Fuels Problem and Context

Figure 1 -

Immediate and secondary wildfire threats

The accumulation of fuels over time can lead to uncharacteristic wildfires and associated problems. Alteration of historic fire regimes often causes serious changes in forest ecosystem processes, resulting in unusually intense, large fires. Current forest conditions and wildfire regimes pose risks to many environmental and socioeconomic values and threaten human communities (USDA-FS 2004). Wildfires near human communities can have devastating effects, as can postfire floods (May, this volume). Wildfire poses immediate threats of damage or loss to nearby structures, and endangerment of public safety is an even more important concern during a wildfire incident and for many years thereafter. Wildfires also pose secondary threats to ecological and environmental resources (Summerfelt 2003). (See Figure 1).

The acreage affected by wildfire nationwide has steadily increased over the past four and a half decades, with a trend towards uncharacteristically severe and uncontrollable fire behavior (NIFC 2006b). Trends of increasing fire size and severity have emerged over the past 20 years (USDA-FS 2004) as wildfires in the Western States have increased, (see Figure 2). The trend is influenced by changes in climate, extreme droughts, and, in some forests, overabundant fuels (Westerling and others 2006).

Figure 2 -

Wildfire acres burned in the 11 western states

The combined effects of increased fuel accumulations, lengthened fire seasons, and intensified burning conditions are expected to contribute to larger and more extensive wildfires in the near future (Covington and others 1994), with increases of 74 to 118 percent in wildfire burn areas expected over the next century (Running 2006). These expectations underscore the urgency of fuels management to reduce wildfire hazards to human communities as well as actions to mitigate wildfire impacts in forests that have undergone substantial alterations due to past land uses (Covington and others 1994, Westerling and others 2006).

An understanding of the decision processes and social context for wildland fire management is necessary if risk analysis is to be integrated into land and resource management decision making. Decision processes are defined by public policies and laws, which are a function of the social environment within which wildland fire management occurs. Although various agencies and organizations may perceive wildfire risks differently, management decision processes are affected by the same evolving institutional framework of laws and policies. By engaging collaboratively with stakeholders in formal decision process forums, managers can integrate different perspectives regarding environmental risks and thereby arrive at socially acceptable decisions regarding wildland fire management and fuels reduction.