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Project

Principal Investigator(s):
  • Josephine A. Fites-Kaufman
    US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5)
Co-Principal Investigator(s):
  • Bernhard Bahro
  • Bret W. Butler
    US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program
  • Larry Hood
    US Forest Service
  • Danny C. Lee
  • David B. Sapsis
Completion Date: January 3, 2005

This proposal addresses all of the principle purposes identified by IFS: 1) evaluation of fuel treatments; 2) scheduling of fuel treatments; 3) monitoring and evaluation, and 4) wildland fuels inventory and mapping. We propose to use a rapid response team to measure fuel conditions pre- and post-fire, and fire behavior during wildland fire in areas with various fuel treatments and other past land-use management activities. Direct observation and measurement of fire behavior as it passes through a fuel treatment areas is the most direct way to evaluate the effectiveness of fuel treatments on changing fire behavior or effects. Concordant measurement of fuel conditions before the fire and fire behavior during the fire provide a direct means of evaluating which fuel metrics best relate to wildland fire behavior, allowing refinement of our ability to inventory, map, and monitor fuels in ways meaningful to fire behavior predictions. Our goal is to prototype techniques for such research, in addition to directly addressing the research hypotheses and questions regarding fuel-treatment and fire behavior relationships. Our plan is to sample 3 locations on ito 3 fires. We fully recognize the lack of predictability with wildfires and potential limitations of research on wildfires associated with this but have planned carefully to ensure we are able to perform the research. We will select fires that are expected to last at least 5 days in duration. Initially, we will respond to fires in California, because the USDA PS Region 5 Fire and Aviation Management have committed to coveting 40% of the costs. Since California encompasses 12 of the 13 standard, national fuel types and always has wildfires, it provides a logical location for this prototype. Further, we have established working relationships with Type I and Type II IMT's located in California. While this proposal is for a short-duration prototype research project, we plan on continuing long-term and would broaden the research to include fires throughout the western U.S. For each fire event, we will: 1) rapidly obtain vegetation management history information; 2) obtain pre-fire aerial photography; 3) collect pre-fire fuels condition data ahead of the fire; 4) measure fire behavior through sites where we have measured fuels; and 5) measure some immediate post-fire effects and indirect measures of fire behavior. We will capture and record all weather, fire behavior, topography, fuels, fire suppression actions and other pertinent information providing an overall context for the pattern of the fire. This research is complementary to a related proposal by Dr. Bret Butler of the Rocky Mountain Research Station, which has more of an emphasis on the physics of fire behavior. We are collaborating on this proposal to ensure that our work is complementary and makes efficient use of equipment and potential for shared data. We have developed a rapid response team, with fully fire-qualified and PPE equipped staff to conduct this research. The PT is fully fire fighter qualified and is part of the rapid response team that will be conducting the field portion. Our planning team includes a Type I FBAN and a Type I Division Supervisor.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Keywords:
  • fuel treatments
  • fuels inventories
  • land management
  • rapid response
  • treatment effectiveness
JFSP Project Number(s):
  • 01C-2-1-08
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
Record Last Modified:
FRAMES Record Number: 16789