Wildfire Today

USGS introduces new strategy for their 100 scientists engaged in studying wildland fire

Bill GabbertFebruary 24, 2021February 25, 2021Uncategorizedresearch, USGS11 Comments

It defines critical, core fire science capabilities for understanding fire-related and fire-responsive earth system processes, and informing management decision making

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is rolling out a new Wildland Fire Science Strategic Plan that guides the activities of their 100 scientists whose research focuses on fire-related topics.

The plan has four integrated priorities, each with associated goals and specific strategies for accomplishing the goals:

Priority 1: Produce state-of-the-art, actionable fire science;
Priority 2: Engage stakeholders in science production and science delivery;
Priority 3: Effectively communicate USGS fire science capacity, products, and information to a broad audience; and
Priority 4: Enhance USGS organizational structure and advance support for fire science.

Here is how the USGS describes the plan:

To help address growing wildfire-related challenges in America, the U.S. Geological Survey is rolling out a new Wildland Fire Science Strategy that lays out the critical needs for wildfire research over the next five years. Released today, this strategy can be used to better understand the balance between fire’s benefits and its detrimental impacts.

Wildfires in the United States can be devastating, with 2017, 2018 and 2020 being particularly damaging and deadly years. The new fire strategy will guide future USGS research and help the agency provide timely and relevant information for land managers to tackle fire risks before they occur, during wildfire response and after the flames go out. It also addresses emerging priorities such as climate change and supporting underserved rural communities and tribes.

fire monitoring — Fire monitoring during wildfires helps researchers understand the complex relationships among fuels, fire behavior and fire effects. Fire behavior instruments are deployed during wildfires and prescribed fires to provide data on the types of fire environments that damage archaeological resources. In the photo, equipment is seen being tended to by U.S. Forest Service employees Dan Jimenez and Cyle Wold. The instruments, developed and owned by the USFS Missoula Fire Science Lab, quantify fire behavior on the landscape.(Credit: Rachel Loehman, USGS)

“Now is the time to act, and USGS science is leading the way,” said David Applegate, USGS Associate Director exercising the delegated authority of the USGS Director. “This new fire science strategy provides the roadmap for developing the research, data and technologies that are critically needed to help the country better face future wildfire challenges.”

The USGS employs more than 100 scientists whose research focuses on fire-related topics, including using high-resolution remote sensing to characterize vegetative fuel loads; applying the latest satellite technology to detect fires and map wildfire perimeters; evaluating best practices to reduce wildfire risks; and assessing post-wildfire flooding and debris-flow hazards. This work also includes creating and sharing best practices to support recovery across landscapes. Together, USGS expertise and monitoring capabilities are greatly improving the safety of first responders and the public-at-large.

The new strategy also emphasizes the importance of bridging fire and post-fire science to develop the most effective response, recovery and pre- and post-fire mitigation strategies to reduce risk. It highlights the use of computer simulations to help predict burn severity, which can then pinpoint areas that would likely be vulnerable to hazards during and after fires. Recognizing that post-fire hazards span many branches of science, the strategy integrates different research branches to improve planning for and response to fire-related disasters.

“Cutting-edge research and multidisciplinary teamwork are key to better understanding and addressing wildfire challenges in the 21st century,” said Anne Kinsinger, Associate Director for USGS Ecosystems. “Scientists from different fields – fire ecology, hydrology, geology, remote sensing and botany – are pooling their expertise to evaluate wildfires, linking initial fire behavior to post-fire hazards and applying that information to ecosystem recovery.”

Researchers across the USGS are working with the interagency fire community to expand the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and other rapid-computing capabilities. For example, the USGS uses artificial intelligence with satellite imagery to detect fire boundaries and develop burn severity maps, and to identify distribution and abundance of fire-adapted invasive species like cheatgrass in the Great Basin.

“This strategy will help the local, state, tribal and federal collaboration to address the wildfire issue that our nation is experiencing,” said Jeff Rupert, Director of the Department of the Interior’s Office of Wildland Fire. “The science needs identified in the strategy will support firefighters that respond to wildfires and prevention efforts to protect communities, resources and people.”

fire effects monitoring — Pre- and post-fire measurements of fire effects help ecologists, fire scientists and managers determine how the severity of wildfires affects plants, animal habitat and ecosystem services. (Credit: Rachel Loehman, USGS)

For example, the USGS is partnering with the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Tall Timbers Research Station to model fire behavior, fire weather patterns, 3D fuel loads and smoke conditions to evaluate how fuel treatments can reduce fire risk across a changing landscape. The USGS is also strengthening its partnerships with the Fire Science Exchange Network to foster increased access and use of its fire information, data and tools while learning about needs of practitioners in the field.

