Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Fireshed Assessment
An Integrated Approach to
Landscape Planning
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Interdisciplinary Team Based Approach
to Left-Side Planning
• An integrated approach to designing project
proposals that:
– protect communities,
– reduce hazardous fuels, and
– improve the health of forest stands at risk from droughtand insect-related mortality.
• Consistent with:
– National Fire Plan goals,
– 10 Year Comprehensive Strategy, and
– Healthy Forest Restoration Act
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Interdisciplinary Team Based
Learning…
We are a cadre of “enthusiastic borrowers”
1. Learn BEFORE doing…
– Challenged by our peers and inter-agency partners…
2. Learn WHILE doing…
– Teams need to learn together – each districts is
unique… “recognize it”.
3. Learn AFTER doing…
– Review your work…after action reviews...adjust and
refine
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Tools
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
FARSITE
FLAMMAP
SPECTRUM
FIA – Stand
FVS – SVS Gamma
Value Paths
Fuels RELM
GIS – Statistical pkg.
• My Fuels Treatment
Planner
• SPLAT – Habitat
Builder UCSB
• Bay Veg. - CWHR
• Auto CE for
Watershed Effects for
ERA
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
1. Integration of Tools
• Migration of data between systems
– Vegetation to fuels to fire behavior
– Vegetation to inventory then to FIA Plots
– Tree Lists to prescriptions
– Prescriptions to fuels
– Test – evaluate – adjust – evaluate – refine…
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
2. Learning by doing
• Work on real problems facing the districts
and forests
– Short time frames, multiple resources
objectives
– Schedules, priority setting, surveys
– Data development, implementation, reporting
– Accountability
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
3. Analysis in the develop of
alternatives…
• Not just an evaluation of alternatives…
– Left-side “FACA” free…discussion of
scenarios
– As we move into the realm of “real community
planning” and protection
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
4. We process in “Batch-mode”
• Large sets of acres, prescriptions, and
variables…
– 10,000 to 100,000 acres…
We do our best to process in “real time”
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Benefits of Fireshed Assessment
• Develops a program of work that:
– protects communities, watersheds, and habitats by
• effectively changing wildland fire behavior through strategically
placed treatments and
• reducing resource damage;
– provides a safer fire environment for the public and fire
fighters; and
– reduces large fire costs.
• Demonstrates consistency with forest plan
direction.
• Provides opportunities for interagency and public
participation and collaboration.
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Benefits (continued)
• Cumulative Effects
– critical habitats
– watersheds
• Connected Actions
• Costs of Deferring Treatments
• Continuous opportunities for adjustments and
refinements to:
–
–
–
–
treatment area boundaries,
treatment intensity,
project boundaries, and
schedules.
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
How are fireshed assessments done?
• A cadre of regional resource specialists:
– facilitates the fireshed assessment process
with a forest or district interdisciplinary team;
– provides “real time” products for the ID Team;
– shares knowledge and expertise to enhance
the team’s ability to produce similar products;
and
– provides post-workshop support and
products.
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Completed and Scheduled Work
• Modoc, Mendocino, and Stanislaus
National Forests have already
participated.
• The cadre has workshops scheduled with
the Tahoe and Shasta Trinity National
Forests during May and June 2004.
• Forests in calendar negotiations include
the Inyo, Lake Tahoe Basin, Klamath,
Angeles, and Sierra.
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Wildland Fire Specialist and
Silviculturalists do work together:
• to develop prescriptions that change fire
behavior, make vegetation and forests more
resilient to damage from wildland fire, pests, and
drought, by
• modifying structure and species composition
consistent with restoring condition class.
• And arrange these treatments to be strategically
placed and interrupt potential fire spread and
• be tactically placed for suppression.
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
Average Spread Rate
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
1
Ra
nd
om
0.9
0.8
0.7
Str
ate
gic
Pa
rall
el S
trip
s
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
Treatment
ROS
0.2
0.1
0
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Fraction of Landscape Treated
Practical amount of Treatment
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Fireshed assessment is on the left-side
of the planning triangle.
Forest Plan
Management Practices
Proposed Action,
Purpose and Need
Opportunities
Goals, Objectives, Desired Conditions
Existing Conditions
Location
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Fireshed Assessment Process
USDA
USDA Forest
Forest Service,
Service, Pacific
Pacific Southwest
Southwest Region
Region
Fireshed Assessment Process Steps
1.
2.
3.
4.
Delineate firesheds.
Select a fireshed for assessment.
Decide where to treat and/or not treat .
Describe existing conditions.
fire behavior, habitat, and forest health in the
existing landscape
5. Identify opportunities and project proposals to
move existing landscape toward desired
conditions.
fire behavior, habitat, and forest health under fuels
optimal and adjusted patterns/prescriptions
scenarios
March 2004
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.
Stanislaus NF
Sierra NF
Disclaimer: The views in this report (presentation) are these of the author(s) do not necessarily represent the views of the Forest Service.