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FIRE IGNITIONS, FIRE-INDUCED DEBRIS FLOWS AND THEIR ROLES IN LAND MANAGEMENT DECISION MAKING
Author
Gibble, Katherine T.
Pierce, Jennifer L.
Lindquist, Eric
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2015
Body

Fire plays an inherent role in shaping the lands of the West and, as a result, is integral to western landscape management. While natural fire ignitions assist in maintaining a landscape's fire regime, unplanned ignitions often must be managed to meet resource and protection objectives (USFS). Unplanned ignitions are prominently human-caused and commonly occur in close proximity to homes and roads (NIFC). The cost and risk associated with extinguishing unplanned ignitions and managing the resulting landscape raises the need to recognize patterns of ignition distribution, the unintended consequences they have on the landscape, and where this understanding fits into land management decision making. The Boise Front provides an excellent setting for this analysis to unfold. The foothills of the Boise Front have been altered by human activity; transforming from sagebrush-steppe-dominated to invasive grass-dominated terrain and, as a result, has changed the role of ignitions and landscape response to fire. We propose the examination of the spatial distribution of ignitions in the Boise Front, highlighting areas most prone to or threatened by ignitions. In addition, we will assay the overlap of ignition distribution with areas that are most prone to debris flows, erosive phenomena apt to occur on the vulnerable foothills of the Boise Front. Areas that have both high debris flow potential and high frequency of ignitions will be highlighted, as fire exacerbates the likelihood of debris flow occurrence, creating a significant threat to life and property to those within the flow's path. Informing this work will be a collaboration with land managers who play a role in fire-related land management in order to better understand the utility of these factors in decision making. Here we present our preliminary findings, ongoing work and results of collaborative efforts with land managers.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Sacramento, CA
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts