Optimizing Landscape Treatments for Reducing Wildfire Risk and Improving Ecological Sustainability of Ponderosa pine Forests with Mixed Severity Fire Regimes

摘要

A mixed severity fire regime historically created complex landscape structures in ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Front Range. Mitigating present wildfire risks and restoring these forests to ecologically sustainable conditions requires new guidelines for landscape treatment, because earlier guidelines developed for less complex forests with a historical low intensity surface fire regime are inappropriate. However, vast acreages need treatment while only limited resources are available. A landscape strategy is needed to provide the greatest ecological benefit and protection from severe wildfire over the largest area at the least cost. This proposal most closely aligns with Task 3 in the Joint Fire Science Program RFP, 2001-1. The proposal addresses a suite of values at risk in the landscape (forests at risk of high severity fire, erosion, habitat for species of concern, structures), and factors affecting forest treatment options (treatment effects on wildfire behavior, treatment cost, roads and access). A dual modeling approach will be used to identify and evaluate treatment strategies at the scale of 100,000-acre watersheds. Modeling will focus on simulating vegetation changes spatially in the presence and interaction of insects, disease, and wildland fire, and on optimal scheduling of treatments that effectively meet resource and management objectives.