Behave⁷ is a self-contained program that calculates fire behavior and fire effects. The software is driven by Amazon Corretto, allowing users to run Behave⁷ on Windows, macOS, and Linux. See Installation Instructions for more information.

To open Behave⁷, navigate to the location where you saved the program (ZIP or JAR) file (e.g, C:\Workspace\Behave7). It can take a couple of minutes for Behave⁷ to load, so please be patient.

• If you are using the ZIP file, double-click on the file Behave7.exe.
• If you are using the JAR file, navigate to the app folder and click on behave7.jar.

Everything has been redesigned to provide a modern interface, easier navigation, updated code, and new calculation methods. Given the many changes – both major and minor, we have created this wiki to introduce you to Behave⁷. Pages are linked on the right-hand side and at the bottom of each wiki page. The Behave website contains additional information, including links to videos from past webinars. Note: To open the website in a new window, click Ctrl and then the link.

Changes are organized as follows. Note: Creating an Analysis provides a general overview and links to more detailed information, including screenshots, in The Nitty Gritty.

• Interface
• Creating an Analysis
• The Nitty Gritty
  • Workflows
  • Run Types
  • Outputs
  • Inputs
  • Documentation
• Calculators
• Code Updates

Most links take you to another locations on this page. Links to external sources are accompanied by the following statement: Note: To open the website in a new window, click Ctrl and then the link.

Behave⁷ has been completely redesigned to give users a simpler interface for users. Our goal is to make the software as easy to navigate as possible, allowing users the ability to select from several different workflows.

There are four sections to the interface: Header, Left Panel, Working Area, and Right Panel. The first image below shows the layout of the panels. The second image is the Behave window. Numbers are used to match elements in the window with the descriptions following it.

1. Click on the Logo to delete all current selections and return the main screen.
   
2. Three buttons on the right-hand side allow you to
   
   • Return Home; all selections are deleted. This is the same as clicking on the Logo.
     
   • Save a run to your computer.
     
   • Print a PDF of the Results page.
     

3. We reduced the number of modules from eight in BehavePlus v6 to four in Behave⁷ by combining outputs into four functional areas: Surface, Crown, Contain, and Mortality.

   • When you select a Run Type, the relevant modules are shown to remind users of the models used in the calculation.
     

4. There are currently six Calculators in Behave⁷ - four tools from BehavePlus v6 and two new ones. Click on the orange calculator ( ) to open the selection window. See Calculators for more information.
   

5. Settings contains three tabs. Click on the light blue gear ( ) to open it.

   • General Units allows you to switch between English and metric units for selected variables or all variables.
   • Custom Fuel Models and Custom Moisture Scenarios are not yet active.
     • In an upcoming release, we plan to add the ability to create and use Custom Fuel Models and Custom Moisture Scenarios.
     • For consistency between systems, we will use the FlamMap Custom Fuel Model File format and the FlamMap Initial Fuel Moistures File format. Note: To open the websites in a new window, click Ctrl and then the link.

6. The Working Area is the main window for Behave⁷. This is where you set up a Run, select a Workflow, select a Run Type, select Outputs, enter Inputs, and review Results.

7. Closing (Opening) each side panel individually expands (reduces) the size of the Working Area as follows.

   • Click on the white ″X″ on either side panel ( ) to close it. Click on the "X" for each panel separately.
   • Open either side panel to view it, which also reduces the size of the Working Area.
     • Click on the gear ( ) on the left-hand side to open the panel containing the Modules, Calculators & Settings.
     • Click on the "i" ( ) on the right-hand side to open the Help panel.

8. Expand (reduce) the size of the Working Area by closing (opening) both size panels at the same time as follows.

   • Click on the white double-arrow ( ) in the upper right corner of the Working Area window.
   • Click on the white square in the same location ( ) to reduce the size of the Working Area and reopen both side panels.
     

9. The Help System is context-sensitive and will change as you move through the variables. We continue to make updates.
   

Before beginning any analysis, identify the question you are trying to answer. Which fire behavior or fire effects outputs can help you answer that question? Once you have identified the outputs you need, you can begin an analysis.

