MTT Major Paths - Minimum Travel Time Fire Spread (MTT) Output

major paths displayed as red lines radiating out from an ignition source.

The MTT Major Paths output of Minimum Travel Time Fire Spread (MTT) displays the most significant fire spread pathways across your burned area.

Using MTT Major Paths

Important! MTT Major Paths should not be used for tactical decision making and do not identify specific locations that the fire will impact.

MTT Major Paths can be helpful in burn planning by helping you visualize the influence of landscape features and other inputs on fire spread. These factors can include slope, fuel types, the presence of barriers and ignition patterns, just to name a few. Longer paths indicate quicker spread rates than shorter paths.

MTT Major Paths can also be used in strategic planning to identify locations that may be vulnerable to rapid or concentrated fire spread.

MTT Major Paths Considerations

Key considerations for using MTT Major Paths include:

  • Because longer burn periods allow for more time for fire spread, MTT Major Paths may be more informative when run with longer burn periods than short ones.

  • MTT Major Paths does not show every pathway for the fire, only the most significant spread pathways.