The USGS Wildland Fire Science Strategy aligns with national initiatives as defined in the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. Developed by a broad swath of stakeholders at all levels, the Cohesive Strategy calls for science and management that promote resilient landscapes and fire-adapted communities for safe and effective wildfire responses.

For more details about the new USGS Wildland Fire Science 2021-2026 Strategic Plan, read the full report.

For more information about USGS fire science, visit www.usgs.gov/fire.

The caption in the second image was edited to correctly indicate that the personnel in the photo are USFS employees and the equipment seen was developed and owned by the USFS Missoula Fire Science Lab.

The wildland arsonist: one of the most dangerous criminals

BillFebruary 23, 2021Uncategorizedarson4 Comments

By Joe Konefal and Ed Nordskog

The one criminal who possesses the power of a nuclear weapon at his fingertips is the wildland arsonist. In certain areas of the world, if the weather and fuel conditions are favorable, a wildland arsonist has the instant ability to burn an entire community to the ground, and kill scores of people, their pets, livestock, and the wildlife in the area. All of this carnage for the mere price of a match, a lighter or a road flare.

The good news is that there aren’t that many people intentionally setting arson fires in the wildlands, as yearly statistics prove that the overwhelming number of wildfires are not acts of arson. The less good news is that historically, many of the actual wildland arson cases go “unsolved”. The reasons for this are many, but one important reason is that compared to their urban counterparts, wildland arson investigators working for public agencies get very little money for resources and investigative training. Wildland arson cases have two distinct phases; the scene work, and then the follow-up criminal investigation. Many wildland investigators have a high degree of skill when conducting the “Origin and Cause” investigation at the scene, but they often lack the years of experience and ongoing certified training to pursue the criminal investigation portion of the case. There are currently very few schools, books, or online sources out there dedicated specifically toward conducting an arson investigation in the wildlands.

That’s too bad. Analysis of case histories shows that a significant portion of wildland arsons are committed by a small number of persons…the serial arsonists. The majority of arson series are eventually solved, provided that the arsonist continues setting fires. It is not unusual for investigators to learn that a single serial arsonist in the wildlands had set twenty to one hundred fires (or more) prior to the arrest.

Threat Assessment

Traditionally, the fire service (urban and wildland) rates arson fires by their damage (dollar loss) or their size in acreage. This may greatly affect how much attention, manpower, and resources are devoted to an investigation. But, to an investigator, the size of the fire has very little to do with assessing the threat level of an arsonist, as the size of the fire event is completely out of the hands of the arsonist. The below factors are much more important to consider when conducting any threat assessment during a wildland arson investigation of an unknown subject. These factors are important when considering the intent of the arsonist.

-Large number (more than three) of suspicious or arson fires in an area
-Rapid frequency of suspicious or arson fires in an area
-Arson fires purposely set in extreme fire conditions
-The use of an incendiary device by the arsonist

If any of these four factors are present, then even small fires or failed arson events (all serial arson cases have these) are to be considered high threat. If an investigator determines that an offender is high threat, then the investigator must take immediate steps to approach this investigation as a major case investigation, and employ an arson task force approach to the case.

It is well known among modern criminal investigators that if you dedicate enough resources on any case, you can probably solve it fairly quickly. The real issue is that public agencies seldom have the luxury to focus on any one case until it gets media attention. This causes “small” fires set by arsonists to be classified as a “nuisance”, and put on the back burner for weeks or months until the arsonist sets a much larger or more destructive fire.

Our position is that through training, and a proper threat assessment after every arson event, (small or large), investigators will more quickly focus resources on an emerging problem before the disastrous arson attack takes place.

Arson Task Force Approach and Investigative Mindset

This investigative mindset simply means treating the case as a major case from the beginning and using sufficient resources to solve the problem. A task force can be as few as three to four investigators, or up to hundreds of investigators and support personnel. The key to every task force is simple: Bring the right people to the team, not the most.

Continue reading “The wildland arsonist: one of the most dangerous criminals”

Bill reintroduced to create 21st Century Conservation Corps to improve resiliency to wildfire

Bill GabbertFebruary 22, 2021February 4, 2022UncategorizedCCC, FireWise6 Comments

Sponsored by two Senators and four Representatives

155th_Co_CCC_Feb,1940 — 154th Company, Civilian Conservation Corps, Eagle Lake Camp NP-1-Me. Bar harbor Maine, February, 1940.

