We’re Not Doing Enough Prescribed Fire in the Western United States to Mitigate Wildfire Risk

Kolden, Crystal A.

doi:10.3390/fire2020030

Cited by 148 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(60 reference statements)

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“…Additionally, prescribed burning-the intentional ignition of controlled fire in the landscape-has been conducted in ecosystems worldwide for environmental management purposes (Knapp et al, 2009;Penman et al, 2011;Collins et al, 2019). These burns are mainly carried out to reduce the risk of fire by reducing the biomass available for burning and to conserve the species of fire-prone ecosystems (Fernandes and Botelho, 2003;Kolden, 2019). However, studies have shown that the application of prescribed fires can shorten the fire interval and potentially reduce carbon stocks (Peterson and Reich, 2001;Collins et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Plant Biomass in the Brazilian Savanna to Frequent Fires

Gomes

Miranda

Soares‐Filho

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Fire has been a natural feature of the ecosystem for million years. Still, currently fire regimes have been increasingly altered by human activities and climate change, causing economic losses, air pollution, and environmental damage. In Brazil, savannas (locally known as the Cerrado) occupy almost 25% of the area of the country and contain 70% of the concentrated burned area. Fire frequency is related to the use of biannual fire in agricultural practices, aiming at cleaning cattle pastures, which act as ignition sources for the surrounding natural vegetation. Here, we present an ecological model to demonstrate how biennial fire affects plant biomass and carbon release from fine fuel in the Cerrado. The BEFIRE model (Behavior and Effect of Fire) is the first quantitative model to simulate the relationships between fire frequency, plant biomass, and fire-associated emissions based on the synthesis of knowledge about fire behavior and the effects on ecosystems compiled from experimental burnings in the Cerrado. Our model uses microclimate variables and vegetation structure (the amount of the aboveground biomass of trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses) as inputs, and generates outputs related to the fire behavior (fire spread rate, fire intensity, and heat released) and the fire effects on the dynamic of plant biomass and post-fire carbon emissions. The BEFIRE model predicts that biennial fires allow for the recovery of the biomass of herbs and grasses, due to its fast growth. However, this fire interval does not allow for the recovery of the biomass of shrubs and trees. These growth limitations alter the co-existence of trees/shrubs and herbs/grasses and prevent the uptake of the total amount of emitted carbon from the combustion of fine fuel. Based on the model results, we proposed some recommendations for fire management in this threatened biome.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Plant Biomass in the Brazilian Savanna to Frequent Fires

Gomes

Miranda

Soares‐Filho

et al. 2020

Front. For. Glob. Change

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“…Prescribed fire science as a disciplinary focus is long overdue, especially as we seek to increase the application of prescribed fire on the landscape (DOI-DOA 2014; Kolden 2019). We argue that this research agenda will be a critical part of managing resilient ecosystems in a rapidly changing world.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prescribed fire science: the case for a refined research agenda

et al. 2020

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The realm of wildland fire science encompasses both wild and prescribed fires. Most of the research in the broader field has focused on wildfires, however, despite the prevalence of prescribed fires and demonstrated need for science to guide its application. We argue that prescribed fire science requires a fundamentally different approach to connecting related disciplines of physical, natural, and social sciences. We also posit that research aimed at questions relevant to prescribed fire will improve overall wildland fire science and stimulate the development of useful knowledge about managed wildfires. Because prescribed fires are increasingly promoted and applied for wildfire management and are intentionally ignited to meet policy and land manager objectives, a broader research agenda incorporating the unique features of prescribed fire is needed. We highlight the primary differences between prescribed fire science and wildfire science in the study of fuels, fire behavior, fire weather, fire effects, and fire social science. Wildfires managed for resource benefits ("managed wildfires") offer a bridge for linking these science frameworks. A recognition of the unique science needs related to prescribed fire will be key to addressing the global challenge of managing wildland fire for long-term sustainability of natural resources.Keywords: fire behavior, fire effects, fire weather, fireline interactions, fuels characterization, post-fire tree mortality, prescribed burning, wildland fire research Resumen El ámbito de la ciencia del fuego comprende tanto a los incendios de vegetación no controlados como a las quemas prescriptas. La mayoría de las investigaciones en este amplio campo se han enfocado en los incendios de vegetación, a pesar de la prevalencia de las quemas prescriptas y la probada necesidad de que la ciencia guíe su aplicación. Argüimos que la ciencia de las quemas prescriptas requiere de un enfoque fundamentalmente diferente para conectarse con las disciplinas relacionadas de la ciencias físicas, sociales y naturales. También postulamos que la investigación enfocada a preguntas relevantes para las quemas prescriptas va a mejorar la ciencia de fuegos de vegetación en general y estimular el desarrollo del conocimiento útil sobre el manejo de fuegos de vegetación. Dado que las quemas prescriptas son propuestas y aplicadas de manera incremental para para el manejo de fuegos (Continued on next page) de vegetación, y que son intencionalmente iniciadas para lograr metas y objetivos de manejo de tierras, una agenda más amplia de investigación, incorporando aspectos únicos de las quemas prescriptas, se hace necesaria. Ilustramos las diferencias primarias entre la ciencia de las quemas prescriptas y la de la ciencia de fuegos naturales de vegetación en lo que hace al estudio de los combustibles, el comportamiento del fuego, la meteorología, los efectos del fuego, y las ciencias sociales relacionadas con el fuego. Los incendios manejados para beneficio de los recursos ("fuegos manejados") ofrecen un puente para li...

