Fuel Treatment Effectiveness Monitoring (FTEM)
Evaluating Fuel Treatment Effectiveness - Suppression & Effects
We have extensive combined experience with fire suppression and fuel treatments, including three experienced Fire Behavior Analysts, and several Fire Ecologists and Technicians. Each of our three Fire Behavior Analysts also have extensive experience as fuels managers, with over 20 years experience each. Our Fire Ecologists have extensive experience in fuels and fire effects monitoring and operate a specialized module, the Fire Behavior Assessment Team, that collect data during active wildfires on pre-fire fuels, fire behavior and post-fire conditions. They have collected fire behavior and fuels information throughout the country. Our collective experience allows us insight into suppression, fire behavior and fuels.
What we have done to evaluate fuel treatment effectiveness?
Over the past five years, we have conducted numerous evaluations of fuel treatment effectiveness. This includes during wildfires, after wildfires and before fires occur. This includes evaluations of many different types of fuel treatments across the country, including thinning, prescribed fire, salvage and wildland fire use. There is also one evaluation of the effectiveness of various levels of fuels clearance around structures for firefighter safety. All of these are listed in the Table below, with a link to the reports. Some of the reports that are from work conducted during wildfires are rapidly completed, within a 14 day fire assignment--where there is not always time to "polish" the report.
Location | State | Year | Evaluation Type | Types of Treatments Evaluated | Fuel/Vegetation Type |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Bernardino NF | CA | 2013 | Post-fire, some field data and some anecdotal information | Prescribed fire, mastication | Forest, Chapparral |
Sequoia NF | CA | 2011 | Post-fire, detailed, field data and GIS analysis | Older wildland fires | Forest |
Plumas NF | CA | 2007 | During and post-fire, detailed statistics | Thinning, prescribed fire, mastication, old fires | Forest |
Shasta-Trinity NF | CA | 2007 | During fire | Thinning | Forest |
Bitterroot NF | MT | 2007 | Post-fire, detailed smoke, economics | Wildland fire use | Forest and alpine |
Tahoe NF | CA | 2007 | Post-fire, initial attack evaluation | Thinning | Forest |
Sequoia NF | CA | 2008 | During fire | Wildland fire use, old fires | Forest |
Los Padres NF | CA | 2006 | Post-fire | Prescribed fire | Chaparral, Forest |
Okefenokee WF Refuge/Oceola NF | GA/FL | 2007 | During and post-fire | Prescribed fire | Forest, swamp |
Superior NF | MI | 2007 | Post-fire, detailed statistics | Prescribed fire, thinning/salvage | Forest |
Plumas NF | CA | 2007 | Post-fire, detailed statistics | Thinning, mastication, timber harvest | Forest |
Plumas NF | CA | 2007 | During and post-fire, detailed statistics | Thinning, prescribed fire, mastication, old fires | Forest |
Southern CA | CA | 2007 | Before any fire | Thinning, mastication | Forest |
Tahoe NF | CA | 2006 | During fire | Thinning, prescribed fire | Forest |
Ventura County | CA | 2005 | Clearance around houses | Distance of treatment from house to wildlands | Chaparral |
Kaibab NF | AZ | 2006 | Post-fire | Selective harvest | Forest |
Los Padres NF | CA | 2007 | Post-fire | Prescribed fire | Chaparral |
Documents
- Evaluating the Success of Fuels Treatments On Initial Attack Fires
- NRCS/San Bernardino County Fire Hazardous Fuels Assessment
- Moonlight Fire Behavior Report
- Ham Lake Fire Behavior Report
- An Assessment of the Effects of Fuel Treatments and Previous Wildfires on Fire Behavior and Suppression for the Day and Zaca Fires on the Los Padres National Forest
- Clover Wildland Fire Use Fire Sequoia National Forest
- Fire Behavior and Effects Relating to Suppression, Fuel Treatments, and Protected Areas on the Antelope Complex Wheeler Fire
- 2013 Mountain Fire Fuel Treatment Effectiveness Summary report about reducing fire behavior, improving fire suppression efforts, and maintaining vegetation on the San Bernardino NF
Reports
- An Assessment of Wildland Fire Use in Areas of the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. 2007. For the USDA Forest Service, Washington Office Fire and Aviation Management, by Sid Beckman formerly of Adaptive Management Services Enterprise Team of the USFS.
- JoAnn Fites-Kaufman, E. Noonan, and D. Ramirez. 2005. Evaluation of Wildland Fire Use Fires on the Sequoia and Stanislaus National Forests in 2003: Effects in Relation to Historic Regimes and Resource Benefits. Adaptive Management Services Enterprise Team (AMSET), USDA Forest Service, Nevada City, Ca.
- Moonunit Prescribed Fire March 15 & 18, 2004 Tahoe National Forest
- USFS and BLM Broad based national fuel treatment effects and effectiveness monitoring