Description

Increasing the pace and scale of prescribed fire treatments safely while meeting often conflicting management objectives can seem impossible. However, success can be achieved with a relatively straightforward strategy that leverages spatial data and a consensus on fire management priorities among stakeholders. We will use a simple but effective burn prioritization model developed for Oconee National Forest to demonstrate the approach and discuss tradeoffs that must necessarily occur when new priorities emerge. The method resulted in the near doubling of prescribed fire treatment efficiency at the Oconee and the approach is based on science, is transparent, and flexible.