Study on Particulate Matter Emissions from Forest Combustible Material Combustion in the Xiao Xing’an Mountains Region with Random Forest and XGBoost Model Validation

Description

Laboratory combustion measurements of PM2.5 emissions from 22 forest fuel species collected in the Xiao Xing'an Mountains, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China (6 conifers, 9 broad-leaved trees, 7 shrubs). Data comprise 6,966 measurements across controlled treatments of moisture content, fuel load, wind speed, combustion phase, and season. PM2.5 was collected on filters using a JCH-6120 medium-flow gravimetric sampler at 100 L/min. Broad-leaved samples were sampled for 26 min, giving a sampled air volume of 2.6 m3 per measurement; conifer and shrub samples burned more rapidly and required shorter durations. IMPORTANT: PM2.5 units differ by vegetation category - conifer and shrub values are in grams (mass per sample); broad-leaved values are in ug/m3 (mass concentration). Data should be analysed within each category, not pooled. Version 2 supplies a corrected merged dataset (combined_data.csv) together with the full analysis code. See README.txt for variable definitions, the species list, and details of the correction.

Steps to reproduce

Fuel samples were collected from 22 forest species in the Xiao Xing'an Mountains, oven-dried at 40 C, then conditioned to the target moisture contents by rewetting and equilibration. Samples were burned in a laboratory combustion chamber under controlled treatments of fuel load, moisture content, wind speed (conifers), combustion phase (shrubs), and season (broad-leaved species). PM2.5 was collected on filters using a JCH-6120 medium-flow gravimetric sampler at 100 L/min (0.1 m3/min). Broad-leaved samples were sampled for 26 min, giving a sampled air volume of 2.6 m3 per measurement; conifer and shrub samples burned more rapidly and required shorter durations. Filter mass difference was used to derive PM2.5 emissions. Each treatment combination was run in triplicate. The merged dataset (combined_data.csv) and the R scripts that reproduce every reported figure and table are included in this record. Full variable definitions, units, and the species lookup table are provided in README.txt.

Institutions

• Northeast Forestry University

  Heilongjiang, Harbin

Categories

Funders

• National Key R&D Program of China

  Grant ID: 2024YFF1306200, 2024YFF1306203
• Northeast Forestry University

  Heilongjiang, Harbin

  Grant ID: DGY2025-06

Licence