Table 3 Eight important considerations for the development of spatial wildland fire risk assessments and the prioritization of fuel treatments within managed landscapes.
From: Principles of Effective USA Federal Fire Management Plans
Primary considerations: |
|---|
1. Areas of special ecological, cultural, or social significance (i.e., values at risk) |
2. Core fire maintenance and restoration zones, where wildland fire may be managed for resource objectives appropriate with the values at risk |
3. Protection zones, where fires are managed with the fewest negative consequences especially in areas characterized by frequent natural or human ignitions, multiple sensitive values at risk, and high probability of success for the prevention of undesirable fire effects |
4. Areas of special significance that are moving to a more departed (i.e., adverse) condition category in the near future, as indicated by Fire Return Interval Departure (FRID), LANDFIRE Vegetation Condition Class (VCC), or a similar index |
5. Zones that constrain the types of fuel treatment activities that are available for implementation (e.g., mechanical thinning in sensitive wildlife habitats) |
6. Areas that potentially benefit from interagency coordination and planning (e.g., adjacent to administrative boundaries) |
7. Climate change, population growth, and their influence on future fire hazard and risk |
8. Degree of uncertainty associated with fire hazard and risk evaluations |