Reform forest fire management

North, Malcolm P.; Stephens, Scott L.; Collins, Brandon M.; Agee, James K.; Aplet, Gregory H.; Franklin, Jerry F.; Fulé, Peter Z.

doi:10.1126/science.aab2356

Cited by 407 publications

(289 citation statements)

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“…For this purpose, we developed fire index time series (as described earlier) based on only the nine sites (18,24) that were recording fire since 1600 CE (1642 and 1686, respectively) and the 20th-century area-based fire index. These fire index time series were therefore based on a constant number of recording sites (9,18,24) during the pre-1908 section of their time series.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Future area burned in California is projected to further increase with anthropogenic warming (8). With more than half of the annual federal firefighting budget already being spent suppressing fires in California (4), a sustainable system of fire management requires approaches beyond active fire suppression (9). Predicting future fire activity is challenging because humans can alter fire regimes and fire-climate relationships even if climate becomes more conducive to fire (10).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Socioecological transitions trigger fire regime shifts and modulate fire–climate interactions in the Sierra Nevada, USA, 1600–2015 CE

Taylor

Trouet

Skinner³

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

181

158

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Large wildfires in California cause significant socioecological impacts, and half of the federal funds for fire suppression are spent each year in California. Future fire activity is projected to increase with climate change, but predictions are uncertain because humans can modulate or even override climatic effects on fire activity. Here we test the hypothesis that changes in socioecological systems from the Native American to the current period drove shifts in fire activity and modulated fire-climate relationships in the Sierra Nevada. We developed a 415-y record (1600-2015 CE) of fire activity by merging a treering-based record of Sierra Nevada fire history with a 20th-century record based on annual area burned. Large shifts in the fire record corresponded with socioecological change, and not climate change, and socioecological conditions amplified and buffered fire response to climate. Fire activity was highest and fire-climate relationships were strongest after Native American depopulation-following mission establishment (ca. 1775 CE)-reduced the self-limiting effect of Native American burns on fire spread. With the Gold Rush and EuroAmerican settlement (ca. 1865 CE), fire activity declined, and the strong multidecadal relationship between temperature and fire decayed and then disappeared after implementation of fire suppression (ca. 1904 CE). The amplification and buffering of fire-climate relationships by humans underscores the need for parameterizing thresholds of human-vs. climate-driven fire activity to improve the skill and value of fire-climate models for addressing the increasing fire risk in California.anthropogenic landscapes | fire ecology | land use | regime shifts | climate variability A n increase in the extent of forest fires in the American West since the mid-1980s (1) has enhanced risks to lives, property, water quality, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and other ecosystem services (2). This increasing wildfire trend has become even steeper during the past decade, with a higher number of large wildfires (>100 km 2 ) each year in each Western state compared with the annual average from 1980 to 2000 (3). The fire problem is particularly acute in California, where a history of fire suppression (4), climate change (1, 5), more extreme fire weather (6), expanding development (7), and massive wildfires (e.g., 2013 Rim Fire, 1,042 km 2 ) have caused significant socioecological impacts. Future area burned in California is projected to further increase with anthropogenic warming (8). With more than half of the annual federal firefighting budget already being spent suppressing fires in California (4), a sustainable system of fire management requires approaches beyond active fire suppression (9). Predicting future fire activity is challenging because humans can alter fire regimes and fire-climate relationships even if climate becomes more conducive to fire (10). Changes in socioecological systems (SESs) can modulate or even override climatic effects on fire regimes through changing land use, igniti...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioecological transitions trigger fire regime shifts and modulate fire–climate interactions in the Sierra Nevada, USA, 1600–2015 CE

Taylor

Trouet

Skinner³

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

181

158

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The Amendment established the legal framework for the management of over 46,000 km 2 of National Forests lands. Nearly a century of fire suppression in the Sierra Nevada has had the unintended consequence of placing millions of hectares of forest at risk of catastrophic fire (van Wagtendonk 1998;North et al 2015). This regional assessment of fire hazard and fuel loads was reflected in the Amendment (USFS 2004), where modifying wildland fire behavior was a management priority.…”

Section: Background/methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Word to the Wise: Advice for Scientists Engaged in Collaborative Adaptive Management

Hopkinson

Huber

Saah

2017

Environmental Management

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Collaborative adaptive management (CAM) is a process for making decisions about the environment in the face of uncertainty and conflict. Scientists have a central role to play in these decisions. However, while scientists are well-trained to reduce uncertainty by discovering new knowledge, most lack experience with the means to mitigate conflict in contested situations. To address this gap, we drew from our efforts coordinating a large CAM effort, the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project, to offer advice to our fellow environmental scientists. Key challenges posed by CAM include the confusion caused by multiple institutional cultures, the need to provide information at management-relevant scales, frequent turn-over in participants, fluctuations in enthusiasm among key constituencies, and diverse definitions of success among partners. Effective strategies included a dedication to consistency, a commitment to transparency, the willingness to communicate frequently via multiple forums, and the capacity for flexibility.CAM represents a promising, new model for scientific engagement with the public. Learning the lessons of effective collaboration in environmental management is an essential task to achieve the shared goal of a sustainable future.

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“…For example, warmer and drier conditions are increasing the frequency and size of wildfires throughout many areas of the world [89]. How to manage the threats from large area of wildfires is debatable although comprehensive strategies have been proposed [90][91][92]. There are proposed management options that may be implemented to minimize the impacts of drought on water quantity and quality [10].…”

Section: Be Realistic About Forest Management Optionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest Management Challenges for Sustaining Water Resources in the Anthropocene

Sun

Vose

2016

Forests

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Abstract:The Earth has entered the Anthropocene epoch that is dominated by humans who demand unprecedented quantities of goods and services from forests. The science of forest hydrology and watershed management generated during the past century provides a basic understanding of relationships among forests and water and offers management principles that maximize the benefits of forests for people while sustaining watershed ecosystems. However, the rapid pace of changes in climate, disturbance regimes, invasive species, human population growth, and land use expected in the 21st century is likely to create substantial challenges for watershed management that may require new approaches, models, and best management practices. These challenges are likely to be complex and large scale, involving a combination of direct and indirect biophysical watershed responses, as well as socioeconomic impacts and feedbacks. We discuss the complex relationships between forests and water in a rapidly changing environment, examine the trade-offs and conflicts between water and other resources, and propose new management approaches for sustaining water resources in the Anthropocene.

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Reform forest fire management

Abstract: Agency incentives undermine policy effectiveness

Cited by 407 publications

References 9 publications

Socioecological transitions trigger fire regime shifts and modulate fire–climate interactions in the Sierra Nevada, USA, 1600–2015 CE

Socioecological transitions trigger fire regime shifts and modulate fire–climate interactions in the Sierra Nevada, USA, 1600–2015 CE

A Word to the Wise: Advice for Scientists Engaged in Collaborative Adaptive Management

Forest Management Challenges for Sustaining Water Resources in the Anthropocene

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