Two Oregon Senators are going to reintroduce a bill that would put people to work in the woods, helping to restore public lands and provide jobs. The 21st Century Conservation Corps Act brought forward by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, would provide funds to support a natural resource management and conservation workforce and bolster wildfire prevention and preparedness.

Of course an earlier Conservation Corps with some similar goals was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) 80 years ago. (More about the CCC later in this article.)

According to Senator Wyden:

Rural communities are facing two big challenges: struggling economies and continued wildfire threats. By investing in a 21st century workforce, this bill will put people to work to tackle the climate emergency, restore our public lands and reduce wildfire risks. The bottom line, creating new jobs and supporting our public lands go hand in hand.

Provisions

Some of the provisions in the legislation would actually accomplish some meaningful things out on the ground that could make a difference:

Establishes a $9 billion fund for qualified land and conservation corps to increase job training and hiring specifically for jobs in the woods, helping to restore public lands and provide jobs in a time of need.
Provides an additional $3.5 billion for the U.S. Forest Service and $2 billion for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to support science-based projects aimed at improving forest health and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
Establishes a $2 billion fund to provide economic relief for outfitters and guides holding U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of the Interior special use permits.
Provides $2 billion for the National Fire Capacity program, which helps the Forest Service implement FireWise, to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildfire around homes and businesses on private land.
Provides $2 billion for the FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program to improve resiliency for communities impacted by wildfire.
Provides $6 billion for U.S. Forest Service, $6 billion for the National Park Service, and $2 billion for the Bureau of Land Management maintenance accounts to create jobs, reduce the maintenance backlog, and expand access to recreation.
Provides $3.5 billion for reforestation projects on a combination of federal, state, local, tribal and NGO lands, with over one hundred million trees to be planted in urban areas across America by 2030.
Increases access to public lands through expanding and investing in programs like Every Kid Outdoors and the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership.

A nine-page document has more details about the bill.

Legislation with the same title was first introduced in the 2017-2018 Congress by Senator John McCain with strong bipartisan support, and a second time in the 2019-2020 Congress by Senator Ron Wyden. Neither was brought to a vote in the full Senate. It is possible that with the new administration and a new Congress the bill will have a slightly better chance of passage. So far, all six of the co-sponsors are of the same party, Democratic.

National Prescribed Fire Act of 2020

A few of the provisions in the bill are similar to our recommendations made in the analysis of the National Prescribed Fire Act of 2020, Senate Bill 4625, which was introduced September 17, 2020 by Senator Ron Wyden and died in the last Congress. It would have helped address the workforce capacity issue by appropriating $300 million for both the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to plan, prepare, and conduct controlled burns on federal, state, and private lands.

At the time I made some suggestions that could be considered for funding along with an enhanced prescribed fire program:

Provide grants to homeowners that are in areas with high risk from wildland fires. Pay a portion of the costs of improvements or retrofits to structures and the nearby vegetation to make the property more fire resistant. This could include the cost of removing some of the trees in order to have the crowns at least 18 feet apart if they are within 30 feet of the structures — many homeowners can’t afford the cost of complete tree removal.
Cities and counties could establish systems and procedures for property owners to easily dispose of the vegetation and debris they remove.
Hire crews that can physically help property owners reduce the fuels near their homes when it would be difficult for them to do it themselves.
Provide grants to cities and counties to improve evacuation capability and planning, to create community safety zones for sheltering as a fire approaches, and to build or improve emergency water supplies to be used by firefighters.

Our article “Six things that need to be done to protect fire-prone communities” has even more ideas.

The CCC

The 21st Century Conservation Corps has some of the same goals as the Civilian Conservation Corps which between 1933 and 1942 employed young men across the United States who had trouble finding employment during the Great Depression. Through the course of its nine years in operation, three million participated in the CCC, which provided them with shelter, clothing, and food, together with a monthly wage that is equivalent to about $600 today. Enrollment peaked at the end of 1935, when there were 500,000 men in 2,600 camps with operations in every state.

The program closed in 1942 with World War II raging. The military reluctantly helped run the program but when the draft began in 1940, the policy was to make CCC alumni corporals and sergeants. Through the CCC, the regular army could assess the leadership performance of both regular and reserve officers.

