Informational Needs and Decision-Making for Prescribed Burns within the United States

A range of fire weather products exist across a number of government and private entities. However, it is unclear how many and in what ways current fire weather products are used and if they are meeting the information needs of prescribed burn planners and decision-makers, as opposed to wildfire-focused needs. In an attempt to further progress prescribed fire practices, this research investigates how weather and climate information are used when planning and implementing prescribed burns through virtual and in-person semi-structured interviews with prescribed burn personnel across the US. The research questions guiding this study include: (1) What are key decision points, including “go/no-go decisions,” leading up to a prescribed burn?; (2) What information sources do prescribed burn personnel rely upon to make decisions?; (3) Throughout the decision timeline, what types of weather information are used to inform decisions, and how are these types of information used?; and (4) Are there weather and climate-related information gaps that would improve or support decisions leading up to prescribed burns? (e.g., new products, refined products, services).

Additionally, participants were asked about their overall experiences with prescribed burning and past experiences with wildfires. Preliminary results indicate that there is a desire to use products from government agencies; however, the difficulties accessing data lead burn personnel to use private sector data. While forecast and climate information are important for decisions, there are a number of sociopolitical challenges that hinder prescribed burning. These challenges, which can be addressed and eliminated, could be placing communities at higher risk for wildfires.