Register      Login
International Journal of Wildland Fire International Journal of Wildland Fire Society
Journal of the International Association of Wildland Fire
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Pre-season fire management planning: the use of Potential Operational Delineations to prepare for wildland fire events

S. Michelle Greiner A B , Courtney A. Schultz https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9972-7802 A and Chad Kooistra A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1472, USA.

B Corresponding author. Email: michelle.greiner@colostate.edu

International Journal of Wildland Fire 30(3) 170-178 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF20124
Submitted: 1 August 2020  Accepted: 1 December 2020   Published: 16 December 2020

Abstract

US fire scientists are developing Potential Wildfire Operational Delineations, also known as ‘PODs’, as a pre-fire season planning tool to promote safe and effective wildland fire response, strengthen risk management approaches in fire management and better align fire management objectives. PODs are a collaborative planning approach based on spatial analytics to identify potential wildfire control lines and assess the desirability of fire before ignition. They offer the opportunity to apply risk management principles with partners before the compressed timeframe of incident response. We sought to understand the potential utility of PODs and factors that may affect their use through semistructured interviews with personnel on several national forests. Interviewees said PODs offer a promising shift in the wildland fire management dynamic, particularly by facilitating proactive communication and coordination about wildfire response. Successfully employing PODs will require leadership commitment, stakeholder and partner engagement and interdisciplinary staff involvement. Our work offers insights for national forests and other jurisdictions where managers are looking to strengthen coordination and strategic approaches for wildland fire response by utilising pre-season collaboration and data analytics.

Keywords: collaboration, communication, decision support, fire planning, fire policy, forest policy, risk management, wildfire paradox.


References

Abrams J (2019) The emergence of network governance in US National Forest Administration: causal factors and propositions for future research. Forest Policy and Economics 106, 101977
The emergence of network governance in US National Forest Administration: causal factors and propositions for future research.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Bergemann HA, Schultz CA, Cheng AS (2019) Participating in collaborative implementation: the role of collaborative history and context. In ‘A new era for collaborative forest management: policy and practice insights from the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program’. (Eds WH Butler, CA Schultz) pp. 178–195. (Routledge)

Boyer EJ, Van Slyke DM, Rogers JD (2016) An empirical examination of public involvement in public–private partnerships: qualifying the benefits of public involvement in PPPs. Journal of Public Administration: Research and Theory 26, 45–61.

Calkin DE, Cohen JD, Finney MA, Thompson MP (2014) How risk management can prevent future wildfire disasters in the wildland–urban interface. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 111, 746–751.
How risk management can prevent future wildfire disasters in the wildland–urban interface.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 24344292PubMed |

Calkin DE, Thompson MP, Finney MA (2015) Negative consequences of positive feedbacks in US wildfire management. Forest Ecosystems 2, 9
Negative consequences of positive feedbacks in US wildfire management.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Charnley S, Kelly EC, Fischer AP (2020) Fostering collective action to reduce wildfire risk across property boundaries in the American West. Environmental Research Letters 15, 025007
Fostering collective action to reduce wildfire risk across property boundaries in the American West.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Creswell JW (2014) ‘Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches’, 4th edn. (Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA)

Drescher M, Perera AH, Johnson CJ, Buse LJ, Drew CA, Burgman MA (2013) Toward rigorous use of expert knowledge in ecological research. Ecosphere 4, 83
Toward rigorous use of expert knowledge in ecological research.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Dunn CJ, Calkin DE, Thompson MP (2017) Towards enhanced risk management: planning, decision-making and monitoring of US wildfire response. International Journal of Wildland Fire 26, 551–556.
Towards enhanced risk management: planning, decision-making and monitoring of US wildfire response.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Ewel KC (2001) Natural resource management: the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. Ecosystems 4, 716–722.
Natural resource management: the need for interdisciplinary collaboration.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Fernandez S, Rainey HG (2006) Managing successful organizational change in the public sector. Public Administration Review 66, 168–176.
Managing successful organizational change in the public sector.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Jolly WM, Cochrane MA, Freeborn PH, Holden ZA, Brown TJ, Williamson GJ, Bowman DM (2015) Climate-induced variations in global wildfire danger from 1979 to 2013. Nature Communications 6, 7537
Climate-induced variations in global wildfire danger from 1979 to 2013.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26172867PubMed |

Kuipers BS, Higgs M, Kickert W, Tummers L, Grandia J, Van der Voet J (2014) The management of change in public organizations: a literature review. Public Administration 92, 1–20.
The management of change in public organizations: a literature review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Maguire LA, Albright EA (2005) Can behavioral decision theory explain risk-averse fire management decisions? Forest Ecology and Management 211, 47–58.
Can behavioral decision theory explain risk-averse fire management decisions?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

McCool SF, Guthrie K (2001) Mapping the dimensions of successful public participation in messy natural resources management situations. Society & Natural Resources 14, 309–323.
Mapping the dimensions of successful public participation in messy natural resources management situations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

