Wildfire and Smoke 2008 Federal Wildland Fire Policy Implementation Field Test Federal Wildland Fire Policy Implementation Field Test Wildfire Decision Support Development Wildfire Decision Support Development Addressing Wildfire Smoke Addressing Wildfire Smoke

Federal Wildland Fire Policy 2003 Interagency Strategy for the Implementation of Federal Wildland Fire Policy 2009 Guidance for Implemen tation of Federal Wildland Fire Policy 2008 Field Pilots to Develop and Test the Modified Implementation Guidance

Wildfire (Objective: PROTECTION to put the fire out & Minimize Loss) Wildland Fire Use (Objective: BENEFICIAL to accomplish specific resource management objectives) Appropriate Management Response Strategic Spectrum Direct Attack Containment Confinement Monitoring Tactical Alternatives

Wildfire Strategic Objectives (Objective: PROTECTION to put the fire out & Minimize Loss) (Objective: BENEFICIAL to accomplish specific resource management objectives) Appropriate Management Response Strategic Spectrum Direct Attack Containment Confinement Monitoring Tactical Alternatives

Pilot Units Northwest Geographic Area – Wallowa-Whitman National Forest – Olympic National Park Northern Rockies Geographic Area – Bitterroot National Forest & Lolo National Forest – Yellowstone National Park – Flathead Agency *WFDSS Test Unit

Pilot Units Northern California Geographic Area – Klamath National Forest Southern California Geographic Area – Sequoia National Forest – Sierra National Forest 1 (Tehipite Fire) – Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Eastern Great Basin Geographic Area – Payette National Forest – Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway *WFDSS Test Unit 1 Granted Pilot status for a single fire

Pilot Units Rocky Mountain – Upper Colorado Rive Fire Management Zone White River National Forest & Grand Valley District of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison National Forest Grand Junction Field Office, Glenwood Field Office, & Northwest Colorado Fire Management Area (Craig) Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge Colorado National Monument and Dinosaur National Monument *WFDSS Test Unit

Pilot Units Alaska – Tanana Fire Management Zone BLM, NPS, FWS, BIA and State of Alaska Southwest Geographic Area – Gila National Forest & Kaibab National Forest – Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument – Grand Canyon National Park Southern Geographic Area – Great Smoky Mountains National Park * WFDSS Test Unit

Wildland Fire Decision Support System WFIPWFSA Decision Support

Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) A system intended to assist fire managers and analysts in determining the appropriate management response (AMR) for fire incidents. A system intended to assist fire managers and analysts in determining the appropriate management response (AMR) for fire incidents. It is designed to replace the WFSA (Wildland Fire Situation Analysis) and other incident planning processes with an easier more intuitive online product. It is designed to replace the WFSA (Wildland Fire Situation Analysis) and other incident planning processes with an easier more intuitive online product. Introduces economic principles into the fire decision process including assessment of values at risk Introduces economic principles into the fire decision process including assessment of values at risk

WFDSS – RAVAR Rapid Assessment of Values-at-Risk (RAVAR) Improved strategic risk assessment tool Risk = Threat * Value Change Provides spatially explicit values at risk data linked to fire threat projections –FSPro (Fire Spread Probability) or other fire behavior models –User defined polygons Value is identified in RAVAR – need more research to get value change

Components of RAVAR FS Pro or other fire behavior models or user defined polygons Private Structures Housing Values Infrastructure –including power transmission, pipelines, communication towers, water supply infrastructure Air Quality Information

How to incorporate smoke in decision making? Smoke models are not yet available or ready to incorporate in WFDSS Smoke models are not yet available or ready to incorporate in WFDSS Need a way to report possible air quality issues and smoke dispersion potential to the wildland fire community and others Need a way to report possible air quality issues and smoke dispersion potential to the wildland fire community and others Air quality assessments added to RAVAR must take less than 30 minutes to complete to allow for efficient and rapid turn-around Air quality assessments added to RAVAR must take less than 30 minutes to complete to allow for efficient and rapid turn-around

The air quality components added to RAVAR Nonattainment GIS data layers Nonattainment GIS data layers –PM 2.5 Nonattainment areas –Ozone Nonattainment areas –PM 2.5 Proposed Areas Ozone and PM monitoring stations Ozone and PM monitoring stations Communities over 50,000 population* Communities over 50,000 population* FS Pro Models buffered out 100 miles FS Pro Models buffered out 100 miles Wind Rose from surface weather stations Wind Rose from surface weather stations

Product Example

Future Development Communities at risk from drainage smoke Improved potential smoke plume polygon based on climate data Mixing layer Wind Rose for duration of FSPro simulation Location of Base Camp and Aviation Operations

2008 Smoke Approaches Single Incident Single Incident –North Carolina Multiple Incidents Multiple Incidents –Southern California October 2007 –Northern California Summer 2008

North Carolina Evans Road Fire Traffic Safety Issues Public Health and Safety Issues NCDAQ Policy is no monitoring of wildfires NCDAQ Policy is no monitoring of wildfires Monitors deployed by fire managers Monitors deployed by fire managers Fire Fighter Exposure Three Foot Deep Smoldering Organic Soils Three Foot Deep Smoldering Organic Soils

Manteo Columbia FairfieldBelhaven Readings for 6/21/08 from 0000 to 0900 hrs. It is very unfortunate data collection did not take place until 2 weeks into the incident.

At the request of the FBAN NWS continuously runs Hysplit to review modeled smoke trajectory fire in order to fine tune NOAA Radio Broadcast and Hazard Statements.

Clockwise Moving Transition Zone Simple Smoke Vectors (extend 30 miles) depict major smoke corridors using NWS Wind Direction Forecast for Evans Rd. Fire from 6/10/08 (3 hrs past sunset) to 6/11/08 (4 hrs past sunrise) Corroborates BlueSky model projection

Max 1 hr PM 2.5 concentration for 6/11/08 from 0000 hrs to 2400 hrs. Each Square is ~ 7 sq mi