16A.31
C,N - Anchorage Wildfire � Mitigating Wildfire and Public Perception at the Wildland-Urban Interface
Sue Rodman, Anchorage Fire Department, Anchorage, AK; and M. Weston York and J. See
Local forest characteristics combined with other environmental factors, including the spruce bark beetle, contribute to the potential for a catastrophic wildfire at the urban interface. The Anchorage Wildfire project demonstrates how education, preparedness, vegetation management, and maintenance techniques can accommodate multiple objectives while reducing the risk of wildfire throughout the urban interface.
Across southcentral Alaska, the spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) has affected spruce stands and created a high fire danger situation, particularly in the wildland-urban interface (WU-I). This presentation concerns primarily forest ecology, forest health, and social influences; although it is also affected by forest productivity, GIS, and product marketability. The WU-I in Anchorage, AK is described by large lot sizes adjacent to extensive wildlands. While the risk of fire (potential to ignite) is moderate to high, both the hazard (potential to burn) and the value (potential for loss) are very high throughout our wildfire season. The bark beetle has left thousands of dead spruce trees in its wake. The forest stand structure in Anchorage contributes to the hazard through its composition: linear shaped black spruce stands that weave through the mixed hardwood forest consisting mainly of white spruce and paper birch. The characteristics of the forest structure encourage surface fires to become crown fires through persistent branching and associated ladder fuels. Topographical features throughout the WU-I support the rapid spread of fire with our numerous canyons fixed between steep adjacent slopes with accompanying benches. Through careful execution of site prescriptions, the forest composition is changed in specific locations to assist with fire suppression activities. The primary challenge is in the neighborhoods where large lots and homeowner behavior must be considered regarding the risk of ignition and the hazardous flammable fuels around structures. The value considerations affect homes, lives, forests, soil, water, and wildlife. This is a story about forest ecology and social dynamics surrounded by a very real threat to life and property. The steps to survival are education, preparedness, mitigation, and maintenance. To accomplish these goals, we have integrated several tools into our planning process that include Farsite, field data collection, public education, and cooperation between homeowners and agency representatives. The ecological and forestry challenge is to maintain a status of forest health that does not preclude another epidemic spread of spruce bark beetles.
New knowledge, skills, or insights that participants will gain from session: 1) Insights into fire mitigation practices for boreal forest situations 2) Knowledge about Southcentral Alaska forest health concerns 3) Skills regarding public education methods for forestry and wildfire related topics
Session 16A, Other
Wednesday, 9 October 2002, 1:30 PM-1:30 AM
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