It took a while (first submitted late February 2008) but the manuscript I submitted with colleagues to Environmental Modelling and Software has now been accepted for publication. The paper describes the bio-physical component of the integrated socio-ecological simulation model I developed during my PhD. I don’t envision it changing it much so the abstract is copied below. When it’s in print I’ll holler again…

Modelling Mediterranean Landscape Succession-Disturbance Dynamics: A Landscape Fire-Succession Model
James D.A. Millington, John Wainwright, George L.W. Perry, Raul Romero-Calcerrada and Bruce D. Malamud

Abstract
We present a spatially explicit Landscape Fire Succession Model (LFSM) developed to represent Mediterranean Basin landscapes and capable of integrating modules and functions that explicitly represent human activity. Plant functional types are used to represent spatial and temporal competition for resources (water and light) in a rule-based modelling framework. Vegetation dynamics are represented using a rule-based community-level modelling approach that considers multiple succession pathways and vegetation ‘climax’ states. Wildfire behaviour is represented using a cellular automata model of fire spread that accounts for land-cover flammability, slope, wind and vegetation moisture. Results show that wildfire spread parameters have the greatest influence on two aspects of the model: land cover change and the wildfire regime. Such sensitivity highlights the importance of accurately parameterising this type of grid-based model for representing landscape-level processes. We use a ‘pattern-oriented modelling’ approach in conjunction with wildfire power-law frequency-area scaling exponent beta to calibrate the model. Parameters describing the role of soil moisture on vegetation dynamics are also found to significantly influence land-cover change. Recent improvements in understanding the role of soil moisture and wildfire fuel loads at the landscape-level will drive advances in Mediterranean LFSMs.