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“…Community protection is a key priority in national firefighting strategies, but we should consider where fuel reduction strategies would be most effective-at the individual home level or focused within the WUI [15,63]. In conjunction with defensible space management, wildfire suppression that is more narrowly focused on lands surrounding communities that are most at-risk should be prioritized, allowing wildfire to burn in the wildlands where fire will have an ecological benefit and support future wildfire hazard mitigation and utilizing prescribed burns as a mechanism to mitigate extreme future fires [15,54,64,65].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In the Line of Fire: Consequences of Human-Ignited Wildfires to Homes in the U.S. (1992–2015)

Mietkiewicz

Balch

Schoennagel

et al. 2020

Fire

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With climate-driven increases in wildfires in the western U.S., it is imperative to understand how the risk to homes is also changing nationwide. Here, we quantify the number of homes threatened, suppression costs, and ignition sources for 1.6 million wildfires in the United States (U.S.; 1992–2015). Human-caused wildfires accounted for 97% of the residential homes threatened (within 1 km of a wildfire) and nearly a third of suppression costs. This study illustrates how the wildland-urban interface (WUI), which accounts for only a small portion of U.S. land area (~10%), acts as a major source of fires, almost exclusively human-started. Cumulatively (1992–2015), just over one million homes were within human-caused wildfire perimeters in the WUI, where communities are built within flammable vegetation. An additional 58.8 million homes were within one kilometer across the 24-year record. On an annual basis in the WUI (1999–2014), an average of 2.5 million homes (2.2–2.8 million, 95% confidence interval) were threatened by human-started wildfires (within the perimeter and up to 1-km away). The number of residential homes in the WUI grew by ~32 million from 1990–2015. The convergence of warmer, drier conditions and greater development into flammable landscapes is leaving many communities vulnerable to human-caused wildfires. Cumulatively, ~60 million homes were at high fire risk (1992–2015), meaning they were within historic wildfire perimeters or up to 1 km away. On average, 2.5 million homes were considered high fire risk each year. Our analysis explored the consequences and costs of wildfire ignitions along a gradient from urban to wildlands between 1992–2015. This study illustrates how the WUI, a small portion of U.S. land area that contains homes within flammable wildland vegetation, acts as a major source of wildfires, almost exclusively human-started. These areas are a high priority for policy and management efforts that aim to reduce human ignitions and promote resilience to future fires, particularly as the number of residential homes in the WUI grew by ~32 million across this record and are expected to continue to grow in coming years.

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We’re Not Doing Enough Prescribed Fire in the Western United States to Mitigate Wildfire Risk

Cited by 148 publications

References 36 publications

Responses of Plant Biomass in the Brazilian Savanna to Frequent Fires

Responses of Plant Biomass in the Brazilian Savanna to Frequent Fires

Prescribed fire science: the case for a refined research agenda

In the Line of Fire: Consequences of Human-Ignited Wildfires to Homes in the U.S. (1992–2015)

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