Misplaced Pages

#381618

78-648: In the United States, the wildland–urban interface (WUI) has two definitions. The US Forest Service defines the wildland–urban interface qualitatively as a place where "humans and their development meet or intermix with wildland fuel." Communities that are within 0.5 miles (0.80 km) of the zone are included. A quantitative definition is provided by the Federal Register , which defines WUI areas as those containing at least one housing unit per 40 acres (16 ha). The Federal Register definition splits

156-466: A U.S. Forest Service firefighter who (along with his crew) watches over a group of rambunctious children while searching for their parents after rescuing them from a fire in the wilderness during a family vacation. The history of the Forest Service has been fraught with controversy, as various interests and national values have grappled with the appropriate management of the many resources within

234-453: A community is a fire-adapted community . The U.S. Forest Service defines fire-adapted communities as "a knowledgeable and engaged community in which the awareness and actions of residents regarding infrastructure, buildings, landscaping, and the surrounding ecosystem lessens the need for extensive protection actions and enables the community to safely accept fire as a part of the surrounding landscape." Three groups are responsible for achieving

312-674: A degree of wildfire threat. These are ecological factors that define force, human factors that define ignition, and vulnerability factors that define damage. These factors are typically viewed in a geospatial relationship. The ecological factor category includes climate, seasonal weather patterns, geographical distributions of vegetation, historical spatial wildfire data, and geographic features. The ecological determines wildfire size and intensity. The human factor category includes arrangement and density of housing. Density correlates with wildfire risk for two reasons. First, people cause fires; from 2001 to 2011, people caused 85% of wildfires recorded by

390-558: A fire; lower vegetation has a lower risk. A quantitative risk assessment simulation combines wildfire threat categories. Areas at the highest risk are those where a moderate population overlaps or is adjacent to a wildland that can support a large and intense wildfire and is vulnerable with limited evacuation routes. The Calkin framework predicts a catastrophic wildfire in the Wildland–urban Interface (WUI), with three categories of factors. These factors allow for an assessment of

468-671: A key role in formulating policy and coordinating U.S. support for the protection and sound management of the world's forest resources. It works closely with other agencies such as USAID , the State Department , and the Environmental Protection Agency , as well as with nonprofit development organizations, wildlife organizations, universities, and international assistance organizations. The Forest Service's international work serves to link people and communities striving to protect and manage forests throughout

546-605: A limited window and thus MTT is only applicable to short-timescale simulations. Structure and vegetation flammability is reduced through community-focused risk management through reduction of community vulnerabilities. The degree of control of vulnerability to wildfires is measured with metrics for responsibilities and zones of defenses. The probability of catastrophic WUI wildfire is controlled by assignment of responsibility for three actionable WUI objectives: controlling potential wildfire intensity, reducing ignition sources, and reducing vulnerability. When these objectives are met, then

624-691: A range of biological, physical, and social science fields to promote sustainable management of United States' diverse forests and rangelands. Research employs about 550 scientists and several hundred technical and support staff, located at 67 sites throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico . Discovery and technology development and transfer is carried out through seven research stations. Research focuses on informing policy and land management decisions and includes addressing invasive insects, degraded river ecosystems , or sustainable ways to harvest forest products. The researchers work independently and with

702-680: A range of partners (formerly through a National Partnership Office ), including other agencies, academia, nonprofit groups, and industry. The information and technology produced through basic and applied science programs is available to the public for its benefit and use. In addition to the Research Stations, the USFS R&;D branch also leads several National Centers such as the National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation . The Forest Service plays

780-635: A regular and recurring presence on a vast amount of public lands, roads, and recreation sites. The primary focus of their jobs is the protection of natural resources, protection of Forest Service employees and the protection of visitors. To cover the vast and varied terrain under their jurisdiction, they use modified 4x4 pickup trucks, Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors , special service SUVs , horses, K-9 units , helicopters, snowmobiles , dirt bikes, and boats. Special Agents are criminal investigators who plan and conduct investigations concerning possible violations of criminal and administrative provisions of

858-525: A short history of how agency responsibilities have grown and evolved over its 118-year history in accordance with "what the American people desire from their natural resources at any given point in time." In the spring of 2023, the USDA proposed a change to its regulations to allow for the "responsible deployment of" carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration on National Forests lands. Although part of

