scholarly journals Spatial-Endogenous Fire Risk and Efficient Fuel Management and Timber Harvest

2008 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Konoshima ◽  
C. A. Montgomery ◽  
H. J. Albers ◽  
J. L. Arthur
Keyword(s):  
Fire Risk ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Fuel Management ◽  
Endogenous Fire

Optimal spatial patterns of fuel management and timber harvest with fire risk

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masashi Konoshima ◽  
Heidi J. Albers ◽  
Claire A. Montgomery ◽  
Jeffrey L. Arthur
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Fire Spread ◽  
Fuel Management ◽  
Fuel Treatment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Dynamic Optimization Model ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
The Cost

The stochastic and spatial nature of fire poses challenges for the cost-efficient allocation of fuel treatment over the landscape. A model that addresses complex but important components of fuel management decisions, spatial and dynamic aspects of fire risk, and a carefully designed framework that allows us to draw general insight into the optimal spatial pattern of management are necessary to provide a basis for developing efficient fuel treatment plans. For this purpose, we combine a physical fire model and a spatial-dynamic optimization model to explore harvest and fuel treatment across a hypothetical landscape under risk of a moving fire over a range of physical and economic conditions. Our model is able to describe spatial trade-offs involved in decision process, namely trade-offs between protection of on-site values and protection against fire spread. We found that the spatial configuration of management units can lead to heterogeneity in management across seemingly homogeneous units.

Optimal Forest Management with Carbon Sequestration Credits and Endogenous Fire Risk

2009 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Daigneault ◽  
M. J. Miranda ◽  
B. Sohngen
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Endogenous Fire

The economic impact of fire management on timber production in the boreal forest region of Quebec, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baburam Rijal ◽  
Frédéric Raulier ◽  
David L. Martell ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Forest Resources ◽  
Wood Processing ◽  
Forest Region

Wildfire is an important component of the dynamics of boreal-forest ecosystems, but it can also contribute to the loss of forest resources, especially when fires escape initial attack and become large. Annual fire management costs in the province of Quebec are substantial (annual average of C$69 million for 1994–2014). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the financial impact of fire management on forest resources in Quebec. Our study includes cost–benefit analyses of nine fire management presuppression expenditure scenarios using forest and fire data for three commercially managed forest management units in the province of Quebec that experience varying mean annual burn rates (0.06–0.56%year−1). The reduction in the burn rate attributed to fire management increased the revenue from the sale of primary-processed wood product and reduced fire suppression expenditure. The combined effects of reduced suppression expenditure and increased revenue from value-added timber harvest and wood processing with a lower fire risk compensated for increased fire presuppression expenditure.

scholarly journals Plant community response to fuel break and goat grazing in southern California

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Grupenhoff ◽  
Nicole Molinari
Keyword(s):  
Southern California ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Fuel Management ◽  
Bromus Diandrus ◽  
Goat Grazing ◽  
Initial Fuel

Abstract Background: California is a global biodiversity hotspot, yet increased urbanization of wildlands, warming temperatures, and invasion of nonnative species pose serious risks to these areas due to an increase in wildfire frequency. Fuel management is a tool for reducing fire risk to neighboring communities and natural resources that involves a two-step process requiring an initial reduction of woody vegetation followed by a repeated control of woody plants and reduction of herbaceous cover. To understand the compositional and structural changes resulting from fuel treatment methods in southern California chaparral, we evaluated the compositional and structural impacts of a recently created fuel break established around the Lake Morena community on the Cleveland National Forest. The area was initially treated with cut and pile burning, then treated with herbicide, and lastly grazed by 1,200 goats. The purpose of this study is to (1) evaluate the compositional and structural differences associated with the initial fuel break, and (2) quantify compositional shifts in herbaceous and woody vegetation caused by goat grazing over time. Results: Plots on fuel breaks and in adjacent wildlands exhibited significantly different species assemblages. Total herbaceous cover (both native and nonnative) was 92 times greater on fuel breaks than in adjacent chaparral-dominated wildlands and native shrub cover was 55.3 times greater in adjacent wildlands than on fuel breaks. Goats had a significant impact on reducing native and nonnative herb cover (87% reduction in cover, 92% reduction in height), but were ineffective at reducing the cover and height of most woody species such as Adenostoma fasciculatum, Eriogonum fasciculatum, Quercus berberidifolia, and Artemisia tridentata. However, goats were found to be effective in controlling nonnative grasses including Bromus diandrus and Bromus madritensis. Conclusion: Initial fuel break creation was effective at reducing wood biomass and height, simultaneously giving rise to an abundance and diversity of native and nonnative herbaceous species. Although targeted goat grazing was successful at reducing herbaceous biomass, it was ineffective at reducing woody biomass which is often one of the most important goals for fuel management in chaparral ecosystems.

