The Human Dimensions of Spatial, Pre-Wildfire Planning Decision Support Systems: A Review of Barriers, Facilitators, and Recommendations

Decision support systems (DSSs) are increasingly common in forest and wildfire planning and management in the United States. Recent policy direction and frameworks call for collaborative assessment of wildfire risk to inform fuels treatment prioritization using the best available science. There are numerous DSSs applicable to forest and wildfire planning, which can support timely and relevant information for decision making, but the use and adoption of these systems is inconsistent. There is a need to elucidate the use of DSSs, specifically those that support pre-wildfire, spatial planning, such as wildfire risk assessment and forest fuels treatment prioritization. It is important to understand what DSSs are in use, barriers and facilitators to their use, and recommendations for improving their use. Semi-structured interviews with key informants were used to assess these questions. Respondents identified numerous barriers, as well as recommendations for improving DSS development and integration, specifically with respect to capacity, communication, implementation, question identification, testing, education and training, and policy, guidance, and authorities. These recommendations can inform DSS use for wildfire risk assessment and treatment prioritization to meet the goals of national policies and frameworks. Lastly, a framework for organizing spatial, pre-wildfire planning DSSs to support end-user understanding and use is provided.

Long-term changes in masticated woody fuelbeds in northern California and southern Oregon, USA

Mechanical mastication is a fuels treatment that shreds midstorey trees and shrubs into a compacted woody fuel layer to abate fire hazards in fire-prone ecosystems. Increased surface fuel loading from mastication may, however, lead to undesirable fire intensity, long-duration flaming or smouldering, and undesirable residual tree mortality. Two major questions facing fuels managers are: how long do masticated fuels persist, and how does the composition of masticated fuelbeds change over time? To evaluate these changes, we measured 25 masticated sites with a range of vegetation, species masticated and time since treatment (1–16 years) in the western US. Seven of the 25 sites were sampled nearly a decade earlier, providing a unique opportunity to document fuelbed changes. Woody fuel loading ranged from 12.1 to 91.9Mg ha−1 across sites and was negatively related to time since treatment. At remeasured sites, woody fuel loads declined by 20%, with the greatest losses in 1- and 10-h woody fuels (69 and 33% reductions in mass respectively). Reductions were due to declines in number of particles and reduced specific gravity. Mastication treatments that generate greater proportions of smaller-diameter fuels may result in faster decomposition and potentially be more effective at mitigating fire hazard.

Resistance and Representation in a Wildland–Urban Interface Fuels Treatment Conflict: The Case of the Forsythe II Project in the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest

Land treatments in wildland–urban interface (WUI) areas are highly visible and subject to public scrutiny and possible opposition. This study examines a contested vegetation treatment—Forsythe II—in a WUI area of the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado. An initial phase of the research found vocal opposition to Forsythe II. The purpose of the present study was to understand how well the resistance narrative represented the broader community in the WUI area affected by the Forsythe II treatments. More than one third (36%) of households responded to a census survey focused on Forsythe II, demographics, wildfire risk perceptions, and variables associated with generic land management activities and place attachment. Overall, while public opposition to Forsythe II has resulted in a nearly 25% reduction in the project’s size, the survey data demonstrate that just over a quarter of respondents (27%) opposed or strongly opposed the Forsythe II project, and the majority of survey respondents reported broad support for forest management approaches similar to those detailed in the project plans. Notably, a similar portion (28%) did not report an opinion on the project. Results include a systematic comparison of opinion/no opinion respondents.

PENGARUH TEKANAN KEMPA DAN KONSENTRASI PEREKAT TERHADAP SIFAT BIOBRIKET DARI LIMBAH TEMPURUNG SAWIT

Palm shell waste has not been used optimally. Utilization can be as fuel in the form of biobriquette. The purpose of this research studied the effects of pressure hydraulic and adhesive concentration on biobriquette properties. Research includes palm shell crushed, screened with fineness 7 mesh, mixed with amylum adhesive solution 2.5% and 5%. Printed in diameter of 3 cm and a height of 7 cm. The emphasis with the pressure of 3 tons, 5 tons and 7 tons. Biobriqutte dried naturally. Quality analysis with refers to the National Standardization Agency (1994). Results pressure 3 tons and adhesive concentration of 5% produces the best with sulfur levels of negative value and calorific 4442.78 cal / g and qualify for household fuels. Treatment interactions pressure and concentration of adhesive very significant effect on moisture, ash, carbon, volatile matter content, density and compressive strengtth biobriqutte.Keywords: palm shell, consentration of adhesive, pressure hydraulics, biobriquette