The Council of Western State Foresters and the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) has embarked on a wildfire risk assessment of all lands for the 17 western states and selected Pacific islands. This assessment is known as the “West Wide Wildfire Risk Assessment, or “WWA”. Project funding has been secured in the form of State Fire Assistance grant funds allocated to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) to administer the project on behalf of CWSF/WFLC. The Sanborn Map Company is the contractor working with ODF to complete the assessment.
Background
The WWA will produce a wildfire risk assessment to quantify the magnitude of the current wildland fire problem in the west and provide a baseline for quantifying mitigation activities and monitoring change over time. It will be used to facilitate national, regional and state level strategic planning and policy discussions. The methodology implemented will provide results comparable across the entire West providing a consistent basis for interpretation and use.
Deliverables
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A Comprehensive Wildfire Database: A comprehensive GIS data repository reflecting current conditions will be developed. This GIS database will leverage existing federal mapping programs combined with state, tribal and local data. The database will not only be used to derive the assessment outputs but will also be delivered to support on-going fire protection planning efforts |
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Conducting the Wildfire Risk Assessment: The assessment will utilize the GIS database and leverage existing proven risk models to derive measures of wildfire threat, fire effects, and wildfire risk. Since a significant part of the fire problem in the west is associated with federal and tribal lands, and many of these fires affect state jurisdiction the assessment will include all lands. |
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Final Report – Methods, Findings and Using the Assessment Products: A summary of the risk assessment methods and findings will be developed including state and regional statistics. The assessment summary reports will facilitate comprehensive comparisons between regional geographic areas and states. |
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Technology Transfer is a key element of the WWA project and outputs will be delivered with detailed information in a form ready to use by project partners. Nonetheless, it will be the responsibility of the user to be familiar with the value, assumptions, and accuracy of WWA products. More specific information will be developed as the assessment progresses. |
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The WWA will involve the 17 western states and selected Pacific Islands |
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Updated LANDFIRE data will be the backbone of the WWA. This example for Colorado utilized disturbance data to update surface fuels (shown) and canopy characteristics. |
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A primary output of the WWA will be a measure of Wildfire Threat referred to as the Wildland Fire Susceptibility Index. This example in Colorado shows an area most prone to wildfires. |