scholarly journals Integrating Fire Behavior Models and Geospatial Analysis for Wildland Fire Risk Assessment and Fuel Management Planning

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan A. Ager ◽  
Nicole M. Vaillant ◽  
Mark A. Finney
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Fuel Management ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Fire Risk Assessment ◽  
Behavior Models ◽  
Wildland Fire Risk

Wildland fire risk assessment and fuel management planning on federal lands in the US are complex problems that require state-of-the-art fire behavior modeling and intensive geospatial analyses. Fuel management is a particularly complicated process where the benefits and potential impacts of fuel treatments must be demonstrated in the context of land management goals and public expectations. A number of fire behavior metrics, including fire spread, intensity, likelihood, and ecological risk must be analyzed for multiple treatment alternatives. The effect of treatments on wildfire impacts must be considered at multiple scales. The process is complicated by the lack of data integration among fire behavior models, and weak linkages to geographic information systems, corporate data, and desktop office software. This paper describes our efforts to build a streamlined fuel management planning and risk assessment framework, and an integrated system of tools for designing and testing fuel treatment programs on fire-prone wildlands.

Divided landbase, overlapping tenures, and fire risk

2004 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 478-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven G Cumming ◽  
Glen W Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Fire Policy ◽  
Timber Supply ◽  
Forest Tenure ◽  
Global Planning ◽  
Business As Usual

The Tardis forest modeling program was used to investigate the effects on timber supply and delivered wood cost of alternative forest tenure policies on a forest management agreement area in northeastern Alberta. Under the current tenure policy (business as usual), the woodlands divisions of one large pulp company and several sawmill companies are responsible for different aspects of planning and forest management on the area. We propose an alternative tenure policy (global planning) whereby one forest management entity is responsible for harvesting timber and delivering it to the various mills. The global planning alternative has several advantages over business as usual, especially for the sawmill companies. With business as usual, the sawmill companies experience shortfalls in timber harvest volume. No shortfall is seen with global planning. Under global planning, delivered wood cost for the sawmill companies is reduced by $2.81 m–3 , on average. Forest fire is an important disturbance affecting timber supply in the area. We examine the joint effects of tenure policy and fire using Monte Carlo simulation. The superiority of global planning is even more apparent with fire incorporated in the model. According to our simulations, many sawmills are very likely to experience persistent sharp decreases in delivered wood volume under business as usual. No such decreases occur under global planning. Key words: forest tenure, simulation modeling, timber harvest scheduling, forest fire, policy analysis, boreal mixedwood, sustainable forest management

Response of the cover of berry-producing species to ecological factors on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 1244-1259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lowell H. Suring ◽  
Michael I. Goldstein ◽  
Susan M. Howell ◽  
Christopher S. Nations
Keyword(s):  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Management Technique ◽  
Kenai Peninsula ◽  
Cornus Canadensis ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Crown Closure

Land managers on the Kenai Peninsula have responded to recent extensive infestations of forests by spruce beetles ( Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) and associated increased fire risk with a variety of management approaches. To provide additional ecological information upon which to base these management prescriptions, we evaluated the response of the cover of berry species to variations in landscape factors and environmental conditions, including crown closure. Data were sufficient to describe the response of cover of bunchberry dogwood ( Cornus canadensis ), black crowberry ( Empetrum nigrum ), false toadflax ( Geocaulon lividum ), strawberryleaf raspberry ( Rubus pedatus ), lingonberry ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea ), and a combination of 24 other species through multinomial logistic regression. Crown closure and forest overstory type significantly influenced the cover of all berry species. Increasing crown closure had a negative effect on all berry species except strawberryleaf raspberry. Level of infestation by spruce beetles was significantly related to the cover of all species except lingonberry. Our findings indicate that spruce forests may be managed to enhance berry cover and that choice of management technique (e.g., timber harvest, prescribed fire) will likely result in different outcomes.