Many of the projects the CCC accomplished still exist today. Their work included:

Structural improvements: bridges, fire lookout towers, service buildings;
Transportation: truck trails, minor roads, foot trails and airfields;
Erosion control: check dams, terracing, and vegetable covering;
Flood control: irrigation, drainage, dams, ditching, channel work, riprapping;
Forest culture: tree planting, fire prevention, fire pre-suppression, firefighting, insect and disease control;
Landscape and recreation: public camp and picnic ground development, lake and pond site clearing and development;
Range: stock driveways, elimination of predatory animals;
Wildlife: stream improvement, fish stocking, food and cover planting;
Miscellaneous: emergency work, surveys, mosquito control.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Kelly.

More than 110 plant species in Australia had their entire ranges burned in the 2019-2020 megafires

Bill GabbertFebruary 21, 2021UncategorizedAustralia, research1 Comment

Most are resilient to fire, however the scope of the blazes may leave some ecosystems susceptible to landscape-scale failure

More than 19 million acres in Australia burned in the bushfires of the 2019-2020 season, with seven individual fires exceeding 1 million acres. Researchers who have studied the impacts on the vegetation have determined that the entire ranges of 116 plant species burned along with 90 percent of the ranges of 173 species.

Most of the affected species are are resilient to fire. However, the massive scope of the megafires may leave some ecosystems, particularly the rainforests, susceptible to regeneration failure and landscape-scale decline.

Below are excerpts from a study by Robert C. Godfree, Nunzio Knerr, and Francisco Encinas-Viso, et al., published in Nature Communications February 15, 2021.

Our data indicate that 816 vascular plant species in mainland south-eastern Australia were highly impacted by the Black Summer fires, of which 325 and 173 were >75% and >90% burnt, respectively. All known populations of an estimated 116 species (14% of the total) burnt, which is more than double the number of plant species endemic to the British Isles.

The fires clearly impacted a broad range of species that contribute to both floristic diversity and habitat heterogeneity of forests and woodlands on local to bioregional scales. These characteristics underpin crucial ecosystem services that include biomass production and carbon sequestration, surface-atmosphere interactions and the provision of foods and habitat for animal assemblages, and transformational changes in these processes are likely to be of great importance in the wake of the fires.

Extremely and very range-restricted species experienced fire over an average of 90–95% of their ranges compared with 57–60% for the most widespread species.

Despite the immediate potential impacts on south-eastern Australian vegetation revealed in this study, the ability of many plant communities and species to recover and regenerate after megafires of this scale remain poorly understood. As we have shown, the size of species ranges and the geographic position of the fires both played an important role in determining the diversity and composition of the fire-affected flora. The demographic impact of the fires on specific taxa will also depend on their ability to survive and recover from fire

Our data show that the majority of species affected by the fires are primarily found in sclerophyll forests and woodlands or shrublands and heathlands. Fire is a natural part of these ecosystems and many species are highly fire-adapted with traits such as a soil-stored seed bank, serotinous cones or fruits, smoke- and/or heat-induced seed germination, fire-cued flowering, thick protective basal bark, epicormic buds or underground lignotubers that either provide protection from fire and/or ensure subsequent recovery. Evidence from 270 species in our study confirms this pattern: 251 (93%) across 93 genera are reportedly fire persisters that can resprout or regenerate via propagules after fire, or both.

For widespread endemic species with ranges of 500 km or more the demographic consequences of the 2019-2020 fires are likely unprecedented over at least the past two centuries. While the majority are also likely to be fire-persisters, they are now at risk of novel range-wide threats during the recovery phase such as dieback and inhibited post-fire recovery caused by myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii), herbivory of regrowth by invasive animals, and drought. Rainforest taxa capable of surviving fire but unable to compete with subsequent incursion of weeds or sclerophyllous species may be under similar pressure. Obligate seeding woody species such as the ash eucalypts (e.g., Eucalyptus fraxinoides) are likely to be under threat if fires return prior to completion of their typically long sexual maturation periods.

Collectively, there are grounds for cautious optimism that most plant species identified here will recover from all but the most intense fire. Despite this resilience, however, recent evidence from forested ecosystems globally suggest that catastrophic fire events are increasingly catalysing dramatic changes in species composition across large areas. In the most extreme cases tipping points are being reached, resulting in transitions from forest to non-forested vegetation.

Impairment of post-fire regeneration has been specifically linked to thresholds in vapour pressure deficit, soil moisture and maximum surface temperature, as well as fire intensity and seed availability. This is particularly concerning because much of the vegetation affected by the Black Summer fires was already suffering from extreme drought, record high temperatures and patchy canopy dieback prior to the onset of the 2019-2020 fire season. Even in the absence of fire these factors can drive rapid shifts in the dynamics and distribution of forest ecosystems. In regions where the Black Summer fires burnt areas that had only recently recovered from previous fires, increasing fire frequency will be an additional stressor.

