Influence of fuel data assumptions on wildfire exposure assessment of the built environment

Air M. Forbes; Jennifer L. Beverly

doi:10.1071/WF24025

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Influence of fuel data assumptions on wildfire exposure assessment of the built environment

Air M. Forbes

^A ^* and Jennifer L. Beverly

^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada.

^* Correspondence to: amforbes@ualberta.ca

International Journal of Wildland Fire 33, WF24025 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF24025

Submitted: 6 February 2024 Accepted: 5 October 2024 Published: 11 November 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Background

Land cover information is routinely used to represent fuel conditions in wildfire hazard, risk and exposure assessments. Readily available land cover data options that vary in resolution, extent, cost and purpose of collection have become increasingly accessible in recent years.

Aim

This study investigates the sensitivity of community-scale wildfire exposure assessments to different land cover information products used to identify hazardous fuel.

Methods

Ten versions of a community wildfire exposure assessment were conducted for each of five case study locations in Alberta, Canada, by varying the input land cover data. Proportional and spatial distribution of hazardous fuels and classified exposure are compared across datasets and communities.

Key results

We found proportional and spatial variation of exposure values between datasets within each community, but the nature of this variation differed between communities. Land cover classification definitions and scale were important factors that led to inconsistencies in assessment results.

Conclusions

Readily available land cover information products may not be suitable for exposure assessments at a localised scale without consideration of unique context and local knowledge of the assessment area.

Implications

Results may inform fuel data selection considerations for improved results in various wildfire applications at localised scales.

Keywords: Alberta, Canada, community protection, fuel management, fuel mapping, land cover, spatial data, wildland fire, risk assessment.

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