Wildland Fire Management Library
Wildland Fire Reports, Science Briefs and Factsheets
Jump to a section using the links below: Community and Landscapes
Wildfire Management and Policy
Budget, Appropriations and Economics Community and Landscapes
Idaho Fire Story 2007  5/14/2008
Idaho saw 1.9 million acres – more than any other state -- burn in 2007. The number probably topped the historic 1910 fires. John McCarthy, the Idaho forest campaign director for The Wilderness Society, traveled through the vast landscape after the fires on many field trips with U.S. Forest Service fire managers and biologists. McCarthy’s report in “Idaho Fire Story 2007” uses text, maps and photographs to tell the story of fire effects, ecology, recovery and re-growth.
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State Fire Assistance Fact Sheet 4/1/2008
Communities that are well-prepared for fire are key to
reducing these costs and ultimately restoring functional, and fire-resilient,
wildlands.
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Living with Fire: Protecting Communities and Restoring Forests 5/17/2006
Findings and Recommendations of the Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership Roundtable May 2006
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Targeting the Community Fire Planning Zone: Mapping Matters 8/3/2005
Wilderness Society forest ecologist Dr. Greg Aplet and landscape ecologist Bo Wilmer examine issues surrounding Community Fire Planning Zones (CFPZ) -- best use of federal resources, what areas should be targeted, what is a sufficient buffer, and challenges of identifying at-risk communities.
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Wildland Fire Challenge 10/10/2003
Report examining where fuel reduction treatments and fire restoration are most appropriate, including evaluating the quality of information that feeds wildland fire policy, assessing the fire management challenge with a focus on community protection, and outlining the first steps in a comprehensive strategy to prioritize where fuel reduction and ecosystem restoration measures are needed.
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Roadless Areas Pose No Threat to Communities at Risk from Wildfire 6/16/2003
An analysis conducted by The Wilderness Society reveals that there is little national forest roadless land in close proximity to homes and communities.
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Communities at Risk from Wildfire 4/15/2003
Communities at Risk from Wildfire: How Much is on Federal Land? |
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Wildfire Management and Policy
FLAME Act (H.R. 5541) Fact Sheet 7/9/2008
The Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act (FLAME Act) would establish a
special federal fund to be used only for suppression of catastrophic, emergency wildland fires.
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State Fire Assistance: Key to Successful Comprehensive Wildfire Management 4/1/2008
State Fire Assistance (SFA) is a key part of a long-term strategy to reduce wildfire suppression costs by
providing funds for proactive community planning, fuels mitigation, preparedness, and education.
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Wildland Fire Success Story: Greasewood Fire in Rocky Mountains, Colorado 12/4/2007
This case study examines the positive impact made on the local ecosystem by a wildfire that the BLM allowed to perform its natural role in the landscape. The fire restored native grasses, expanded sagebrush habitat, improved forage, reduced erosion, and mitigated future fires.
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Position Paper - State Fire Assistance 12/4/2007
This position paper takes a look at the Forest Service's State Fire Assistance program, which provides financial assistance to states and communities for fire management activities including training, planning, hazardous fuels treatment and purchase of equipment.
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Position Paper - Fire Regime Condition Class 12/4/2007
This paper discusses the concept of Fire Regime Condition Class - a method of classifying vegetation developed by the Forest Service which purports to represent the degree of departure of current vegetation from historical conditions.
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Position Paper - Appropriate Management Response 12/3/2007
Position of The Wilderness Society on Appropriate Management Response in wildland fire.
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Position Paper - Wildland Fire Use 12/3/2007
Brief document outlining The Wilderness Society's position on Wildland Fire Use.
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A Collaborative Approach for Reducing Wildland Fire Risks to Communities and the Environment 12/13/2006
On December 7, 2006, the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) released an updated Implementation Plan for the 10-Year Comprehensive Strategy. The Comprehensive Strategy is one of the key elements of the National Fire Plan. It emphasizes the importance of a collaborative approach to wildland fire management and focuses specifically on restoring fire-adapted ecosystems and promoting community assistance.
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Managing the Landscape for Fire: A Three-Zone, Landscape-Scale Fire Management Strategy 9/27/2006
This report outlines a simple model to address wildland fire comprehensively across landscapes and describes how that model may be applied to the development of land and resource management plans (LRMPs).
