Eldorado National Forest
Fireshed #6
Fireshed Analysis
Firesheds on the
Eldorado National
Forest
Reasons for choosing Fireshed #6
for this analysis
• Both the Placerville and Amador Ranger Districts
were currently involved in producing Environmental
Impact Statements for recent fires (Fred’s and Power
fires)
• Very little Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI) within
the fireshed
• Private land ownership is primarily commercial
forest land
• High potential for large fires within the fireshed
Public Participation
• SPLAT concept discussed and explained at two
well attended public meetings (Quintette and
Volcanoville)
• Very few people reside in the Fireshed due to the
large percentage of the private land in use as
commercial forest land
• Very low level of public interest in developing
SPLATs due to the lack of individuals living
within the Fireshed and the relative remoteness of
the Fireshed
Topography of Fireshed #6
Defense and Threat Zones
within Fireshed #6
PAC’s and Goshawk Habitat
Within Fireshed #6
21,002 Acres
13% of the Fireshed
15,352 Acres
9% of the Fireshed
Fire Simulation Decisions for FARSITE Modeling
Given that:
•Normal wind conditions for the fireshed are generally
southwest winds
•The fireshed runs primarily west to east
•It was desired to “burn” the majority of the fireshed
•The Forest does not have the computing power (read dual
processor machine) to do a 20 odd day burn
We decided to:
•Choose three ignition points
•Place them in the south east, south central, and south west
areas of the fireshed
•Look for clusters of historical fire stars in those area
•Establish ignition points near those clusters
•And simulate a free burning fire for a period of 96 hours
Ignition Point Selection
South West Ignition Point
(West Ignition)
South East Ignition Point
(East Ignition)
South Central Ignition Point
(Ellicots Ignition)
FARSITE Modeling Parameters for Fireshed #6
Each of the simulated fires were burned under the
following parameters:
•Time Step: 2 hours
•Perimeter Resolution: 60 meters
•Distance Resolution: 30 meters
•Enable Crown Fire: On
•Fire Acceleration: On
•Time Period: 4 days
Fire Simulations using FARSITE for Fireshed #6
Fire simulations were initiated at each ignition point under
the following conditions:
•Current Condition: in order to assess expected fire behavior
now and give a baseline for comparison
•“Stylized” SPLAT Condition: in order to determine what is
theoretically possible for fire behavior reduction across the
fireshed and give us a “best case” scenario
•SPLAT Condition: in order to determine if our designed
SPLATs effectively reduce fire behavior and how they compare
to the current and stylized SPLAT conditions
Fire Size
Current Condition
Ellicots (south central) Ignition Point
89,814 Acres
Stylized SPLAT Condition
Ellicots (south central) Ignition Point
52,838 Acres
SPLAT Condition
Ellicots (south central) Ignition Point
75,378 Acres
SPLAT Condition
75,378 acres burned,
10% of burn area treated,
17% reduction in size from
current condition
Stylized SPLAT Condition
52,838 acres,
10% of burn area treated
41% reduction in size from
current condition
Current Condition
89,814 acres burned
Fireline Intensity
Current Condition, Fireline Intensity,
Ellicots Bridge Ignition Point
Stylized SPLAT Condition, Fireline Intensity,
Ellicots Bridge Ignition Point
SPLAT Condition, Fireline Intensity,
Ellicots Bridge Ignition Point
Current Condition
5,200 acre portion of the burned area
Stylized SPLAT Condition
5,200 acre portion of the burned area
SPLAT Condition
5,200 acre portion of the burned area
Crown Fire Activity
Current Condition, Crown Fire Activity,
East Ignition Point
Stylized SPLAT Condition, Crown Fire Activity,
East Ignition Point
SPLAT Condition, Crown Fire Activity,
East Ignition Point
Current Condition
5,200 acre portion of the burned area
Stylized SPLAT Condition
5,200 acre portion of the burned area
SPLAT Condition
5,200 acre portion of the burned area
Flame Lengths
&
Rates of Spread
Flame Lengths
Predicted flame lengths for all three conditions
Acres and percentage of change from the Current Condition
Rates of Spread
Predicted rates of spread for all three conditions
Acres and percentage of change from the Current Condition
In Conclusion
Thank You