http://programmer.ie/tags/forest-fire/ Recent content in Forest Fire on Programmer.ie: Modern AI programming Hugo en-us Mon, 10 Aug 2026 18:36:00 +0100 http://programmer.ie/post/cellular-automata-from-first-principles-09/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 18:36:00 +0100 http://programmer.ie/post/cellular-automata-from-first-principles-09/ <h1 id="cellular-automata-from-first-principles-09-build-a-forest-fire-simulation">Cellular Automata From First Principles 09: Build a Forest Fire Simulation</h1> <p>A forest fire is almost an ideal cellular-automaton exercise.</p> <p>The visible states are obvious:</p> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" style="color:#f8f8f2;background-color:#272822;-moz-tab-size:4;-o-tab-size:4;tab-size:4;"><code class="language-text" data-lang="text"><span style="display:flex;"><span>0 = empty </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span>1 = tree </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span>2 = burning </span></span></code></pre></div><p>The interactions are local.</p> <p>And small changes in fuel density or ignition assumptions can produce very different global outcomes.</p> <p>This is not intended as a high-fidelity wildfire model.</p> <p>It is a deliberately simplified <strong>spread model</strong> designed to isolate one mechanism:</p>