Describing wildland surface fuel loading for fire management: a review of approaches, methods and systems

Wildland fuelbeds are exceptionally complex, consisting of diverse particles of many sizes, types and shapes with abundances and properties that are highly variable in time and space. This complexity makes it difficult to accurately describe, classify, sample and map fuels for wildland fire research and management. As a result, many fire behaviour and effects software prediction systems use a generalised description of fuels to simplify data collection and entry into various computer programs. There are several major fuel description systems currently used in the United States, Canada and Australia, and this is a source of confusion for many in fire management. This paper (1) summarises the challenges of describing fuels, (2) contrasts approaches (association, classification and abstraction) for developing fuel description systems and (3) discusses possible future directions in wildland fuel description and science to transition to a universal fuel description system. Most discussion centres on surface fuel loadings as the primary descriptive characteristic. This synthesis paper is intended to provide background for understanding surface fuel classification and description systems and their use in simulating fire behaviour and effects, quantifying carbon inventories and evaluating site productivity.

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Effects of policy change on wildland fire management strategies: evidence for a paradigm shift in the western US?

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf19189 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (10) ◽

pp. 857 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jesse D. Young ◽

Alexander M. Evans ◽

Jose M. Iniguez ◽

Andrea Thode ◽

Marc D. Meyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fire Management ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

Management Strategies ◽

The United States ◽

Management Policy ◽

Fire Weather ◽

Western Us ◽

Strategic Options ◽

In Fire ◽

Wildland Fire Management

In 2009, new guidance for wildland fire management in the United States expanded the range of strategic options for managers working to reduce the threat of high-severity wildland fire, improve forest health and respond to a changing climate. Markedly, the new guidance provided greater flexibility to manage wildland fires to meet multiple resource objectives. We use Incident Status Summary reports to understand how wildland fire management strategies have differed across the western US in recent years and how management has changed since the 2009 Guidance for Implementation of Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy. When controlling for confounding variation, we found the 2009 Policy Guidance along with other concurrent advances in fire management motivated an estimated 27 to 73% increase in the number of fires managed with expanded strategic options, with only limited evidence of an increase in size or annual area burned. Fire weather captured a manager’s intent and allocation of fire management resources relative to burning conditions, where a manager’s desire and ability to suppress is either complemented by fire weather, at odds with fire weather, or put aside due to other priorities. We highlight opportunities to expand the use of strategic options in fire-adapted forests to improve fuel heterogeneity.

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Wildfire Management and Forecasting Fire Potential: The Roles of Climate Information and Social Networks in the Southwest United States

Weather Climate and Society ◽

10.1175/wcas-d-11-00038.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 90-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Gigi Owen ◽

Jonathan D. McLeod ◽

Crystal A. Kolden ◽

Daniel B. Ferguson ◽

Timothy J. Brown

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Fire Ecology ◽

Management Practices ◽

Fire Management ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

Fire Risk ◽

The United States ◽

Fire Season ◽

Types Of Information ◽

Wildland Fire Management

Abstract Continuing progress in the fields of meteorology, climatology, and fire ecology has enabled more proactive and risk-tolerant wildland fire management practices in the United States. Recent institutional changes have also facilitated the incorporation of more advanced climate and weather research into wildland fire management. One of the most significant changes was the creation of Predictive Services in 1998, a federal interagency group composed, in part, of meteorologists who create climate- and weather-based fire outlooks tailored to fire manager needs. Despite the numerous forecast products now available to fire managers, few studies have examined how these products have affected their practices. In this paper the authors assess how fire managers in the Southwest region of the United States perceive and incorporate different types of information into their management practices. A social network analysis demonstrates that meteorologists have become central figures in disseminating information in the regional interagency fire management network. Interviews and survey data indicate that person-to-person communication during planning phases prior to the primary fire season is key to Predictive Services’ success in supporting fire managers’ decision making. Over several months leading up to the fire season, predictive forecasts based on complex climate, fuels, and fire-risk models are explained to fire managers and updated through frequent communication. The study’s findings suggest that a significant benefit of the information sharing process is the dialogue it fosters among fire managers, locally, regionally, and nationally, which better prepares them to cooperate and strategically plan for the fire season.

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The Haines Index – it's time to revise it or replace it

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf18015 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (7) ◽

pp. 437 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Brian Potter

Keyword(s):

Fire Management ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

Severity Index ◽

The United States ◽

Scientific Basis ◽

Original Publication ◽

Fire Behaviour ◽

Large Growth ◽

Wildland Fire Management ◽

Original Index

The Haines Index is used in wildland fire management to evaluate the potential for ‘large and/or erratic’ fire behaviour. Published in 1988 as the Lower Atmospheric Severity Index, it was widely adopted and has become popular among fire managers, especially in the United States. Meteorologists have questioned its validity, however. This study revisits the original publication to consider the scientific basis of the Index. It then examines subsequent studies of the Index’s performance. The original Index formulation is found to be incomplete. Some studies suggest that, nonetheless, there may be some association of the Index with large growth events. Others indicate that the Index can be negatively correlated with growth in some situations. The Index, at present, lacks a scientific basis and the limited studies examining its value are inconclusive. It is unclear whether it would more appropriately be revised or replaced.