Behave⁷ is not backwards compatible; only Behave⁷ files can be opened.
Note: It is tedious, but you can recover data from BehavePlus version 6 files (*.bpr) files. Since the files are actually XML files, you can open them in Notepad, Microsoft XML Notepad, or an online XML viewer. While it is better to start from scratch with a new run, this may help you recover information you cannot otherwise retrieve. Remember, however, that answers obtained using Behave⁷ are likely different from those calculated using BehavePlus version 6.

• To create a Behave⁷ Run, select either a New Run or Open an existing run and click Next.

The Workflow determines how you will navigate through the run.

There are currently two Workflows: Guided Workflows and Standard Workflows.

• The Guided Workflow was created to introduce new users to Behave⁷ and provide a sequential approach for analyzing fire behavior.

• The Standard Workflow was created for users who have used BehavePlus version 6 and the BehavePlus v6 worksheet.
  

• Select a Workflow and click Next.

Run Types determine what is included in the analysis and which outputs are available as part of that analysis.

Current Run Types include: Surface, Surface & Crown, Surface & Mortality, and Surface & Contain.

For best practice document the assumptions and limitations associated with the run by adding Documentation, called Notes in Behave⁷.

• Select a Run Type and click Next.

The two Workflows are slightly different, and therefore, there are differences in how to navigate through them.

In general, you can use the Back and Next buttons at the bottom of the window to navigate to the next tab or screen, one at a time. You can also use the Outputs and Inputs tabs in the upper right-hand corner of the run, and the Progress Bar.

Once you select a Run Type, all associated Outputs are shown.

• Select Outputs of interest.

  • Outputs are identified by module, which is indicated by a change in color.
  • Some outputs are automatically selected and do not appear in the selection list.
    • Automatic outputs are always calculated if a given module is selected.
    • These are mainly related to mortality and containment.

• The outputs you select determine which inputs are required, and you must select at least one Output before you can view the Inputs. Note: Not all outputs from BehavePlus version 6 are available in Behave⁷ at this time. These include the intermediate values calculated as part of Rothermel's fire spread equation.

Inputs must be entered for all automatic and selected outputs. Enter single values for most inputs, while you can select a range of values for one to three inputs (e.g., Fuel Model, 1-Hr Fuel Moisture, and Wind Speed (Midflame or 20-ft)).

• The range of valid values is shown in the input box (See Inputs).
• You can change the units (English or metric) for individual inputs when entering data or for all inputs in the Settings.
  • The range of valid values will be updated to reflect the units used.

In the Guided Workflow, click Next to view the Review Inputs screen and verify that all inputs have been entered.

In the Standard Workflow, click Run to calculate the run and view the Review Run page. *Note: The Run button remains inactive until all inputs are entered.

• Since there is no Review Inputs tab in the Standard Workflow, the Run button will not appear until you have entered all inputs and clicked outside of the last box. This is the only notification that an input is missing; there is no warning label.

The Review Inputs tab allows you to view all inputs and is only available in the Guided Workflow. This page allows you to see all inputs on a single page to verify that they are correct and that none are missing.

If inputs are missing, the word Required ( ) appears next to it.

At this time, you cannot edit values on the Review Inputs page.

• Click on Change Selection to return to the correct Input tab and correct the input values.

• Once the input values have been corrected, use the Progress Bar to return to the Review Inputs window.

• When all the inputs have been entered and look correct, click Run to open the Review Run page.

The Review Run window is included with both workflows and allows you to preview Outputs before producing the final results.

• On this page, you can do the following.
  • Table Settings (Off by default)
    • Convert distance (e.g., Spread Distance) to map units using Convert to Map Units.
    • Verify that the range of outputs looks reasonable
    • Set Table Shading Filters
  • **Show Graphs ** (On by default) - Display Graph Results.
    • Modify additional Table Settings on the Results page.

See Review Run in The Nitty Gritty for more information on setting these options. You can modify specific aspects of the tables and graphs on the Results page.

