USGS Firelight - Vol. 1 | Issue 1
This is the first issue of the USGS fire science newsletter, "Firelight". It was an important action called for in the USGS Wildland Fire Science Strategic Plan, released earlier this year and featured below. We include a variety of fire science topics from the last few months in this issue to give a sense of the breadth of our science support to fire, land, emergency and community managers.
New USGS Strategy Harnesses State-of-the-Art Science to Tackle Wildfires Before, During and After the Flames
To help address growing wildfire-related challenges in America, the U.S. Geological Survey is rolling out a new Wildland Fire Science Strategy that lays out the critical needs for wildfire research over the next five years. Released today, this strategy can be used to better understand the balance between fire’s benefits and its detrimental impacts.
How Wildfires Threaten U.S. Water Supplies
The 2020 fire season provided stark evidence that wildfires are changing the landscape of America. But when a forest burns, the impacts on water supply and quality last long after the flames go out. Learn more about how wildfires threaten U.S. water supplies – and what we can do to adapt to the complex impacts of hotter and bigger fires.
Postfire debris-flow hazards
Estimates of the probability and volume of debris flows that may be produced by a storm in a recently burned area, using a model with characteristics related to basin shape, burn severity, soil properties, and rainfall.
Wildfire can significantly alter the hydrologic response of a watershed to the extent that even modest rainstorms can produce dangerous flash floods and debris flows. The USGS conducts postfire debris-flow hazard assessments for select fires in the Western U.S. We use geospatial data related to basin morphometry, burn severity, soil properties, and rainfall characteristics to estimate the probability and volume of debris flows that may occur in response to a design storm.
Human Dimensions of Wildfire
WiRē — Wildfire Research: an interdisciplinary collaboration on community adaptedness to wildland fire.
CAP Future of Fire Cohort (2020-2022)
The inaugural 2021-2023 Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral (CAP) Fellows cohort explores the many ways climate change is altering wildland fire regimes across the country, combining their diverse experiences to synthesize how 21st century fires affect natural and human communities and how managers can prepare for future fires.
Native American fire management at an ancient wildland–urban interface in the Southwest United States
The intersection of expanding human development and wildland landscapes—the “wildland–urban interface” or WUI—is one of the most vexing contexts for fire management because it involves complex interacting systems of people and nature. Here, we document the dynamism and stability of an ancient WUI that was apparently sustainable for more than 500 y. We combine ethnography, archaeology, paleoecology
Southern Border Fuels Management Initiative
The Southern Border Fuels Management Initiative was initiated in 2017 to reduce wildfire risk and improve border security by actively conducting fuels treatments on Department of Interior (DOI) and tribal lands within 100 miles of the US-Mexico border. The initiative supports Executive Order 13855: Promoting Active Management of America’s Forests, Rangelands, and Other Federal Land to Improve Conditions and Reduce Wildfire Risk; in conjunction with DOI Secretarial Order 3372: Reducing Wildfire Risks on DOI Land Through Active Management.