Economic Effects of Catastrophic Wildfires: Assessing the Effectiveness of FuelReduction Programs for Reducing the Economic Impacts of Catastrophic Forest Fire Events.(Topic 8 of the Research Grant.)

摘要

In reaction to the catastrophic wildfires during the summer of 1998, the worstwildfire season in Florida in recent memory, a variety of policy and programmatic changes have been proposed for reducing the probability of future catastrophic wildfires in Florida. Most of the proposals involve various intensities and means for implementing fuel reduction programs. For example, the Governor's Wildfire Response and Mitigation Review Committee recommends that pubic land management agencies implement aggressive and comprehensive prescribed burning programs on public lands and provide incentives for private landowners to develop pro-active fuel management strategies. One bill being drafted for the Florida Legislature in 1999 would give the Division of Forestry authority to prescribe burn any area of land (including private property) that the division reasonably determines to be in danger of wildfire. Although fuel reduction treatments may provide benefits in terms of reducing the probability of catastrophic wildfire, the treatments (particularly if initiated on a large scale) may also generate potentially large external costs in Florida, e.g. impacts of smoke on tourism, human health, and quality of life.