Social acceptability of fuel management in the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding region

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda R. Mylek ◽  
Jacki Schirmer
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Social Acceptability ◽  
Fuel Management ◽  
Australian Capital Territory ◽  
Australian Capital ◽  
Wildland Fire Risk

Managing fuel to reduce wildland fire risk often creates substantial public debate. Although the acceptability of various fuel management strategies has been explored in some regions, particularly North America, the social acceptability of fuel management is less well understood in other countries. This paper begins to address this knowledge gap by exploring acceptability by residents living in and near the Australian Capital Territory, Australia of three fuel management strategies (prescribed burning, livestock grazing and mechanical thinning) used to reduce wildland fire risk to life and property. All three were considered acceptable by most survey respondents. Acceptability did not vary substantially between strategies or by the location in which the strategy was undertaken. Acceptability of fuel management was associated with trust in fire management agencies, having knowledge of fuel management, feeling vulnerable to wildland fire and respondent characteristics such as previous effects of wildland fires, location of residence, gender, age, income and employment status.

The adaptive capacity of forest management to changing fire regimes in the boreal forest of Quebec

2005 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 582-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Héloïse Le Goff ◽  
Alain Leduc ◽  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Mike Flannigan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fuel Management ◽  
Adaptation Options

Climate influences natural processes at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Consequently, climate change raises many challenges for sustainable forest management; among them, the integration of fire and forest management is increasingly discussed. We propose here an evaluation of the adaptive capacity of forest management under changing forest fire regimes under climate change in the boreal forest of Quebec. Adaptation begins by reinterpreting current practices dealing with climatically driven variability. Among them, fire suppression, and regeneration enhancement can contribute to coping with some impacts of climate change. However, there is an increasing need to develop more integrative and spatially explicit management strategies to decrease the vulnerability of forest management to changing fire risk. Some developing management strategies, such as fuel management or the triad approach (zoning system for conservation, intensive, and extensive forest management), present an interesting potential for integrating the fire risk in management plans. While fuel management and fire suppression are indicated for particularly severe fire regimes, protection against insects, and maintaining a shorter disturbance cycle using forest management represent the preferred adaptation options where the fire cycle is lengthening under climate change. Key words: forest fire, fire risk, climate change, vulnerability, impacts, adaptation strategy, adaptation options, sustainable forest management, fire management

scholarly journals Plant community response to fuel break construction and goat grazing in a southern California shrubland

Fire Ecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Grupenhoff ◽  
Nicole Molinari
Keyword(s):  
Southern California ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Woody Biomass ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Management Technique ◽  
Fuel Management ◽  
Goat Grazing

Abstract Background Shrub-dominated ecosystems in California are widespread and provide invaluable ecosystem services to surrounding human-dominated communities. Yet shrublands, especially those at the wildland-urban interface, are at risk of degradation due to increasing wildfire frequency. Strategically placed fuel breaks are an important fuel management technique for reducing fire risk to neighboring communities and natural landscapes. Fuel breaks in shrub-dominated ecosystems are typically linear features where woody biomass is reduced, thereby providing fire suppression opportunities that limit fire spread. While fuel breaks are important for tactical response to fire, they can also affect the composition and structure of shrubland habitats. To understand the ecological changes resulting from fuel treatments in southern California chaparral, we measured vegetation change associated with fuel management techniques on a recently created fuel break established around the Lake Morena community on the Cleveland National Forest. The area was initially treated with cut and pile burning, then treated with herbicide, and 2 years later was subjected to short-term grazing by 1200 goats. The purpose of this study is to (1) evaluate the compositional and structural differences associated with fuel break creation and (2) quantify compositional shifts in herbaceous and woody vegetation caused by short-duration goat grazing as a method of fuel break maintenance. Results Plots on the fuel break and in untreated adjacent chaparral exhibited significantly different species assemblages. Total herbaceous cover (both native and non-native) was 92 times greater on the fuel break than in adjacent chaparral-dominated wildlands, and native shrub cover was 55.3 times greater in untreated adjacent chaparral than on the fuel break. Goats had a significant impact on reducing native and non-native herbaceous cover (87% reduction in cover, 92% reduction in height), but were ineffective at reducing the cover and height of most woody species such as Adenostoma fasciculatum, Eriogonum fasciculatum, Quercus berberidifolia, and Artemisia tridentata. Conclusion Initial fuel break creation was effective at reducing native woody cover and height, simultaneously giving rise to an abundance and diversity of native and non-native herbaceous species. Targeted goat grazing was successful at reducing herbaceous biomass but was ineffective at reducing woody biomass which is often one of the most important goals for fuel management in chaparral ecosystems. In areas where control of woody biomass is the primary objective, land managers should consider grazing duration and plant species composition when contemplating goats as a tool for fuel break maintenance.

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