Forest fire plays an important role in determining the species composition,age structure,and ecological processes of forest ecosystems.The high forest fuels accumulation coupled with a warmer and drier climate in recent decades makes the study of potential fire behavior of great practical significance.However,most forest fire behavior studies have been conducted at the plot-to-stand levels that cannot meet the landscape-to-regional levels fire management requirements.Researchers and managers are increasingly interested in spatially explicit fire simulation models that can simulate fire spread processes at larger spatial and temporal scales for use in fire management,planning,and scientific analyses.Thus,the main objective of this study was to simulate the potential fire behavior in Fenglin Nature Reserve under the low,moderate and extreme fire danger ratings with a spatially explicit fire behavior simulation model,FARSITE(Fire Area Simulator).According to the fire severity danger standard developed by Rothermel and Rinehart,potential fire behavior zone maps were obtained based on the FARSITE simulation results.Main conclusions from this study were drawn: 1) Under the low fire danger rating,the potential burned areas of classes Ι,Ⅱ,Ⅲ for Fireline intensity were 17765.82 hm2,105.5 hm2,and 1.89 hm2,respectively.The potential burned areas of classes Ι,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ for Flame length were 17722.71 hm2,61.47 hm2,and 0.81 hm2,respectively.under the moderate fire danger rating,the potential burned areas of classes Ι,Ⅱ,Ⅲ for Fireline intensity were 16349.04 hm2,1483.92 hm2,and 6.75 hm2,respectively.The potential burned areas of classes Ι,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ for Flame length were 15785.10 hm2,2033.37 hm2,and 21.24 hm2,respectively.Under the extreme fire danger rating,the potential burned areas of classes Ι,Ⅱ,Ⅲ for Fireline intensity were 7950.78 hm2,7540.38 hm2,and 2351.52 hm2,respectively.The potential burned areas of classes Ι,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ for Flame length were 7108.65 hm2,7263.54 hm2,and 3470.49 hm2,respectively.The results showed that under the low,moderate and extreme high fire danger rating,the potential fire behavior were mainly distributed on the Class Ι and class Ⅱ that can be controlled by persons using hand tools at the head or flanks of fires;2)The spatial distribution characteristic of fire was obvious.The Class Ⅲ were mainly distribution on the mid-eastern region,Class Ⅱ were mainly distribution on the middle region,and Class Ι were widely distribution on the edge of the region;3)The high fire danger areas were distribution of the fuel model FL-Ι and FL-Ⅱ,elevation gradient 300—400 m,slope gradient flat slope and gentle slope.High intensity fire within 500 m road and settlement was much more than that between 1000 and 1500 m;4) The result may give a useful suggestion for fire and fuel management in Fenglin natural reserve.In the future the research should concentrate on validating the simulated results using observed fire behavior in Fenglin Nature Reserve.