The effect of aerial suppression on the containment time of Australian wildfires estimated by fire management personnel

Plucinski, Matt P.; McCarthy, G. J.; Hollis, Jennifer; Gould, James S.

doi:10.1071/wf11063

Cited by 61 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Primarily the focus has been to use planned burning to reduce the risk from fire to human life and property situated within or adjacent to native vegetation (Fernandes and Botelho 2003;Penman et al 2011). However, additional strategies are often adopted by agencies to protect life and property such as mechanical fuel treatments (Syphard et al 2011;Syphard et al 2012;North et al 2015), community engagement (Eriksen and Prior 2013;Penman et al 2015a) and fire suppression (Calkin et al 2005;Plucinski et al 2012;Penman et al 2013b;Penman et al 2014). Several studies in Australia have found that while planned burning may reduce the extent of wildfire, the net effect is an increase in overall fire extent and frequency (Boer et al 2009;King et al 2013;Price 2015) leading to the emergence of new landscape fire regimes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

Bentley

Penman

2017

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Abstract. Wildfires are a natural disturbance in many ecosystems, creating challenges for land management agencies who need to simultaneously reduce risk to people and maintain ecological values. Here we use the PHOENIX RapidFire fire behaviour simulator to compare fuel treatment strategies that meet the twin objectives of reducing wildfire risk to human settlements and a fire sensitive endangered species, the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in south-eastern Australia. The local koala population is in decline and a conservation management plan is being prepared to exclude wildfire for a 10-year period to assist with population recovery. Twelve scenarios developed by the land management agencies were compared using four indicators: wildfire size; burn probability; impact from exposure to fire; and treatment cost. Compared with the current risk setting, three treatment scenarios were found to reduce wildfire size and burn probability concurrently to both people and koalas. These strategies worked by increasing the landscape area treated, which came with increased financial cost. However, the impact from exposure to fire for both property and koala habitat remains high. Additional complementary strategies beyond landscape fuel reductions are needed to reduce impact from exposure in the event of a wildfire.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

Bentley

Penman

2017

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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“…Globally, wildfire accidents, particularly those caused by humans, have become more common in recent years (Plucinski et al 2012;Page et al 2014;Krawchuk and Moritz 2014). For example, from 2000 to 2013, there were 115,466 wildfires in China, the majority of which were due to human activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency logistics for wildfire suppression based on forecasted disaster evolution

2017

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This paper aims to develop a two-layer emergency logistics system with a single depot and multiple demand sites for wildfire suppression and disaster relief. For the first layer, a fire propagation model is first built using both the flame-igniting attributes of wildfires and the factors affecting wildfire propagation and patterns. Second, based on the forecasted propagation behavior, the emergency levels of fire sites in terms of demand on suppression resources are evaluated and prioritized. For the second layer, considering the prioritized fire sites, the corresponding resource allocation problem and vehicle routing problem (VRP) are investigated and addressed. The former is approached using a model that can minimize the total forest loss (from multiple sites) and suppression costs incurred accordingly. This model is constructed and solved using principles of calculus. To address the latter, a multi-objective VRP model is developed to minimize both the travel time and cost of the resource delivery vehicles. A heuristic algorithm is designed to provide the associated solutions of the VRP model. As a result, this paper provides useful insights into effective wildfire suppression by rationalizing resources regarding different fire propagation rates. The supporting models can also be generalized and tailored to tackle logistics resource optimization issues in dynamic operational environments, particularly those sharing the same feature of single supply and multiple demands in logistics planning and operations (e.g., allocation of ambulances and police forces).

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“…Conditions associated with low severity fire (e.g. moderate fire weather, riparian areas, young fuels) may facilitate fire suppression (Kauffman 2001;Plucinski et al 2012). By contrast, crown fires occurring at the wildland-urban interface can have disastrous implications in terms of loss of life and property .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can precipitation influence landscape controls on wildfire severity? A case study within temperate eucalypt forests of south-eastern Australia

Collins

Bradstock

Penman

2014

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Abstract. The environmental, economic and social impacts of wildfires depend on spatial patterns of fire severity. An understanding as to how drivers of fire severity vary across broad vegetation communities exists. However, examination of variation within communities in response to gradients of moisture has received little attention so far. This study examined whether relationships between environmental variables (i.e. fire weather, topography and fuel age) and fire severity were modified by increasing mean annual precipitation. Understorey fires were more likely to occur in young fuels (i.e. ,5 years since fire) in drier sites, although this effect diminished as precipitation increased. The probability of occurrence of understorey fires under non-extreme weather and on steep slopes was reduced in wetter areas. Relationships between crown fire and weather, topography and fuel age were largely unaltered by the precipitation gradient, with only a marginally significant interaction occurring between weather and mean annual precipitation. Greater fine fuel accumulation associated with increased precipitation presumably reduced fuel limitations imposed by environmental factors (i.e. fire weather, slope, fuel age), altering their relative control on the probability of understorey fire. The probability of crown fires is predominantly driven by fire weather and is consequently less sensitive to precipitation gradients. Consideration of precipitation gradients will be necessary when identifying controls of fire severity and devising effective fire management strategies.

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The effect of aerial suppression on the containment time of Australian wildfires estimated by fire management personnel

Cited by 61 publications

References 12 publications

Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

Emergency logistics for wildfire suppression based on forecasted disaster evolution

Can precipitation influence landscape controls on wildfire severity? A case study within temperate eucalypt forests of south-eastern Australia

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