Post-epidemic fire risk and behavior [Chapter 3]

Russell A. Parsons; W. Matt Jolly; Paul Langowski; Megan S. Matonis; Sue Miller

Treesearch

Post-epidemic fire risk and behavior [Chapter 3]

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Russell A. Parsons, W. Matt Jolly, Paul Langowski, Megan S. Matonis, Sue Miller

Year:

2014

Type:

Proceedings

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

In: Matonis, M.; Hubbard, R.; Gebert, K.; Hahn, B.; Miller, S.; Regan, C. Future Forests Webinar Series, Webinar Proceedings and Summary: Ongoing Research and Management Responses to the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak. Proceedings RMRS-P-70. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 19-28.

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Abstract

Citizens, government officials, and natural resource managers are greatly concerned about potential impacts of the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic on fire hazards and risk. Some mountain towns are surrounded by dead and dying trees. In the Rocky Mountain Region of the Forest Service, the MPB epidemic threatens over 250,000 acres of the wildland-urban interface (WUI; USDA Forest Service 2011). This post-epidemic landscape also poses hazards for firefighter safety due to heavy fuel loads and unpredictable fire behavior. Abundant snags are especially dangerous for firefighters working in beetle-killed forests.

Parent Publication

Future Forests Webinar Series, Webinar Proceedings and Summary: Ongoing Research and Management Responses to the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak

Keywords

mountain pine beetle, lodgepole pine, forest change, socio-economic impacts, wildlife habitat

Citation

Parsons, Russ; Jolly, Matt; Langowski, Paul; Matonis, Megan; Miller, Sue. 2014. Post-epidemic fire risk and behavior [Chapter 3]. In: Matonis, M.; Hubbard, R.; Gebert, K.; Hahn, B.; Miller, S.; Regan, C. Future Forests Webinar Series, Webinar Proceedings and Summary: Ongoing Research and Management Responses to the Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak. Proceedings RMRS-P-70. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 19-28.