Historical Review and Framework for Managed Fire Decision Making: Research Brief

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Historical Review and Framework for Managed Fire Decision Making: Research Brief

A new paper published in September in the journal Fire sheds light into the inherent socio-political complexities surrounding the managed fire decision making process. In the paper, the authors conduct an extensive review of the historical literature that pertains to managed fire decision making, described the range of factors managers consider in their decision, and present a conceptual framework of how decision factors fit together.

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Acknowledging the presence of decision biases amongst emergency managers: Research Brief

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Acknowledging the presence of decision biases amongst emergency managers: Research Brief

This study specifically surveyed county emergency managers; the individuals who are responsible for mitigating and responding to disaster events. The results suggest that emergency managers are subject to decision biases and by knowing this, we can improve emergency management and decision-making processes.

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Principles of Effective Federal Fire Management Plans: Research Brief

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Principles of Effective Federal Fire Management Plans: Research Brief

The six features of effective federal fire management plans are: consistent and compatible, 
collaborative, clear and comprehensive, spatially and temporally scalable, informed by the best
available science, flexible and adaptive. Additional tools and strategies are discussed.

Meyer, M. D., Roberts, S. L., Wills, R., Brooks, M., & Winford, E. M.. 2015. Principles of effective USA federal fire management plans. Fire Ecology 11(2): 59–83. doi: 10.4996/fireecology.1102059.

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A Critical Assessment of the Burning Index Used in Fighting Wildland Fires: USGS Research Brief

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This study found that the predictive capability of the commonly used Burning Index was quite limited and proposed an index with improved predictive ability for Los Angeles County, California.
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Constraints on Mechanical Treatment in the Sierra Nevada: Research Brief

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The authors evaluated current USFS standards and guidelines, input from forest management practitioners, and geospatial data to develop a hierarchy of biological (i.e., nonproductive forest), legal (i.e., wilderness), operational (i.e., equipment access), and administrative (i.e., sensitive species and riparian areas) constraints on mechanical treatments.
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Wildfire Management on a Human-Dominated Landscape: USGS Research Brief

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California leads the nation in fire losses and the explanation for this is that with more than 33 million people, California has a fire regime that is dominated by human ignitions.  
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The Lead-up to California's Clar Plan: Research Brief

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It  took  many  years  of  relatively  haphazard   firefighting  and  political  battles  to  reach   the  Clar  Plan  (Fire  Plan  of  1940),  a   statewide  fire  control  plan  implemented   by  the  California  Division  of  Forestry. 
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Fuel Break Effectiveness in Southern California Depends on Firefighter Access: USGS Research Brief

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Two studies led by USGS and the Conservation Biology Institute have examined the factors affecting fuel break effectiveness in national forests. 
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Evolutionary Origins of Plant Adaptations Should Not Influence Fire Management Decisions: USGS Research Brief

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In response to a recent criticism of the practice of prescription burning published in Trends in Plant Science, USGS scientist Jon Keeley and colleagues from Spain, South Africa and Australia contend that when applied within the context of a landscape’s natural fire regime, prescribed burning remains a viable treatment to manage native plant ecosystems.
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Do 1% of Fires Cause 99% of the Acres Burned? Research Brief

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Empirical analysis  of  fire  history   data  by  David  Strauss  and  colleagues confirmed   that  a relatively  small  number  of  forest  fires  are   responsible for  a  very  high  proportion  of  the  total   area  burned. 
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