Breaking Down to Create Barriers Barriers: Reducing wildfire risk in the Boise Foothills

摘要

Boise, Idaho, may be home to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), but that makes it no less susceptible to urban-interface fires. In the foothills, neighbors and land management agencies are working together to manage those risks. The Boise Foothills are a dynamic recreational backdrop to downtown Boise, the capital city of the Great State of Idaho. In addition to the endless recreational opportunities that the foothills provide, many families have taken up residence in the wildland urban interface of this state landmark. Foothills residents share key winter habitat for big game species — but this forage is also fuel. As we know, we cannot wait until the smoke is in the air to address the issues and risks that come when homes, fuels and topography align. We need to be able to forecast the impacts that a wildland fire incident will have in the urban interface beforehand and take the appropriate mitigation measures to ensure firefighter and public safety.