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Abstract
Despite a quarter of a century of prescribed burning by the National Park Service (NPS) in California, there is reason to believe that the fuels situation is getting worse rather than better. The area burned in the past 10 years has declined by 42 percent compared to the previous 10 years. The total area burned per year from wildfire and prescribed fire is substantially less than that hypothesized in pre-European settlement times. Fuels within these fire adapted vegetation types are increasing and creating conditions conducive to more high-intensity wildfires. The NPS is failing to meet its ecosystem management and hazardous fuel reduction goals and objectives. Obtaining the funding to treat these fuels with prescribed fire has proven difficult. The NPS has developed a project cost analysis system to ensure the effective use of existing fuels management funding and is developing a comprehensive cost/benefit analysis to help demonstrate the wisdom of investing greater resources in prescribed burning and fuels management.
Parent Publication
Citation
Botti, Stephen J. 1995. Funding fuels management in the national park service: costs and benefits. In: Weise, David R.; Martin, Robert E., technical coordinators. The Biswell symposium: fire issues and solutions in urban interface and wildland ecosystems; February 15-17, 1994; Walnut Creek, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-158. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 57-62
