Search Results:
Access the synthesis.
In this report, we identify and characterize scientific literature produced by USGS scientists during 2006–17 that addresses topics associated with wildland fire science. Our goals were to (1) make the most complete list possible of product citations readily available in an organized format, and (2) use bibliometric analysis approaches to highlight the productivity of USGS scientists and the impact of contributions that the Bureau has provided to the scientific, land management, and fire management communities.
A resilience-based approach to management can facilitate regional planning by guiding the allocation of management resources to where they will have optimal socioecological benefits. This type of approach requires a sound understanding of the environmental factors, ecosystem attributes and processes, and landscape components that influence ecological resilience of the focal system. Chambers et al. review and integrate resilience concepts to help inform natural resources management decisions for ecosystems and landscapes. They describe the six key components of a resilience-based approach, beginning with managing for adaptive capacity and selecting an appropriate spatial extent and grain. Additional components include developing an understanding of the factors influencing the general and ecological resilience of ecosystems and landscapes, the landscape context and spatial resilience, pattern and process interactions and their variability, and relationships among ecological and spatial resilience and the capacity to support habitats and species. They suggest that a spatially explicit approach that couples geospatial information on general and spatial resilience to disturbance with information on resources, habitats, or species provides the foundation for resilience-based management. A case study from the sagebrush biome is provided that is widely used by the management agencies.
View technical note.
This technical note provides a brief synopsis of proactive, linear fuel breaks as a tool for reducing negative impacts associated with large-scale wildfire in sagebrush ecosystems. The note summarizes what fuel breaks are designed to do, features of effective fuel breaks, specifications of common fuel break designs, and maintenance and management considerations based on a compilation of existing publications and practical lessons learned from past greenstrip and plant materials trials in the Great Basin. The purpose is primarily to provide practitioners with sufficient information to begin cooperative landscape planning efforts.
Potential Operational Delineations (PODs) is a spatial wildfire planning framework that brings together operational fire responses and landscape management goals from Forest Planning documents. The PODs risk-based framework helps managers weigh a portfolio of landscape values, including human assets and natural resources, current conditions, responder safety, and likely fire outcomes to identify appropriate fire management objectives. Across the country, more than 30 National Forests have begun developing and implementing this planning framework with local partners complementing the Shared Stewardship efforts.
Seventy-five years of vegetation treatments on public rangelands in the Great Basin of North America
View article.
This article summarizes information from land treatments occurring over millions of hectares of public rangelands in the Great Basin over the last 75 years represent one of the largest vegetation manipulation and restoration efforts in the world.
Access courses.
These online courses were developed by Wildland Fire Management Research, Development, and Application, Fire Regime Condition Class, LANDFIRE, National Wildfire Coordinating Group, and National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute.
View article.
Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center’s Two More Chains Summer Issue featured Ted Adams, Assistant Supervisor on the Hells Canyon Wildland Fire Module, Payette National Forest. The article focused on whether or not fire science research is being applied to decision-making on the fire line. The following quote from Ted was highlighted in the article’s opening: “We have all of this research that’s available to us and yet you could argue that a majority of individuals on the fire line are not reading peer-reviewed research and applying it to their decision-making, into their mental models.” After reading the article, Coleen Haskell contacted us. She asked if she could continue the conversation that we started with Ted.
View infographic.
Relationship between sagebrush habitat characteristics and sage-grouse use in a graphic summary.
This project and it’s associated resources, can be accessed here.