SECTION 10

#1732772413382

936-641: A staff of 10 to 300 people under the direction of a district ranger, a line officer who reports to a forest supervisor. The districts vary in size from 50,000 acres (200 km ) to more than 1 million acres (4,000 km ). Most on-the-ground activities occur on ranger districts, including trail construction and maintenance, operation of campgrounds, oversight of a wide variety of special use permitted activities, and management of vegetation and wildlife habitat. U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement & Investigations (LEI), headquartered in Washington, D.C. ,

1014-407: A two-dimensional surface. Minimum Travel Time (MTT) methods build on Huygens' principle to find a minimum time for fire to travel between two points. MTT assumes nearly-constant factors such as environmental factors for wind direction and fuel moisture. The MTT is advantageous over Huygens in scalability and algorithm speed. However, factors are dynamic and a constant representation comes at a cost of

1092-836: A variety of effects on plant life. Depending on the influences that are present, some plant traits like woodiness and height may increase while many other traits either show mixe responses or are not well studied. Additionally, disease vectors in isolated patches can undergo genetic differentiation, increasing their survivability as a whole. Increases in wildfire risk pose a threat to conservation in WUI growth regions. Ecological change driven by human influence and climate change has often resulted in more arid and fire-prone WUI. Factors include climate change driven vegetation growth and introduction of non-native plants, insects, and plant diseases. In North America, Chile, and Australia, unnaturally high fire frequencies due to exotic annual grasses have led to

1170-480: A way that defense zones are effective (note: fire-resistant is arbitrary and is not defined in hours of resistance for a given degree of heat; these guidelines are relaxed for non- evergreen trees which are less flammable; this guide is not intended to prevent combustion of individual structures in a wildfire—it is intended to prevent catastrophic wildfire in the WUI): There are three challenges. An example of

1248-427: A wildfire is calculated by a Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) metric. The HIZ includes at a minimum the space within a 200 foot (61 m) radius around a structure. The HIZ is a guideline for whoever is responsible for structure wildfire protection; landlords and tenants (homeowner if they are the same) are responsible for physically constructing and maintaining defense zones while local government defines land use boundaries in

1326-724: Is a federal law enforcement agency of the U.S. government. It is responsible for enforcement of federal laws and regulations governing national forest lands and resources. All law enforcement officers and special agents receive their training through Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). Operations are divided into two major functional areas: Uniformed Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) enforce federal laws and regulations governing national forest lands and resources. LEOs also enforce some or all state laws on National Forest Lands. As part of that mission, LEOs carry firearms, defensive equipment, make arrests, execute search warrants , complete reports, and testify in court. They establish

1404-472: Is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering 193 million acres (780,000 km ) of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's Office, National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, Business Operations, as well as Research and Development. The agency manages about 25% of federal lands and

1482-507: Is expected the WUI will continue to expand; an anticipated amenity-seeking migration of retiring baby-boomers to smaller communities with lower costs of living close to scenic and recreational natural resources will contribute to WUI growth. Climate change is also driving population shifts into the WUI as well as changes in wildlife composition. Housing growth in WUI regions can displace and fragment native vegetation. The introduction of non-native species by humans through landscaping can change

1560-416: Is measured with evacuation time through a proximity of habitable structures to roads, matching of administrators to responsibilities, land use, building standards, and landscaping types. Wildfire spread is commonly simulated with a Minimum Travel Time (MTT) algorithm. Prior to MTT algorithms, fire boundaries were modeled through an application of Huygens' principle ; boundaries are treated as wave fronts on

1638-562: Is suspected to have originated with unhardened electrical transmission line infrastructure which had recently been redesigned though had not been reconstructed and the new design did not include hardening against ignition where it passed through the WUI. The Camp Fire demonstrated limitations of the fire-adapted community theory in late season wildfires driven by Katabatic winds , and in the land management agencies' responsibility in controlling infrastructure ignition sources. US Forest Service The United States Forest Service ( USFS )

SECTION 20

#1732772413382

1716-758: Is that the National Park Service was created in 1916 to manage Yellowstone and several other parks; in 1956, the Fish and Wildlife Service became the manager of lands reserved for wildlife. The Grazing Service and the United States General Land Office were combined to create the Bureau of Land Management in 1946. Also of note was that it was not until 1976 that the Federal Land Policy and Management Act became

1794-659: Is the American physical facility which is the home to the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), and the National Multi-Agency Coordination group (NMAC or MAC). The center works closely with, and is an arm of, the National Fire and Aviation Executive Board (NFAEB), which provides unified guidance for fire agencies in the U.S., and handbooks and guidelines to provide common procedures. It

1872-501: Is the sole major national land management agency not part of the U.S. Department of the Interior (which manages the National Park Service , the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management ). The concept of national forests was born from Theodore Roosevelt 's conservation group, Boone and Crockett Club , due to concerns regarding Yellowstone National Park beginning as early as 1875. In 1876, Congress formed

1950-589: Is true for a range of environments in North America, the Mediterranean Basin, Chile, and South Africa. Possible reasons for a decrease include decreases in open space for ember transmission, fuel fragmentation due to urban development, and higher availability of fire-suppression resources. Areas with moderate population densities tend to exhibit higher wildfire risk than areas with low or high population densities. The vulnerability factor category

2028-607: The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act , P.L. 95-313; and the Forest and Rangelands Renewable Resources Planning Act , P.L. 95-307. From the early 1900s to the present, there has been a fierce rivalry over control of forests between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior. Their roles overlap but numerous proposals to combine the two have failed. Most recently, in 2009,

2106-498: The Government Accountability Office (GAO) evaluated whether the Forest Service should be moved from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of the Interior, which already manages some 438 million acres (1,770,000 km ) of public land through the National Park Service , the Fish and Wildlife Service , and the Bureau of Land Management . GAO ultimately did not offer a recommendation upon

2184-527: The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Second, housing intensifies wildfires because they contain flammable material and produce mobile embers, such as wood shakes. The relationship between population density and wildfire risk is non-linear. At low population densities, human ignitions are low. Ignitions increase with population density. However, there is a threshold of population density at which fire occurrence decreases. This

2262-663: The Tongass National Forest in Alaska and ski areas such as Alta, Utah in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest . In addition, the Forest Service is responsible for managing National Grasslands in the midwest. Furthermore, areas designated as wilderness by acts of Congress , prohibit logging, mining, road and building construction and land leases for purposes of farming and or livestock grazing. Since 1978, several Presidents have directed

2340-577: The fire-adapted communities performance was demonstrated in November 2018 when the Camp Fire passed through the community of Concow in Butte County, California. The Concow community was a fire-adapted community. This late season fire provided a stress test of the fire-adapted communities theory. The Concow community was destroyed. The wildfire continued through the community without demonstrating

2418-500: The western states , the center is now designated as an "all-risk" co-ordination center, and as such provides support in response to other emergencies such as floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes for the United States at large; accordingly it also contributes to the national preparedness level . The National Interagency Fire Center began 59 years ago in 1965 as the Boise Interagency Fire Center ; its name

Wildland–urban interface - Misplaced Pages Continue

2496-399: The 195 million acres (790,000 km ) of public land administered by the Forest Service. Individual sites range from 47 to 22,500 ha in size. Operations of Experimental Forests and Ranges are directed by local research teams for the individual sites, by Research Stations for the regions in which they are located, and at the level of the Forest Service. Major themes in research at

2574-439: The Chief. Research stations include Northern, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest, Rocky Mountain , and Southern . There are 92 research work units located at 67 sites throughout the United States. there are 80 Experimental Forests and Ranges that have been established progressively since 1908; many sites are more than 50 years old. The system provides places for long-term science and management studies in major vegetation types of

2652-478: The Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service receives its budget through the Subcommittee on Appropriations—Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The Forest Service achieved widespread awareness during the 1960s, as it became the setting for the long running classic TV show Lassie , with storylines focusing on Lassie's adventures with various forest rangers. The iconic collie's association with

2730-486: The Experimental Forests and Ranges includes: develop of systems for managing and restoring forests, range lands, and watersheds; investigate the workings of forest and stream ecosystems; characterize plant and animal communities; observe and interpret long-term environmental change and many other themes. There are nine regions in the Forest Service; numbered 1 through 10 (Region 7 was eliminated in 1965 when

2808-536: The FY 2019 Annualized Continuing Resolution includes $ 500 million above the base as bridge to the first year of the fire fix. The Forest Service, headquartered in Washington, D.C., has 27,062 permanent, full-time employees as of Sept. 20, 2018, including 541 in the headquarters office and 26,521 in regional and field office. The USDA Forest Service's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of

2886-478: The Forest Service adapt current policies and develop new policies and actions to conserve and manage the national forests and grasslands for climate resilience, so that the Agency can provide for ecological integrity and support social and economic sustainability over time?" Ancillary questions pertained to both "adaptation planning" and "adaptation practices". The background section of the proposed rulemaking includes

2964-768: The Forest Service and other statutes under the United States Code . Special agents are normally plainclothes officers who carry concealed firearms, and other defensive equipment, make arrests, carry out complex criminal investigations, present cases for prosecution to U.S. Attorneys , and prepare investigative reports. All field agents are required to travel a great deal and usually maintain a case load of ten to fifteen ongoing criminal investigations at one time. Criminal investigators occasionally conduct internal and civil claim investigations. The 193 million acres (780,000 km ) of public land that are managed as national forests and grasslands are collectively known as

3042-446: The Forest Service balances resource extraction, resource protection, and providing recreation. The work includes managing 193 million acres (780,000 km ) of national forest and grasslands, including 59 million acres (240,000 km ) of roadless areas ; 14,077 recreation sites; 143,346 miles (230,693 km) of trails; 374,883 miles (603,316 km) of roads; and the harvesting of 1.5 billion trees per year. Further,

3120-502: The Forest Service fought fires on 2.996 million acres (12,120 km ) of land in 2007. The Forest Service organization includes ranger districts, national forests, regions, research stations and research work units and the Northeastern Area Office for State and Private Forestry. Each level has responsibility for a variety of functions. The Chief of the Forest Service is a career federal employee who oversees

3198-401: The Forest Service led to Lassie receiving numerous awards and citations from the U.S. Senate and the Department of Agriculture, and was partly responsible for a bill regarding soil and water pollution that was signed into law in early 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson , which was dubbed by some as "The Lassie Program". In the 2019 family comedy movie Playing With Fire , John Cena plays

Wildland–urban interface - Misplaced Pages Continue

3276-774: The Interior . In 1901, the Division of Forestry was renamed the Bureau of Forestry . The Transfer Act of 1905 transferred the management of forest reserves from the United States General Land Office of the Interior Department to the Bureau of Forestry, henceforth known as the United States Forest Service . Gifford Pinchot was the first United States Chief Forester in the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt . A historical note to include

3354-686: The NIFC; it is used to allocate and prioritize personnel and equipment if several simultaneous national emergencies are straining the support system. MAC also establishes the National Preparedness Levels throughout the calendar year in order to help assure that firefighting resources are ready and able to respond to probable new incidents (a form of risk management ). Preparedness Levels are dictated by burning conditions, fire activity, and (especially) resource availability. Several national and state assets are involved at NIFC: And

3432-521: The Nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. Its motto is "Caring for the land and serving people." As the lead federal agency in natural resource conservation, the Forest Service provides leadership in the protection, management, and use of the nation's forest, rangeland, and aquatic ecosystems. The agency's ecosystem approach to management integrates ecological, economic, and social factors to maintain and enhance

3510-582: The National Forest System. These lands are located in 44 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands and comprise about 9% of the total land area in the United States. The lands are organized into 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The mission of the National Forest System is to protect and manage the forest lands so they best demonstrate the sustainable multiple-use management concept, using an ecological approach, to meet

3588-538: The USFS to administer National Monuments inside of preexisting National Forests. The Forest Service also manages Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, Pennsylvania , the home and estate of its first Chief, Gifford Pinchot . By 1935, the U.S. Forest Service's fire management policy stipulated that all wildfires were to be suppressed by 10 am the morning after they were first spotted. In August 1944, to reduce

3666-444: The WUI into two categories based on vegetation density: Human development has increasingly encroached into the wildland–urban interface. The WUI was the fastest-growing land use type in the United States between 1990 and 2010. Factors include geographic population shifts, expansion of cities and suburbs into wildlands, and vegetative growth into formerly unvegetated land. The primary cause has been migration. Of new WUI areas, 97% were

3744-485: The agency would have to put $ 400 to $ 500 million in wildfire prevention projects on hold because funding for firefighting was running low as the fiscal year ended. The decision was meant to preserve resources for fighting active fires burning in California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Politicians of both parties indicated they believed the then-current funding structure was broken, but did not agree on steps to fix

3822-646: The agency. The Chief reports to the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an appointee of the President confirmed by the Senate. The Chief's staff provides broad policy and direction for the agency, works with the Administration to develop a budget to submit to Congress, provides information to Congress on accomplishments, and monitors activities of

