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A publication by the Western Region to highlight progress within the framework of the
Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy and demonstrations of successful implementation across the West.
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The "Flagstaff Model" of restoration works well in some areas, but not in others such as chaparral shrublands.
Photo: Stephen Pyne.
Recreating the Forests of the Past Isn't Enough to Fix Our Wildfire Problems
Stephen Pyne, Regents Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, lends his thoughts and consideration to the theory that restoration of forests is the answer to out-of-whack wildlands with bigger, hotter, more savage wildfires than in the past. Pyne submits that in the West, fire officers are pushing away from the former restoration ideal into something akin to a resilience model. More here.
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Using Prescribed Fire as the First Treatment Instead of Mechanical Entries
The Western Klamath Restoration Partnership (WKRP) continues to be one of the most successful collaborative efforts towards landscape resiliency, fire adapted communities and safe, effective wildland fire response - implementing the Cohesive Strategy on the ground.
In this short video Will Harling and Bill Tripp explain the problematic paradigm of the last few decades and how they are approaching the need for treatment with prescribed fire as an initial tool instead of treating with mechanical efforts first. More here.
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Log home in the wildland urban interface in Central Oregon. Photo: blogs.USDA.gov
Does Insurance Affect Home Development
on Fire-Prone Lands?
Headwaters Economics has completed a review and concluded that it is unlikely that insurance rates and policies alone will determine whether or not a landowner decides to build a new home on fire-prone land.
The most likely way that insurance companies will play a role in reducing wildfire risk is by developing financial rewards, such as lower rates, that are tied to fire-safe practices such as the use of flame-retardant building materials, creation of defensible space, and reduction of flammable fuels near homes. Homeowners insurance alone however, is not a strong enough market force today to solve the problem of home development in the wildfire-prone WUI. More here.
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Piling debris for biomass utilization in Arizona. Photo: www.prescottenews.com
Test Project in Arizona
to Burn Forest Fuels at a Coal Plant
The Salt River Project is exploring the feasibility of using forest debris as a supplemental fuel at its Coronado Generating Station, a coal plant, in St. Johns, Arizona, to improve the health of Arizona’s forests and watersheds. The project will not require any permanent modifications to the power plant. More here. |
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Clearing the Smoke from Wildfire Policy
The Wildfire Solutions Summit was held in Bozeman, MT July 21-22, 2016. The event kicked off with a reception that featured "Entering Wildfire," and immersive art experience. Click above to see the display.
Among the featured speakers, the Summit included presentations from Dean Lueck and Jonathan Yoder, co-authors of Clearing the Smoke from Wildfire Policy, on their recent publication and the evolution of wildfire institutions, policy and an analysis of proposed reforms. More here.
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Winning at Communications
In our quest to share examples of great communications efforts within the Cohesive Strategy framework, our eyes landed on this fantastic publication. The Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership developed an eight-page color insert for the Arizona Daily Sun over the 4th of July weekend. It's packed with examples of treatments that made a difference during wildfires, great graphics to explain healthy forests, prescribed fire and fire adapted communities. Read more and get full publication here. |
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McClure Fire in the Santa Fe Watershed. Photo: USDA
To Manage or Suppress:
The McClure Fire Example
More and more, the conversation is moving around how fire management agencies are "managing" fires versus suppressing them, when it's the right decision to make for the landscape and natural resources, the communities, and for public and firefighter safety. This is a substantial paradigm shift in fire operation strategy that the Cohesive Strategy supports. But, that doesn't mean every fire is an opportunity for management over suppression. Making these risk-based decisions means considering many variables - why risk injury to firefighters on steep ground with limited access? Why respond aggressively to fire in a wilderness area where natural processes like fire are better left alone? And why respond to a lightning caused fire that was in a place approved for prescribed fire?
Read more about the McClure Fire here and why the Santa Fe National Forest chose to SUPPRESS this fire. And, read more here to find out how the Santa Fe National Forest looked at risks and chose to MANAGE the current Virgin Fire there.
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Using the 99% Fires to Combat the 1% Fires
Jessica Haas delivers a very relevant TEDx talk about the confluence of society and nature leading to catastrophic wildfires - the 1%. With more and more people moving into the wildlands, the probability of these 1% fires is increasing. Foresters, hydrologists, architects, engineers, community planners and community members must work together to design future fire resistant and fire adapted communities. Very Cohesive Strategy. Click above to watch.
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