McWethy DB, Schoennagel T, Higuera PE, Krawchuk M, Harvey BJ, Metcalf EC, Schultz C, Miller C, Metcalf AL, Buma B, Virapongse A, Kulig JC, Stedman RC, Ratajczak Z, Nelson CR, Kolden C (2019) Rethinking resilience to wildfire. Nature Sustainability 2, 797–804.
Rethinking resilience to wildfire.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Moon K, Brewer TD, Januchowski-Hartley SR, Adams VM, Blackman DA (2016) A guideline to improve qualitative social science publishing in ecology and conservation journals. Ecology and Society 21, 17
A guideline to improve qualitative social science publishing in ecology and conservation journals.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Moritz MA, Batllori E, Bradstock RA, Gill AM, Handmer J, Hessburg PF, Leonard J, McCaffrey S, Odion DC, Schoennagel T, Syphard AD (2014) Learning to coexist with wildfire. Nature 515, 58–66.
Learning to coexist with wildfire.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 25373675PubMed |

Moseley C, Charnley S (2014) Understanding micro-processes of institutionalization: stewardship contracting and national forest management. Policy Sciences 47, 69–98.
Understanding micro-processes of institutionalization: stewardship contracting and national forest management.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

North MP, Stephens SL, Collins BM, Agee JK, Aplet G, Franklin JF, Fulé PZ (2015) Reform forest fire management. Science 349, 1280–1281.
Reform forest fire management.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26383934PubMed |

O’Connor CD, Calkin DE (2019) Engaging the fire before it starts: a case study from the 2017 Pinal Fire (Arizona). Wildfire 28, 14–18.

O’Connor CD, Thompson MP, Rodríguez y Silva F (2016) Getting ahead of the wildfire problem: quantifying and mapping management challenges and opportunities. Geosciences 6, 35
Getting ahead of the wildfire problem: quantifying and mapping management challenges and opportunities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

O’Connor CD, Calkin DE, Thompson MP (2017) An empirical machine learning method for predicting potential fire control locations for pre-fire planning and operational fire management. International Journal of Wildland Fire 26, 587–597.
An empirical machine learning method for predicting potential fire control locations for pre-fire planning and operational fire management.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Schoennagel T, Balch JK, Brenkert-Smith H, Dennison PE, Harvey BJ, Krawchuk MA, Mietkiewicz N, Morgan P, Moritz MA, Rasker R, Turner MG, Whitlock C (2017) Adapt to more wildfire in western North American forests as climate changes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114, 4582–4590.
Adapt to more wildfire in western North American forests as climate changes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 28416662PubMed |

Schultz CA, Moseley C (2019) Collaborations and capacities to transform fire management. Science 366, 38–40.
Collaborations and capacities to transform fire management.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 31604295PubMed |

Schultz CA, Thompson MP, McCaffrey SM (2019) Forest Service fire management and the elusiveness of change. Fire Ecology 15, 13
Forest Service fire management and the elusiveness of change.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Schultz C, Kooistra C, Miller L, Ferguson SM (2020) Findings from a third-party assessment of the Forest Service’s Risk Management Assistance Team. Colorado State University Public Lands Policy Group Practitioner Paper PLPG-4. (Fort Collins, CO)

Steelman TA (2010) ‘Implementing innovation: fostering enduring change in environmental and natural resource governance.’ (Georgetown University Press: Washington, DC, USA)

Steelman TA, McCaffrey S (2013) Best practices in risk and crisis communication: implications for natural hazards management. Natural Hazards 65, 683–705.
Best practices in risk and crisis communication: implications for natural hazards management.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Steelman T, Nowell B (2019) Evidence of effectiveness in the Cohesive Strategy: measuring and improving wildfire response. International Journal of Wildland Fire 28, 267–274.
Evidence of effectiveness in the Cohesive Strategy: measuring and improving wildfire response.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Stephens SL, Collins BM, Biber E, Fulé PZ (2016) US federal fire and forest policy: emphasizing resilience in dry forests. Ecosphere 7, 1–19.
US federal fire and forest policy: emphasizing resilience in dry forests.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Stratton RD (2020) The path to strategic wildland fire management planning. Wildfire 29, 24–31.

Talley JL, Schneider J, Lindquist E (2016) A simplified approach to stakeholder engagement in natural resource management: the Five-Feature Framework. Ecology and Society 21, 38
A simplified approach to stakeholder engagement in natural resource management: the Five-Feature Framework.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Thompson MP, Bowden P, Brough A, Scott JH, Gilbertson-Day J, Taylor A, Anderson J, Haas JR (2016) Application of wildfire risk assessment results to wildfire response planning in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Forests 7, 64
Application of wildfire risk assessment results to wildfire response planning in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Thompson MP, MacGregor DG, Dunn CJ, Calkin DE, Phipps J (2018) Rethinking the wildland fire management system. Journal of Forestry 116, 382–390.
Rethinking the wildland fire management system.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Thompson MP, Wei Y, Calkin DE, O’Connor CD, Dunn CJ, Anderson NM, Hogland JS (2019) Risk management and analytics in wildfire response. Current Forestry Reports 5, 226–239.
Risk management and analytics in wildfire response.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

US Forest Service (2018) Toward shared stewardship across landscapes: an outcome-based investment strategy. USDA Forest Service Report FS-118. Available at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/PA_NRCSConsumption/download?cid=nrcseprd1463885&ext=pdf [Verified 2 December 2020]

Wilson RS, Winter PL, Maguire LA, Ascher T (2011) Managing wildfire events: risk‐based decision-making among a group of Federal fire managers. Risk Analysis: An International Journal 31, 805–818.
Managing wildfire events: risk‐based decision-making among a group of Federal fire managers.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |