Forest wildfire emissions using the Canadian Fire Effects Model within the Generic Carbon Budget Model

This study integrated the Canadian Fire Effects Model (CanFIRE) within the Generic Carbon Budget Model (GCBM) to improve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from future wildfires. The new framework estimates wildland fire combustion emissions and mortality using species-specific algorithms for 11 tree species. We tested this framework on a national forest carbon simulation and compared the results to a previous study that used general combustion and mortality impacts for different regions. Our findings indicate that the new framework results in higher emissions estimates, mainly from the soil organic horizon. This framework is available as a GCBM module, offering a tool for wildfire and carbon studies in dynamic landscapes and analyzing wildfire management strategies and their potential to reduce GHG emissions