The traditional emphasis on fire suppression is a self-defeating strategy in which suppression leads to increased risks through increasing surface and ladder fuels. These are exacerbated by drought, increasing development at the forest fringe and flammable housing and landscaping. Each of these increases risk to fire-fighter and public safety and private property. When combined with a focus on risk-based information as a basis for fire management, a juggernaut is created.   See Image

• Proposed Solution: The Self-Sustaining Strategy

We propose a solution that de-emphasizes fire suppression. There will always be circumstances that call for full fire suppression due to the potential for undesirable fire effects. A self-sustaining strategy does not ignore risks. It balances this with information and an accounting of the benefits of fire. Fire use - Wildland Fire Use, Prescribed fire - in combination with FIREWISE practices reduces hazardous fuel conditions, reduces risks to life and property, and can encourage other regenerative disturbances (such as debris flows and pulsed sedimentation) leading to habitat restoration and re-establishment of an ecosystem's inherent ability to maintain itself.

By focusing on appropriate management response (WFU, prescribed fire, confine, contain and targeted control) that is supported by information on both the risks and benefits of fire, the self-sustaining strategy reduces fire-fighting costs over the short and long-term.   See Image

B.  Barriers to fire use and thoughts on their resolution

C.  Where this project fits in

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• Planning Elements (conceptual model)
  
  Slide 1
  



• Basic steps and Linkages
  
  

  Slide 2	Slide 3	Slide 4	Slide 5
  Slide 6	Slide 7	Slide 8

  
  Click here to download and print Conceptual Design - Slides 1 - 8 (PDF document).
  



• Flow chart for specific steps
  
  Slide 1
  

• Study Site 1 - Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness
  
  Objective: support fire management by identifying general areas where fire is most likely to occur and where other conditions currently limit WFU.
  
  
  

  This series of maps identify where, based on fire history, fire is most likely to occur in the future, and where the greatest densities of housing occur.   See Image

  
  




• Study Site 2 - Bitterroot Face - Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Program
  
  Objective: identify areas of risk and opportunity to support fuels treatment planning.
  
  
  
  

  We focused additional attention on the main wilderness-urban interface along the Western edge of the Bitterroot Mountains. We used the BNF's vegetation simulator to identify areas where fire is likely to move the system towards long-range target conditions (candidates for WFU or prescribed fire) and where fire is likely to jeopardize resource values (candidates for other fuels treatment).   See Image 1   See Image 2

  
  




• Study Site 3 - Bitterroot National Forest
  



Based on these prior experiences (above), the Bitterroot National Forest is moving forward to develop a full map library which will contain GIS maps of probable fire behavior and probable fire effects under a suite of fire weather conditions. These maps thus integrate both fire and resource management terminology and units of analysis.

The two following posters illustrate the basic steps being taken to develop map libraries based on: current conditions & future conditions. These will be used to help assess fuels and long-range resource management activities on short and long-term fire behavior and effects. Key concerns on the Forest are re-establishing natural disturbance regimes in fire-adapted forests, restoring Ponderosa pine forests, wildlife and WUI safety.

Current Conditions

Objective: develop a complete map library of fire behavior and fire effects to support fire management planning. See Image






Future Conditions

Objective: demonstrate the utility of simulating future fire behavior and fire effects conditions for development of Fire Management Plans and Land Management Plan directions and strategic fuels planning. See Image








Poster presentation:


Wildand Fire Impacts on Watersheds: understanding, planning and response. Geological Society of America, Oct 21-23, 2003; Denver CO 2nd International Wildland Fire Ecology and Fire Management Congress. Association of Fire Ecology, Nov 16-20, 2003, Orlando, FL   See Image

• Prototype Demonstrations - see preceding section
  


• Other support activities:
1. Developing and posting Materials for Managers
1. A guidebook to allow managers to conduct analyses in their own area
2. What can this process do for me? - a series of 1-2 page fact sheets answering common questions about the process and providing additional illustrations of potential applications
   


2. Participating in R01 Western Montana Planning Zone's Fire subteam supporting Forest Management Plan revision
   


3. Consultation and assistance as requested and feasible

PHASE 4 - INTEGRATION WITH RESEARCH

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