The Results page shows a table of inputs used and outputs. The outputs include a downloaded CSV file, tables, and graphs generated as a result of the analysis. Any notes added throughout the analysis appear at the top of the page. Add additional notes specific to the results by clicking on + Show Notes.

• View Results by clicking Next on the Review Run page.

  • Navigate through the outputs by clicking on the Inputs, Output Tables, and Graphs tabs or scrolling through the window.
  • Just above the output tables is a button to Download Results Table (csv file) to save all of the results in a comma-delimited format.

• Finally, you can return Home, Save, or Printthe Run. or return Home.

  • Click Home to clear all selections after you have saved or printed the analysis.
    • Clicking on Home resets Behave⁷ for a new analysis. Note: Clicking the Behave⁷ logo does the same thing as clicking on Home.
  • Save the run as a *.bp7 file to use later or to share with others. You can also save a run as a template to use in the future.
  • Print a PDF to use as an appendix to a burn plan or as a report to share with others. The PDF will include everything on the Results page.

The Workflow determines how you navigate through a run. The Guided and Standard Workflows are described below.

The Guided Workflow was created to introduce new users to Behave⁷ and provide a sequential approach for analyzing fire behavior.

• There are multiple pages within both Outputs and Inputs. Each Run Type is designed in the same way but limits users to using specific outputs.
• You can navigate through a run using one of three methods.
  • Combine the Back and Next buttons with the tabs at the top of the window to navigate through Outputs (e.g., Fire Behavior) and Inputs (e.g., Fuel Model) sequentially and view every page of the run.
  • Use the tabs at the top of each page to view only the categories that you want to view in Outputs or and Inputs you want to view.
  • The Outputs and Inputs tabs in the upper right-hand corner of the Working Area allow you to switch between the two types of variables.

The Standard Workflow was created for users who have used BehavePlus version 6 and the BehavePlus v6 worksheet.

There Standard Workflow contains two pages: Output Selections and Input Selections.

• The Run Type is part of the page name (e.g., Surface & Crown Outputs, Surface & Crown Inputs)
• Navigation is similar to the Guided Workflow with one exception. Within the Outputs or Inputs page, you can either scroll down the page or use the drop-down menu below the Outputs and Inputs tabs to view a different next category.

Regardless of the Workflow selected, a Progress Bar located at the top of the window allowing you to quickly view sections of the analysis you have already completed.

Note: Runs can be opened with either Workflow, regardless of how they were created. In other words, a run created with the Standard Workflow can be opened with the Guided Workflow and vice versa.

There are three different Progress Bars at the top of the window to navigate between various sections of the workflow. You cannot click on sections connected by a light blue line until you have met the requirements (e.g., added all inputs to calculate a run). Clicking at any point on the dark blue line will take you to that section of the analysis.

This progress bar appears when you are setting up the run. It contains three selections: Home, Workflow, and Run Selection.

Once you have selected a Run Type and clicked Next, you will get a Progress Bar for either the Guided or Standard Workflow.

The progress bar for the Guided Workflow contains five sections: Output Selections, Input Selections, Review Inputs, Review Run, and Results.

The progress bar for the Standard Workflow contains four sections: Output Selections, Input Selections, Review Run, and Results. Since all inputs are on a single page, there is no need to Review Inputs.

Once you select a Workflows, you will select a Run Type: Surface Only, Surface & Crown, Surface & Mortality, and text. Each one is described below. Behave7 only requests input values required to calculate outputs you have selected. Available outputs are based on Run Type you select. Some outputs are selected automatically and will always be calculated for a given Run Type.

The Surface Only module includes calculations for surface fire behavior (e.g., probability of ignition, rate of spread, and flame length), fire size (e.g., fire area and perimeter), and spotting distance from a burning pile or from a wind-driven [grass] fire.

• To calculate Maximum Spotting Distance from a Burning Pile, do not select any fire behavior outputs. The model assumes that fire will not spread between the piles, but it can spread by spotting into receptive fuel.
• The Maximum Spotting Distance from a Wind-Driven Surface Fire model is only valid for grass fires. Therefore, the inputs will only include those fuel models that meet those criteria.

