Tools to aid post-wildfire assessment and erosion-mitigation treatment decisions
Peter R. Robichaud A B and Louise E. Ashmun A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 1221 South Main Street, Moscow, ID 83843, USA.
B Corresponding author. Email: probichaud@fs.fed.us
International Journal of Wildland Fire 22(1) 95-105 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF11162
Submitted: 15 November 2011 Accepted: 2 May 2012 Published: 2 August 2012
Abstract
A considerable investment in post-fire research over the past decade has improved our understanding of wildfire effects on soil, hydrology, erosion and erosion-mitigation treatment effectiveness. Using this new knowledge, we have developed several tools to assist land managers with post-wildfire assessment and treatment decisions, such as prediction models, research syntheses, equipment and methods for field measurements, reference catalogues and databases of past-practice, and spreadsheets for calculating resource valuation and cost–benefit analysis. These tools provide relevant science to post-fire assessment teams and land managers in formats that often can be directly entered into assessment and treatment decision-making protocols. Providing public access to these tools through the internet not only has increased their dissemination, but also has allowed them to be updated and improved as new knowledge and technology become available. The use of these science-based tools has facilitated a broader application of current knowledge to post-fire management in the United States and in other fire-prone areas around the world.
Additional keywords: burn severity, erosion modeling, remote sensing, resource valuation.
References
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