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Building community–agency trust in fire-affected communities in Australia and the United States

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf12086 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 822 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Christine S. Olsen ◽

Emily Sharp

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Fire Management ◽

The United States ◽

Community Agency ◽

Community Members ◽

Management Decisions ◽

The Public ◽

Management Plans ◽

Building Community ◽

In Fire

As a result of the increasing environmental and social costs of wildfire, fire management agencies face ever-growing complexity in their management decisions and interactions with the public. The success of these interactions with community members may be facilitated through building community–agency trust in the process of providing public input opportunities and community engagement and education activities. Without trust, the public may become frustrated in their interactions with the agency and withhold support for management decisions. This study takes a comparative case approach using interview data from communities near the King Valley fires in Victoria, Australia, and the Bear & Booth Complex fires in Oregon, USA. Several themes emerge that are common to both sites, including components of trustworthiness and actions or activities that contribute to a trusting relationship or environment. Key findings suggest trust and trustworthiness can be addressed interpersonally and institutionally and that flexible policies are important for implementation of locally appropriate outreach and management plans.

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Research and development supporting risk-based wildfire effects prediction for fuels and fire management: status and needs

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf11143 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 37 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Kevin Hyde ◽

Matthew B. Dickinson ◽

Gil Bohrer ◽

David Calkin ◽

Louisa Evers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

At Risk ◽

Decision Support ◽

Fire Management ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

Fire Effects ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Fire Behaviour ◽

In Fire ◽

Risk Processes

Wildland fire management has moved beyond a singular focus on suppression, calling for wildfire management for ecological benefit where no critical human assets are at risk. Processes causing direct effects and indirect, long-term ecosystem changes are complex and multidimensional. Robust risk-assessment tools are required that account for highly variable effects on multiple values-at-risk and balance competing objectives, to support decision making. Providing wildland fire managers with risk-analysis tools requires a broad scientific foundation in fire behaviour and effects prediction as well as high quality computer-based tools and associated databases. We outline a wildfire risk-assessment approach, highlight recent developments in fire effects science and associated research needs, and recommend developing a comprehensive plan for integrated advances in wildfire occurrence, behaviour and effects research leading to improved decision support tools for wildland fire managers. We find that the current state of development in fire behaviour and effects science imposes severe limits on the development of risk-assessment technology. In turn, the development of technology has been largely disconnected from the research enterprise, resulting in a confusing array of ad hoc tools that only partially meet decision-support needs for fuel and fire management. We make the case for defining a common risk-based analytic framework for fire-effects assessment across the range of fire-management activities and developing a research function to support the framework.

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Air quality policy and fire management responses addressing smoke from wildland fires in the United States and Australia

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf16154 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 26 (5) ◽

pp. 347 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Joshua C. Hyde ◽

Kara M. Yedinak ◽

Alan F. Talhelm ◽

Alistair M. S. Smith ◽

David M. J. S. Bowman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Air Quality ◽

Policy Development ◽

Fire Management ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

The United States ◽

Unintended Consequences ◽

Fire Emissions

Wildland fire emissions degrade air quality and visibility, having adverse economic, health and visibility impacts at large spatial scales globally. Air quality regulations can constrain the goals of landscape resilience and management of fire-dependent ecosystems. Here, we review the air quality regulatory framework in the United States, comparing this framework with that of Australia. In the United States, wildland fire management and air quality policies have evolved independently, yet interact to meet diverse public needs. Australian policy development is more recent and decentralised. We find that (1) for maxiumum effectiveness, smoke and fire regulatory frameworks must keep pace with scientific evidence, environmental and social change, and be accompanied by clear regulatory guidance; (2) episodic, non-stationary qualities of fire, and its role in ecosystems, pose specific challenges to regulators and policy-makers; and (3) the complexity of industry-focused air quality policies often leads to unintended consequences for fire management. More research is needed to create and implement more effective fire and air policies and better prepare social-ecological systems to address the challenges of climate change mitigation. These insights may be helpful for countries initially developing complementary fire and air policies, especially as the role of fire becomes more important geopolitically and globally.

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Accommodating non-market values in evaluation of wildfire management in the United States: challenges and opportunities

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf09095 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 327 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Tyron J. Venn ◽

David E. Calkin

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Fire Management ◽

Cost Benefit Analysis ◽

Wildland Fire ◽

The United States ◽

Management Policy ◽

Economic Research ◽

Limited Information ◽

Wildfire Management ◽

Market Values

Forests in the United States generate many non-market benefits for society that can be enhanced and diminished by wildfire and wildfire management. The Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy (1995, updated 2001), and subsequent Guidance to the Implementation of that policy provided in 2009, require fire management priorities be set on the basis of values to be protected (including natural and cultural resources), costs of protection, and natural resource management objectives (including beneficial fire effects). Implementation of this policy is challenging because those charged with executing the policy have limited information about the value that society places on non-market goods and services at risk. This paper reviews the challenges of accommodating non-market values affected by wildfire in social cost–benefit analysis and proposes an economic research agendum to support more efficient management of wildfire in the United States.

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