What behavior is indicated by a high intensity fire with a high forward rate of spread?

A high intensity fire with a high forward rate of spread indicates crowning behavior. This phenomenon occurs when a fire moves rapidly through the canopy of trees, consuming the upper portions while creating a significant amount of heat and producing large flames. The intense heat from a crowning fire allows it to spread quickly over large areas due to the abundant fuel available in the tree canopy. This type of fire behavior can make controlling the fire challenging and presents significant dangers to firefighters and nearby structures.

In contrast, torching refers to individual trees or small groups of trees igniting and burning from the ground up, causing flames to shoot upward. Spotting involves embers being carried by the wind and igniting new fires away from the main fire area, while smoldering is characterized by slow combustion with very little flame and is usually associated with low intensity fires. These behaviors do not convey the same rapid and intense fire movement that accompanies crowning behavior.