Quantifying the Value of Fuelbreak Networks in Chaparral Landscapes

Though work on fuelbreaks in the region started in the 1950s, considerable effort was made in the 1960s through the 1980s to incorporate economic modeling into fuelbreaks management. Since this pioneering work, fuelbreaks have been examined using empirical spatial analysis and in a variety of simulation studies. In recent years, climate change, increases in population, the expansion of the wildland-urban interface areas, and excess fuel loads in Southern California have led to the potential for increased wildfire risks. 

In response to these risks, the Southern California Fireshed Risk Reduction Strategy was implemented as one way to help address the ongoing wildfire crisis. The Risk Reduction Strategy, which includes fuelbreak maintenance as a cornerstone of the strategy, aims to mitigate damage to social, economic, and ecological resources in an area which spans 4 million acres and encompasses 25 million people. As fuel treatments applied in forested landscapes are typically only a small part of the proposed risk approach, understanding and modelling the economics associated with the proposed fuel break strategies can help improve planning outcomes. 

This project will combine innovative fire modeling with an expanded economic analysis of risk reductions and suppression costs. The benefits under consideration will include structure values, infrastructure, as well as ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water provision. This study will directly address public needs and help to support the ongoing Wildfire Crisis Strategy work.

Objective(s)

1. To generate a reproducible modeling framework for estimating the economic value associated with investments in fuelbreak networks. The economic values will be calculated to help facilitate decision support for reducing the risk of wildfires and generating metrics for financially supporting fuelbreak networks.

Potential Project Outcomes

1. Database development for suppression (< 300 acres) and fuelbreak cost data for the Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscape.
2. Reports and presentations to the Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscape managers and to scientific groups on the framework for estimating the economic value associated with investments in fuelbreak networks on these landscapes.
3. Create a deployable framework for valuing fuelbreak investments, and assisting in prioritizing those investments.