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Factsheet: National Fire Plan -- Following the Money 2/7/2005
The National Fire Plan (NFP) is a suite of policy documents that provides the framework for managing fire on public lands. Among the most significant changes that have come about since the advent of the NFP is the dramatic increase in federal funding for fire management. Money originates in Washington DC through the annual appropriations process and proceeds through complex layers of the USDA Forest Service system to reach the ground where work is done. Following the money reveals federal priorities for fire management and substantial accounting problems.
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Integrating Science into Fire Management Planning: Maximizing the Benefits of Fire 1/4/2005
Fire Management Plans provide the strategic foundation for all fire related management activities - before, during, and after a wildland fire. This brief describes the importance of using “best available science” to inform fire planning in order to maximize fire’s benefit while minimizing its costs.
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Wildland Fire Use: An Essential Fire Management Tool 1/4/2005
Wildland Fire Use, the use of naturally-ignited fire in remote locations to improve forest health, can both perform essential ecological functions and reduce the high costs associated with fire suppression. This brief explores the benefits of increased WFU and the challenges facing expanded use of fire on public lands.
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Restoring Balance to Wildland Fire Policy 10/14/2003
A 10-page primer on wildland fire policy.
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Dead Trees and Healthy Forests 4/15/2003
Dead Trees and Healthy Forests: Is Fire Always Bad?
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Fire and Fuels: Does Thinning Stop Wildfires? 4/15/2003
This Science Brief takes a look at the impact of forest thinning on fuels availability. |
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Budget, Appropriations and Economics
Facts About FY 2009 Wildfire Budget 4/1/2008
Over the last five years, over $14 billion has been appropriated to the National Fire Plan (NFP). During this time of large federal deficits and increasing pressure to re-examine federal budget priorities, the question must be asked whether these taxpayer dollars have promoted safer communities and more resilient ecosystems.
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Facts About FY 2008 Wildfire Appropriations 3/26/2007
Over the last five years, over $14 billion has been appropriated to the National Fire Plan (NFP). During this time of large federal deficits and increasing pressure to re-examine federal budget priorities, the question must be asked whether these taxpayer dollars have promoted safer communities and more resilient ecosystems.
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Factsheet: The Wildland Fire Budget -- The Reality Behind the Rhetoric. 5/2/2006
The President’s proposed FY07 budget for wildland fire plans to short-cut many assistance programs that invest our scarce resources where they are most urgently needed -- in and around communities. These cuts come despite predictions that this could be a very active fire season and they ultimately send the message that the goal of safer communities is not a top priority. Members of Congress have questioned these cuts at recent hearings and the Administration has defended them with the rationale that they reduce overhead and duplication and other programs can take up the slack. But the reality is much different.
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Facts About FY 2007 Wildfire Appropriations 3/17/2006
Over the last five years, over $14.24 billion have been appropriated to the National Fire Plan (NFP). At a time of large federal deficits and increasing pressure to re-examine federal budget priorities, the question must be asked whether these taxpayer dollars have promoted safer communities and more resilient ecosystems.
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Following the Money: National Fire Plan Funding and Implementation (full report) 5/31/2005
Full copy of "Following the Money," a report on funding and implementation of the National Fire Plan.
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Factsheet: State and Local Wildfire Assistance Programs Slated for Deep Cuts in Budget 3/9/2005
Even though up to 85 percent of the land around communities at the highest risk is state or private, resources going to non-federal lands continue to decrease.
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Factsheet: National Fire Plan -- Following the Money 2/7/2005
The National Fire Plan (NFP) is a suite of policy documents that provides the framework for managing fire on public lands. Among the most significant changes that have come about since the advent of the NFP is the dramatic increase in federal funding for fire management. Money originates in Washington DC through the annual appropriations process and proceeds through complex layers of the USDA Forest Service system to reach the ground where work is done. Following the money reveals federal priorities for fire management and substantial accounting problems.
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The Federal Wildland Fire Budget: Let's Prepare, Not Just React (full report) 4/23/2004
This report is an analysis of the federal budget process and how it affects funding for wildland fire management. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations proposed.
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Economics of Fuel Treatment 4/15/2003
The costs and benefits of fuel treatment. Where does it make sense to thin forests? |
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