The Surface & Crown module includes calculations for surface and crown fire behavior (e.g., probability of ignition, fire type, rate of spread, and flame length), fire size (e.g., fire area and perimeter), spotting distance (from torching trees and from an active crown fire).

• A single set of outputs for fire behavior (rate of spread and flame length) for surface and crown fire.
• Output values are reported by Fire Type, which is an automatic output.

The Surface & Mortality module includes calculations for surface fire behavior (e.g., probability of ignition, rate of spread, and flame length) and first order fire effects (e.g., probability of mortality, scorch height, crown length scorched, and crown volume scorched).

• The user selects Surface outputs of interest.
• Mortality outputs are generated automatically and are, therefore, not shown in the Output tabs.

The Surface & Contain module includes calculations for surface fire behavior (e.g., probability of ignition, rate of spread, and flame length) and containment (e.g., contain status, contained area, and fireline constructed). There are two methods for estimating containment.

• There is a new option to calculate *Minimum Fireline Production Required for Containment. Providing basic information, you can estimate the minimum fireline production needed to contain the fire. With this information, you can better determine which contingency resources are needed for the projected fire behavior.
• You can also calculate containment based on the type and number of resources available. Note: A Contain Status of Withdrawn is now Exhausted as was reported in WFIPS. This change more clearly indicates that the resource has timed out.

Outputs are related to the selected Run Type and are listed in the same order as they appear in both Workflows. In the Guided Workflow, outputs appear on several pages by category. In the Standard Workflow, all outputs appear on the same page.

• Outputs appear in the same order in both workflows.
• Sub-headers are colored-coded by module (Surface is green; Crown is peach; Contain is pink). The Standard Workflow contains a shorter Progress Bar since there are fewer pages. The meaning of each step has not changed. Since all inputs are on a single page, there is no Review Inputs tab.

The white drop-down menu at the upper right-hand side of the Working Area allows you to navigate to a specific sub-header. Once you have selected the outputs, click Next.

Once the Outputs are selected, you can enter the Inputs. Most functionality of the Guided Workflow is retained.

• Most values are entered directly.
  • You can enter a range of values by clicking on Range Selector.
  • Enter values for From, To, and Steps. The Result shows the calculation. Click Insert Range to add them to the Values box.

• Other Inputs can be selected from a pick list or a drop-down menu.

• Fuel Models can be selected by Fuel Type and Origin. Click on + Show Options lists all of the Fuel Models.

  • Fuel Types include Grass, Grass-Shrub, Shrub, Timber Understory, Timber Litter, and Slash Blowdown.
  • Origins include Standard Fuel Models (US - Anderson, Scott and Burgan), Mediterranean Fuel Models (Fernandes et al; Portugal), and Chaparral & Coastal Sage Shrub (Weise, Southern CA).
  • You can also begin typing the fuel model code (e.g., SH5), number (e.g., 145), or name in the Search Bar to find them.
    
  • Click View to see the fuel models you have selected.
    • Click + Select More or the - in front of a fuel model to remove it.

• Moisture Scenarios can be selected in the same way. Click to select a fuel model.
  

There are two pages associated with the Results: "Review Run" and "Results. Both are described in more detail below.

The Review Run window is included with both workflows and allows you to preview Outputs before producing the final results. This page was described previously. Below are the steps required to set up Convert to Map Units, Table Shading Filters, and Showing Graphs.

• Convert to Map Units option is turned off by default.
  • To calculate map units, check the box to the left of the title.
  • Select Map Units of inches (in, English) or centimeters (cm, metric).
  • Set the Map Representative Fraction. For topography maps such as the 7.5-Minute Quadrangles (scale = 1:24000)
  • Inputs look like those shown below, with the Map Units set to inches and the Map Representative Fraction (1:x) set to 24000.

