Mapping social-ecological firescapes: A new ‘geography of fire’

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service, Nicholas Gould

Across the Southeast, the team identified nine firescapes - landscapes with similar patterns of fire history, social vulnerabilities, and other characteristics. The team also mapped where wildfire and smoke risks are likely to be greatest and where prescribed fire could help reduce the risk. The project will help decision makers manage risks and build resilience.  

Ongoing changes in climate, land use, and forest conditions are changing wildfire risk. In response to the ongoing wildfire crisis, land managers and decision makers need new tools and data about where prescribed burning and community planning are likely to make the most impact, in order to manage risks and build ecosystem and community resilience.

SRS researchers conducted a series of projects to fill this gap, mapping overlapping dimensions of wildfire risk across the Southeast. Working with resource managers within and beyond the Forest Service, researchers brought multiple datasets together to identify "firescapes:" landscapes with similar patterns of fire history, community development, social vulnerabilities, forest conditions, climate, and landscape characteristics. The analysis identified nine distinct firescapes across the Southeast.

This new ‘geography of fire’ can help decision makers manage risks, build community and forest resilience, and improve conservation outcomes.

In the next stage of the research, the team assessed the potential role of prescribed fire for reducing risk on each firescape. In addition, the researchers mapped risks to forest watersheds that provide community drinking water and risks to the carbon stored in forests. The research can help managers identify where prescribed fire would be most effective and can help inform landscape-scale initiatives for managing wildfire risk and supporting fire-resilient lands and communities.