Human Dimensions of Fire
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Smoke is challenging. It can be lofted high into the atmosphere to interact with cloud processes. It can smolder near the ground, depositing emissions. The combination of aerosols and trace gases create their own chemical mix, with reactions that are as yet unidentified. Temperature and atmospheric water content interact with the smoke plume and fog processes. Smoke also blocks the transmission of solar radiation, hindering photolysis reactions. Many of the trace gases emitted from wildland fires have yet to be identified, as do the intermediary products produced in a plume. With the outlook for more wildfires in the future, especially in a changing climate—and with tighter health standards—understanding these processes will become more critical in the years to come.
This webinar discusses Rangeland Fire Protection Associations, which are unique partnerships wherein ranchers and the Bureau of Land Management work together to suppress rangeland wildfires. Using four case studies in Oregon and Idaho, the value and outcomes of this approach, as well as challenges and future implications for fire adaptation on the range are discussed. Presented by Emily Jane Davis, Oregon State University.
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This video discusses the BLMs plans to create 350 miles of fire breaks between Boise and Glenns Ferry in hopes of catching fires when they’re small. The BLM Boise District is working together with the rancher-led Mountain Home Rangeland Fire Protection Association, Idaho Dept. of Lands, and the Idaho Transportation Department.
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This video produced by the NW Fire Science Consortium, shows how collaborative efforts are not only working to help find consensus on addressing large landscape-level restoration, but also in management of the post-fire environment. How do you address the cross-boundary, diverse interests on over 100,000 burned acres?
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This audio story discusses the southwestern range: the number of stakeholders who own land, each with a very different understanding of what it should be used for: private owners—who could be ranchers or developers, as well as average residents– Native American tribes, state agencies that own land, federal agencies that manage public land (which is further divided between national forest, Bureau of Land Management land, and national wildlife refuge property). Of course, the ecology is unaware of these boundaries.
In this webinar, Gordon Foster, Rangeland Fire Protection Coordinator with the Oregon Department of Forestry, discusses working with Rangeland Fire Protection Associations; what they do, how they work, and public agency and association cooperation.
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This rapid review investigates recent evidence (post-2009) regarding the effectiveness of public health messaging during smoke events. Principal results were: 1) Smoke-related public health messages are communicated via a variety of channels, but limited evidence is available regarding their effectiveness for the general public or at-risk groups. 2) Messages that use simple language are more commonly recalled, understood, and complied with. Compliance differs according to socio-demographic characteristics. 3) At-risk groups may be advised to stay indoors before the general population, in order to protect the most vulnerable people in a community.
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This brief summarizes data and studies to determine whether the results of JFSP-funded projects are reaching potential users and informing management decisions and actions. Those studies have helped identify issues and influence changes within the program. While some studies showed that JFSP-funded research is being used for planning and for supporting treatment prescriptions, they also identified barriers that prevent greater use of fire science information by the broader fire management community. These outcomes studies are an important tool to help the JFSP address those barriers and continue to make program improvements.
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The GBRMP Consortia Database provides a way to easily identify the various partnership groups in the Great Basin and obtain a quick reference to their goals, points of contact, and relationships.
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This research brief summarizes a series of interviews with land managers who make decisions about post-fire rehabilitation and restoration. These interviews explored barriers to improving post-fire recovery that included: policies and funding cycles that constrain managers’ ability to monitor and re-treat effectively, pressure and legal action from interest groups, pressure from concerned public/neighbors, climate change, and
ecological debates such as native vs. non-native species use. These identified barriers provide a social-political-ecological framework that may influence on-the-ground manager decisions after wildfires in the Great Basin.