• Table Shading Filters are turned off by default. To set Table Shading Filters, first check the box under ENABLED? ( ) for the variables of interest and set the appropriate MINIMUM and MAXIMUM values for your analysis.
  • In Run Types Surface Only and Surface & Mortality, you can select the surface fire Direction Mode Heading, Flanking, Backing.
  • If selected, you should set the entire range of desired fire behavior in the Table Shading Filters regardless of Direction Mode.
  • Behave⁷ will identify which the conditions under which these criteria are met for each direction of spread separately.
  • To prevent misinterpretation, only Outputs affected by the calculations will have table shading. This differs from BehavePlus version 6.
  • An example is shown below in which Flame Length must be less than or equal to 7 feet and Fire Area must be less than or equal to 1200 acres. **Note: **This is only an example. It is rare to set Table Shading based on Fire Area.

• Display Graph Results is turned on by default.
  • This setting determines if graphs will be printed or not.
  • Modify Graph Settings on the Results page.

Documentation is a critical part of any fire behavior run. In Behave⁷ you can add notes by clicking on + Show Notes on any page. Notes appear in the all output and input tabs as well as the Review Inputs, and Results pages. You can also Add Notes on both the Review Inputs and Results pages.

• To create a note, click on the + Show Notes button at the top of the screen.
  
• Then click on the + Add Notes button on a tab.
  
  • Select a category. Categories change depending on which Run Type you select.
  • Enter your note and Save it. Once created, notes can be edited on any page, including Review Inputs, Review Run, or Results.
• You can add notes to a tab even if no outputs or inputs are selected.
• Notes are saved with the run and are included with the printed PDF as documentation.

The tools in BehavePlus v6 have been renamed Calculators, four of which are included in this release. There are also two new calculators. Five of the calculators require you to click Compute to get an answer. The only exception is the 1-Hour Fuel Moisture because it is a series of drop-down lists.

• Select a Calculator from the list to open it. It opens in the Working Area. Only one Calculator can be open at a time.
• Calculators cannot be saved at this time, so be sure to take a screenshot of it to save the results. Once you close a Calculator, the information is deleted. In the future, we plan to save these outputs with the associated run.

• Probability of Ignition calculates the Probability of Ignition. It is part of the Surface module, so it is available in all four Run Types.
  
• 1-Hour Fuel Moisture contains the same lookup tables as Fine Dead Fuel Moisture in BP v6, the IRPG, NWCG’s Fire Behavior Field Reference Guide (PMS-437), and NWCG’s Guide to Fire Behavior Assessment (PMS-437-1).
  
• Slope from Map Measurements calculates the slope using map scale, map distance, contour interval, and number of contour intervals.
  
• Vapor Pressure Deficit (new in B⁷) is commonly reported for fire danger. The higher the VPD, the drier the air. Inputs are Air Temperature and Relative Humidity.
  
• Relative Humidity is calculated using Dry Bulb Temperature, Wet Bulb Temperature, and Site Elevation. It is needed to calculate 1-Hour Fuel Moisture.
• Safe Separation Distance and Safety Zone Size (new in B⁷) uses the latest research on safety zones, including the cumulative impact of both radiant and convective energy transfer. Inputs include 20-ft Wind Speed, Slope, Burning Condition, and Vegetation Height. It produces the same outputs as the online Safe Separation Distance Evaluator and is included in Behave⁷ primarily for training purposes.

The code for Behave⁷ is available in two repositories on the RMRS Missoula Fire Sciences Lab GitHub. Scientific code is available in the behave repository. Code for the interface is available in behave-app repository (this repository).

When we started planning development for Behave⁷, the code from BP v6 was reorganized into code blocks separating the scientific code from the original interface. These code blocks can be found in the behave repository.

To ensure that Behave⁷ Fire Modeling System contains the best available science and is consistent with other fire behavior and fire effects software, we will continue to make modifications. When such changes are made, they will appear in the Change Log, along with a description of the impacts of such changes on results. Major changes will be retained in the Summary of Changes (under construction) that contains all changes from DOS BEHAVE, BehavePlus Fire Modeling System versions 1-6, and Behave Fire Modeling System version 7.

The code for fire containment has already been updated to match that of the Wildland Fire Investment Planning System (WFIPS).