Table 1 Fundamental differences between wildfire and prescribed fire science practice and application
From: Prescribed fire science: the case for a refined research agenda
Factor | Wildfire | Prescribed fire |
|---|---|---|
Planning horizon | Days to weeks | Weeks to years; multiple years to decades |
Scale at which research is applied | Hundreds to many thousands of hectares | Sub-meter to ~5000 ha |
Primary motivation for science use and application | Safety of human life, property, and natural resource values | Meeting resource objectives without disrupting human life, property |
Post-fire effects actions and evaluation | Rehabilitation where needed, immediate, opportunistically afterwards | Observation, immediate, then following monitoring plans |
Response to above evaluation | Rehabilitation where needed | Refinement of prescribed burning plan, adaptive management, reapplication when appropriate |
Study designs | Opportunistic, mostly lacking pre-fire data, non-replicated | Pre-fire and control data often incorporated in fire effects evaluation, often replicable |
Horizon for experimental research | Limited: opportunistic, often hindered by logistical hurdles, lack of access during fire; single event | Integrated: intentional planning for desired fire behavior and effects; multiple and repeated events (i.e., potential for replication in time and space) |
Scientific expertise directly involved in decision-making | Fire behavior, meteorology, smoke science, fuels management | Fire behavior, fire ecology, fire history, social sciences, smoke science, soil and watershed science, meteorology, fuels management |