Description
Book SynopsisDevelop accurate computer models to determine wildfire risks and controlled-burn benefits!Although scientists now recognize that fire is essential to many ecosystems, the ecological and political issues of managing wildfire continue to be vexing. Mapping Wildfire Hazards and Risks offers multiple perspectives on using a Geographic Information System (GIS) for more effective wildfire management. This innovative technology is the ideal tool to organize and display all the information available, so authorities can make informed judgments based on all the facts.Because the authors are not merely theorizing but discussing the GIS they are actually building and using, Mapping Wildfire Hazards and Risks offers practical ideas and perspectives, including:
- specific information on the modeling approach and kinds of data utilized
- valuable discussions of the social and environmental factors included in the model
- techniques for predicting the effects of wildfire on neighborhoods, soil erosion, sedimentation, and air quality
- predictions of long-term ecosystem recovery given wildfires of different sizes and intensities
- maps, charts, tables, and formulas to make the process of building a GIS understandable and accessible
Mapping Wildfire Hazards and Risks is a compilation of the ideas of federal and state agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations on how to rank and prioritize forested watershed areas that are in need of prescribed fire. This book provides the essential information for deciding how to set priorities for wildfire management that might reduce risks or lower future damages.
Table of ContentsContents Preface , Acknowledgments , SECTION I , Chapter 1. Indexing Resource Data for Forest Health Decisionmaking , Chapter 2. Characteristics of the Study Area, Data Utilized, and Modeling Approach , SECTION II , Chapter 3. Indexing Colorado Watersheds to Risk of Wildfire , Chapter 4. Predicting Post-Fire Erosion and Sedimentation Risk on a Landscape Scale: A Case Study from Colorado , Chapter 5. Modeling Biotic Habitat High Risk Areas , Chapter 6. A Screening Method for Identifying Potential Air Quality Risks from Extreme Wildfire Events , Chapter 7. Assessing Potential Wildfire Effects on People , Chapter 8. Assessing the Impacts of Severe Fire on Forest Ecosystem Recovery , SECTION III , Chapter 9. A Database for Spatial Assessments of Fire Characteristics, Fuel Profiles, and PM10 Emissions , Chapter 10. Mapping Ecological Attributes Using an Integrated Vegetation Classification System Approach , Chapter 11. Inherent Disturbance Regimes: A Reference for Evaluating the Long-Term Maintenance of Ecosystems , Chapter 12. A Wildfire and Emissions Policy Model for the Boise National Forest , Chapter 13. Methodology for Determining Wildfire Land Prescribed Fire Air Quality Impacts on Areas in the Western United States , Index , Reference Notes Included,
