Wild fires are a serious problem affecting many terrestrial ecosystems and causing substantial economic damage. The occurrence and intensity of wildfire depend (in part) on the availability and characteristics of fuel, which in natural landscapes is predominantly represented by plant litter and live vegetation. Therefore, a comprehensive collation of the information relevant to plant/litter fuel complexes, fire occurrences, and their responses to changes in environmental conditions is needed to

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... enhance our understanding of this phenomenon. This paper provides a brief overview of modelling approaches used for analyses of wildfire fuels, and argues the case for an object orientated database of fuel complexes, which is being developed within the 'Fire Paradox' project (http://www.fireparadox.org/project_summary.php).