our sense of place through curiosity, questions and detailed observations.
Another focus of the book is on developing situational awareness (SA). SA is most often associated with the observations and activities that can inform us about some level of threat, hazard and or risk. People working in science laboratories, zoos, fishing boats or fire management have specific situational awareness considerations for their activities. Consider how someone that is knowledgeable about wolf behavior will know that when the ears are pinned back against the head, there is a higher level of threat. By learning these cues they can decide what to do next. By learning about the observations and cues pertaining to fire hazards and risks we can develop ways to adapt to fire as a natural part of the landscape.
SA is developed through keen awareness and the ongoing attention to environmental cues that can help us predict and respond to threats. A part of this process is to compare past and present observations and to analyze trends that can help you predict how situations may unfold over time. In the fire environment we can use some of the fire behavior principles and environmental indicators as a baseline to help us make general estimates for potential fire behaviors and hazard levels. The foundational observations occur before a fire event, with the during and after fire observations used to compare with the baseline indicators. In the following chart, I have summarized the fire sensemaking and situational awareness elements.
Nature Journaling
Nature journaling, the personal practice of documenting nature observations, is not a new approach but a method employed by scientists, explorers, naturalists, and artists throughout history. Despite advancements in technology, in-nature and hands-on practices remain superior for building connection and learning about nature. John Muir Laws, an artist, educator, and naturalist, advocates for using a mix of pictures, numbers, and words to describe observations, along with journaling prompts like "I notice...," "I wonder...," and "It reminds me of…" to develop deeper observation and journaling skills.
Laws has published a number of exceptional books with tips and techniques for learning and teaching about the practice of nature journaling that would be a great reference to accompany this guide.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Pyrosketchology Introduction
Pyrosketchology Guide
Nature Journaling
Sensory Engagement
Fire Environment
Ecological Sensemaking
Situational Awareness
Meaningful Metadata
Observation Scales
Journaling Emotion
Chapter 2: Fire Weather
Fire Weather
Sensing Heat & Humidity
Heat Transfer
Global Temperatures & Jet Streams
Cloud Families, Levels & Movements
Wind Shear
Temperature & Air Pressure
Troughs & Ridges
Weather Fronts
Thunderstorms
Atmospheric Stability & Instability
Orographic Clouds & Winds
Open & Filtered Winds
Funneled Winds—Forest Chimneys
Formed by Winds—Past Winds
Felt Winds — Beaufort Wind Force Scale
Wind Metadata, Maps & Graphs
Wind Situational Awareness
Chapter 3: Topography
Topography
Elevation
Vegetation Zones
Slope Aspect
Slope Angle
Terrain Features
Landscape Depth
Chapter 4: Fire Fuels
Fire Fuels
Fuel Groups—Fire Carrying Fuels
Horizontal & Vertical Fuel Arrangements
Forestry Biometric Measurements
Tree Canopy Cover
Fuel Beds
Fine Fuels
Dead Fuel Moisture
Live Fuel Moisture
Chapter 5: Fire Seasons
United States Fire Seasons
Seasonal Sunlight
Seasonal Shadows
Seasonal Temperatures
Phenology & VPD
Seasonal Fuels Curing
Seasonal Weather Patterns
North American (Southwest) Monsoon
Semipermanent Lows & Highs
Seasonal Winds
Seasonal Rain
Chapter 6: Fire Ignitions & Prevention
Fire Ignitions
Fire Prevention
Fire History
Fire Origin Area
Lightning Ignition Indicators
Human-Caused Ignition Indicators
Ignition Timing Indicators
Fire Ignition Areas
Journaling Campfire Safety
Chapter 7: Fire Mitigation & Readiness
Fire Mitigation
Goals & Objectives
Hazard Mitigation Treatments
Fire Embers
Plant Fire Hazard Traits
Mitigation Measurements
Fire Mitigation Timing
Wildfire Readiness
Wildfire Evacuation Planning
Chapter 8: Fire & Smoke
The Fire Triangle
Pyrolysis & Combustion
Flame Shape, Color & Attachment
Heat & Light Transfer
Fire Acoustics
Landscape/Wildland Fire
Fire Anatomy
Fire Behaviors
Fire Measurements
Flame Length
Fire Rate of Spread
Fire Intensity
Fire Shape
Fire Types & Behaviors
Intensifying Fire Behaviors
Extreme Fire Behaviors
Smoke Observations
Smoke Color Indicators
Smoke Volume & Shape Indicators
Smoke & Air Quality
Prescribed Fire
Prescribed Fire Anatomy
Wildfire
Wildfire Information
Fire Progression Maps
Chapter 9: Fire Severity & Effects
Fire Severity
Vegetation Burn Severity
Ground & Soil Fire Severity
Soil Hydrophobicity
Watershed Effects
Fire Pattern Indicators
Landscape Pattern Indicators
Scene Pattern Indicators
Close-up Pattern Indicators
Collective FPIs
Fire Effects
First & Second Order Effects
Habitat Zones & Escape Strategies
Tree Mortality Phases
Fire Effects & Our Human Stories
Chapter 10: Fire Regimes
Ecoregions & Fire Regimes
Fire Regime Attributes
Fire Size
Fire Types & Severities
Fire Complexity & Patchiness
Fire Frequency & Return Intervals
Fire Seasonality
Landscape Patterns
Tree Stress, Injury & Death
Tree & Forest Recovery
Plant Traits & Fire Regimes
Vegetation Communities & Fire Regimes
Animals & Fire Regimes
Ecoacoustics
Humans & Fire Regimes
Chapter 11: Getting Started
Getting Started
Journaling Supplies & Equipment
Other Resources
References
Acknowledgements
About the Author