3900-642: The agency. There are five deputy chiefs for the following areas: National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, Research and Development, Business Operations, and Finance. The Forest Service Research and Development deputy area includes five research stations, the Forest Products Laboratory , and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry , in Puerto Rico. Station directors, like regional foresters, report to

3978-852: The bulk in modern history occurred after 2003. In the United States, from 1985 to 2016, federal wildfire suppression expenditures tripled from $ 0.4 billion per year to $ 1.4 billion per year. Evacuations in WUI regions could be complex due to densely populated communities, limited road networks, and varying levels of preparedness and risk perception among residents can lead to congestion, delays, and unsafe evacuation routes. The diverse demographics in these areas —ranging from elderly populations to young families— require tailored evacuation strategies to accommodate different vulnerabilities and safety needs. Effective WUI evacuation planning must balance early warning systems, clear communication, adequate infrastructure, and community engagement to enhance preparedness and ensure rapid, safe responses in emergencies. Calculating

SECTION 50

#1732772413382

4056-437: The conclusion of its performance audit . The Forest Service remains a part of the USDA. As of 2019, FY 2020 Forest Service total budget authority is $ 5.14 billion, a decrease of $ 815 million from 2019. The budget includes $ 2.4 billion for Wildland Fire Management, a decrease of $ 530 million from the 2019 Annualized Continuing Resolution because the "fire fix" cap adjustment becomes available in FY 2020, while

4134-633: The current Eastern Region was created from the former Eastern and North Central regions. ). Each encompasses a broad geographic area and is headed by a regional forester who reports directly to the Chief. The regional forester has broad responsibility for coordinating activities among the various forests within the region, for providing overall leadership for regional natural resource and social programs, and for coordinated regional land use planning. The Forest Service oversees 155 national forests, 20 grasslands, and one tall-grass prairie. Each administrative unit typically comprises several ranger districts, under

4212-491: The diverse needs of people. The goal of the State and Private Forestry program is to assist with financial and technical assistance to private landowners, state agencies, tribes, and community resource managers. It provides assistance by helping sustain the United States' urban and rural forests and their associated communities from wildland fires, insects, disease, and invasive organisms. Approximately 537 staff are employed in

4290-435: The expected slowing of the flame front. If there was a slowing it was less than anticipated though any slowing contributed to allowing residents to evacuate ahead of the flame front. The wildfire continued through wildlands between the community of Concow and the town of Paradise, California. The wildfire then destroyed the town of Paradise which was in the process of developing into a fire-adapted community. The wildfire ignition

4368-608: The forests. These values and resources include grazing , timber , mining , recreation , wildlife habitat, and wilderness . Because of continuing development elsewhere, the large size of National Forests have made them de facto wildlife reserves for a number of rare and common species. In recent decades, the importance of mature forest for the spotted owl and a number of other species led to great changes in timber harvest levels. National Interagency Fire Center The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise , Idaho

4446-544: The funding allocation. During the 2019–2020 bushfires in Australia, the US Forest Services sent a contingent of firefighters. They worked alongside firefighters from other American fire departments. In April 2023, the U.S. Forest Service published a proposed rulemaking in response to climate change on the topic of improving climate resilience on the public lands that it manages. The agency introduced

4524-825: The future. The report is entitled "Managing the Impacts of Wildfire on Communities and the Environment: A Report to the President In Response to the Wildfires of 2000"—The National Fire Plan for short. The National Fire Plan continues to be an integral part of the Forest Service today. The following are important operational features of the National Fire Plan: In August 2014, Tom Vilsack, the Secretary of Agriculture, announced that

4602-807: The geographic area at risk. When the emergency exceeds the resources of the GACC, a call is then made to the National Interagency Coordination Center at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). NIFC is the home of the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC). If a fire exceeds the level of local control and all the resources in its geographic area, NICC will dispatch a type 1 Incident Management Team and additional national resources from multiple agencies as required. The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC or MAC) also resides at

4680-509: The initial response. The United States is divided into 11 geographic areas. If a wildland fire grows to the point where local personnel and equipment are insufficient, the responsible agency contacts the Geographic Area Coordination Center (GACC) for help. The GACC will dispatch a Type 2 Incident Management Team (IMT) and they will locate and dispatch additional firefighters and support personnel throughout

