WUI: An insurmountable task??? Urbanization brings Fragmentation - PDF document

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 The Paradox of Vegetative Fire Risk vs. Societal Benefits in a SW Wildland-Urban Interface Community Christopher A. Dicus Kenneth Delfino WUI: An insurmountable task??? • Urbanization brings… • Fragmentation • > ignitions • >costs & losses, type conversion • >Invasive species • Fuel treatments 1

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 Hazards vs. benefits Pismo Beach, California • Vegetation provides benefits • Air pollution removal • Carbon sequestration Vegetation is • (Take THAT THAT peak oil!!!) • Soil stabilization more than fuel!! • Home cooling costs • Stormwater retention • Wildlife habitat • And on and on… Previously… • FARSITE not effective at fine- scale parcel-level analysis • CITYgreen not effective at… • anything • (except spending tax dollars) • Would I-tree work??? • UFORE • (Urban Forest Effects Model) • Air pollution removal • C sequestration • Slew of other goodies 2

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 The objectives…. For major ecotypes in an E. Sierra, high- desert WUI community, determine … 1. Potential fire behavior 2. Societal benefits • Pollution removal • C sequestration 3. If I-tree is going to work Study Site Study Site • Kennedy Meadows • Eastern Sierras • ~6500’ between Sierra Crest and Mojave Desert 3

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 Study Site Study Site • Risk assessed in 2006 as part of consulting work Pinyon • Pinyon pine • Pinus monophylla • Juniper (minor) • Juniperus californica • Some litter, grass, and shrubs 4

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 Sagebrush • Sagebrush • Artemisia tridentata • Rabbit brush • Ericameria nauseosus Manter Fire (2000) • Both burned… • Until the wind stopped 5

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 Burned • Low annual grasses • (when it rains) • Pinyon snags • Very little regeneration Fire Behavior • Fuel per SSGIC • Pinyon = TU1 • Sagebrush = GS2 • Burned = GR1 • Weather per Manter • Calibrated in FARSITE per Manter progression • Midflame Winds = 15 mph upslope • High Temp = 95 o F • RH = 10% 6

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 Societal benefits • 3 plots per ecotype • Trees • Species, DBH, Ht, Crown Base Height and width • Shrubs • Species, Ht, Width, % Crown cover • Calculated benefits for entire study area • Partitioned benefits via leaf area estimates • Trees easy • Shrubs hard . 7

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 Rate of Spread (chains/hr) Sagebrush Sagebrush Burned Burned n n o o y n y n P i i P # I Structures Flame Length (ft) <VALUE> 0 <4' 4'-8' 8'-11' 11'+ 8

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 Flame Length (ft) h h s s u u r r b b e e g g a a S S Pinyon Pinyon Burned Burned Pollutant Removal (kg ha -1 yr -1 ) 12.00 Pinyon ABC Sagebrush 10.00 Burned 8.00 α = 0.05 for g/ha/yr treatment 6.00 effects K 4.00 ABC 2.00 AAB ABC ABC 0.00 PM10 CO NO2 O3 S02 Pollutant 9

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 Pollutant Removal ($ ha -1 yr -1 ) ABC 70.00 Pinyon Sagebrush 60.00 Burned ABC 50.00 α = 0.05 for 40.00 $/ha/yr treatment effects 30.00 20.00 ABC ABC 10.00 AAB ABC 0.00 Total PM10 CO NO2 O3 S02 Pollutant Stored C (kg/ha) A AB α = 0.05 for 16000.00 treatment 14000.00 effects 12000.00 A 10000.00 K g/ha 8000.00 6000.00 B 4000.00 2000.00 0.00 Pinyon Sagebrush Burned Ecotype 10

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 C sequestration A 700.00 600.00 500.00 Kg/ha/yr 400.00 300.00 200.00 B B 100.00 0.00 Pinyon Burned Ecotype So what does it mean??? • Fire Behavior: Shrubs>Pinyon>Burned Fire Behavior: Shrubs>Pinyon>Burned • • Didn Didn’ ’t consider transition to crown fire t consider transition to crown fire • • • Flames <1/2 your problem Flames <1/2 your problem • Fire behavior pretty straight forward Fire behavior pretty straight forward • • • Will also use FFE/FVS where possible Will also use FFE/FVS where possible • Beware the near Beware the near- -structure variability!!! structure variability!!! • • Benefits: Pinyon Benefits: Pinyon greatest greatest • • I I- -Tree (UFORE) needs tweaking Tree (UFORE) needs tweaking • • • Had to send away data for analysis Had to send away data for analysis • • I I- -Tree good, I Tree good, I- -Shrub needed Shrub needed − Shrubs still the red Shrubs still the red- -headed stepchild headed stepchild − 11

C. Dicus & K. Defino Association for Fire Ecology 2008 Jon Large • Future work • Specific fuel treatments Chris Hamma Alex Kirkpatrick Holistic approach needed… Construction Fuels Management Suppression Land-use planning Education 12