From: Godfree, R.C., Knerr, N., Encinas-Viso, F. et al. “Implications of the 2019–2020 megafires for the biogeography and conservation of Australian vegetation.” Nat Commun 12, 1023 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21266-5

Firefighter critically burned during Silverado Fire released from hospital

Bill GabbertFebruary 20, 2021UncategorizedCalifornia, injury, Orange County FA, Silverado Fire2 Comments

Two firefighters were severely burned October 26, 2020 on the Southern California wildfire

Dylan Van Iwaarden released from hospital — Dylan Van Iwaarden was released from hospital after being burned on the Silverado Fire. Screengrab from CBS Los Angeles video.

One of the two firefighters that were burned on the Silverado Fire in Orange County, California was released from the hospital Wednesday after spending 114 days in the Burn Center at Orange County Global Medical Center. Dylan Van Iwaarden was severely burned October 26 while working on an Orange County Fire Authority hand crew suppressing the blaze.

Since then he has battled for his life, had 17 surgeries, was in a medically induced coma, intubated, and endured endless procedures. Dylan is now headed to his next phase of recovery at the rehabilitation unit of UC Irvine Medical Center.

Another firefighter on the crew, Phi Le, was also burned during the incident. Both firefighters suffered severe second and third degree burns. The Orange County Register reports that Le spent time in a burn center but has been discharged and is continuing his rehabilitation from home as of Wednesday.

The report on the incident said the crew was firing out when a spot fire ignited below the crew. They escaped downhill to a dozer line but five crew members were impacted by radiant and convective heat, reporting singed hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes while stumbling out of the way of the spot fire’s path. Three others, the report said, “were impacted significantly”.

Federal land management agencies ramping up mobilizations to help with COVID vaccinations

Bill GabbertFebruary 18, 2021February 19, 2021UncategorizedCOVID-19, pandemic3 Comments

Asking qualified personnel to accept 30-day assignments around the country

COVID vaccinations in California. FEMA photo.

Federal land management agencies are ramping up their efforts to assist with COVID vaccinations across the country.

The Department of the Interior has distributed to their personnel a three-page flyer written February 17 seeking qualified personnel to accept 30-day assignments across the country. The document explains, “President Biden has tasked Federal departments and agencies, including DOI, to support FEMA and the Department of Health and Human Services to deliver 100 million doses in 100 days.”

Santon Florea, a spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service, said they have a similar effort underway. The agency has deployed 174 personnel that are currently assigned to the National COVID Vaccine Campaign, administering vaccinations, providing logistical support, and planning at regional and state levels with FEMA and states.

COVID vaccinations, Oakland, CA. USFS photo.

The locations of the assignments are still being developed, but the current focal areas include Oakland and Los Angeles, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Carson City, Nevada; Dover, Delaware; and Denton, Texas. These areas are expected to expand.

The DOI is looking in the Interagency Resource Ordering Capability application (IROC) for agency employees that are qualified as AEMTs, AEMFs, EMTBs, EMTFs, EMTIs, EMTPs and EMTFs. (Some of these position codes are decoded here.)

There is also a need for DOI personnel with command and general staff support qualifications.

Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has cast a wide net in terms of vaccination providers, including MDs, DOs, PAs, RNs, EMTs, pharmacists, pharmacy techs, medical assistants, nurse assistants, veterinarians, etc.

The assignments are slated to be 30 days with a 2-day break somewhere in the middle. But, the flyer states, “There is critical, unprecedented demand for vaccinators, and qualified EMS resources should come forward with their availability, even if short of the desired 30-day commitment. Consideration will be given to 14- and 21-day assignments, if necessary.”

Agency personnel should make sure that their qualifications are entered in the Incident Qualifications and Certification System (IQCS) and make themselves available as a resource in IROC.

Currently a Type 1 Incident Management Team is assigned to support operations in the state of Idaho. And last month another Type 1 IMT assisted in planning for vaccinations in Washington. The U.S. Forest Service has more than 50 qualified employees helping administer vaccines at Los Angeles and the Oakland Coliseum.

The photos on this page show assistance being provided in California by the National Park Service, CAL FIRE, by people in what appear to be U.S. Forest Service uniforms, and other agencies.

The three-page flyer can be downloaded here.

If you are qualified and want to help but are not a DOI or Forest Service employee, contact your local, state, tribal, or territorial health department.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to John.

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