4758-469: The loss of native shrublands. Human development has increasingly encroached into the wildland–urban interface. Coupled with a recent increase in large wildland fires, this has led to an increase in fire protection costs. Between 1985–1894 and 2005–2014, the area burned by wildfires in the United States nearly doubled from 18,000 to 33,000 square kilometers. Wildfires in the United States exceeding 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) have steadily increased since 1983;

SECTION 60

#1732772413382

4836-616: The most widely recognized slogans in the United States. According to the Advertising Council , Smokey Bear is the most recognized icons in advertising history and has appeared almost everywhere via Public Service Announcements in print, radio, television. Smokey Bear, an icon protected by law, is jointly owned by the Forest Service, the Ad Council and the National Association of State Foresters . In 1965, at

4914-835: The national policy for retaining public land for federal ownership. Significant federal legislation affecting the Forest Service includes the Weeks Act of 1911, the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 , P.L. 73-482; the Multiple Use – Sustained Yield Act of 1960 , P.L. 86-517; the Wilderness Act , P.L. 88-577; the National Forest Management Act , P.L. 94-588; the National Environmental Policy Act , P.L. 91–190;

4992-614: The need for such rulemaking as: Climate change and related stressors, such as wildfire, drought, insects and disease, extreme weather events, and chronic stress on ecosystems are resulting in increasing impacts with rapid and variable rates of change on national forests and grasslands. These impacts can be compounded by fire suppression, development in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), and non-climate informed timber harvest and reforestation practices. The foundational question pertained to climate adaptation : "How should

5070-543: The number of forest fires , the Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council began distributing fire education posters featuring a black bear . The poster campaign was a success; the black bear would later be named Smokey Bear , and would, for decades, be the "spokesbear" for the Forest Service. Smokey Bear has appeared in innumerable TV commercials; his popular catch phrase, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires"—later changed to wildfires—is one of

5148-458: The office of Special Agent in the Department of Agriculture to assess the quality and conditions of forests in the United States. Franklin B. Hough was appointed the head of the office. In 1881, the office was expanded into the newly formed Division of Forestry . The Forest Reserve Act of 1891 authorized withdrawing land from the public domain as forest reserves managed by the Department of

5226-426: The overall direction of a forest supervisor. Within the supervisor's office, the staff coordinates activities among districts, allocates the budget, and provides technical support to each district. Forest supervisors are line officers and report to regional foresters. The administration of individual National Forests is subdivided into Ranger Districts. The Forest Service has over 600 ranger districts. Each district has

5304-473: The program and is administered through National Forest System regions and the Northeastern Area of the United States. The research and development (R&D) arm of the Forest Service works to improve the health and use of the United States' forests and grasslands . Research has been part of the Forest Service mission since the agency's inception in 1905. Today, Forest Service researchers work in

5382-418: The quality of the environment to meet current and future needs. Through implementation of land and resource management plans, the agency ensures sustainable ecosystems by restoring and maintaining species diversity and ecological productivity that helps provide recreation, water, timber, minerals, fish, wildlife, wilderness, and aesthetic values for current and future generations of people. The everyday work of

5460-800: The request of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , the Forest Service was commissioned by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to research the use of forest fire as a military weapon. A report was published in June 1970 and declassified in May 1983. In September 2000, the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior developed a plan to respond to the fires of 2000, to reduce the impacts of these wildland fires on rural communities, and to ensure sufficient firefighting resources in

5538-589: The result of new housing. In the United States there are population shifts towards the WUIs in the West and South; increasing nationally by 18 percent per decade, covering 6 million additional homes between 1990 and 2000 which in 2013 was 32 percent of habitable structures. Globally, WUI growth includes regions such as Argentina, France, South Africa, Australia, and regions around the Mediterranean sea. Going forward it

5616-446: The risk posed to a structure located within a WUI is through predictive factors and simulations. Identifying risk factors and simulation with those factors help to understand and then manage the wildfire threat. For example, a proximity factor measures the risk of fire from wind carried embers which can ignite new spot fires over a mile ahead of a flame front. A vegetation factor measures the risk those wind carried embers have of starting

5694-414: The three WUI objectives, these are land management agencies, local governments, and individuals. Fire-adapted communities have been successful in interacting with wildfires. The key benefit of fire-adapted communities is that a reliance on individuals as a core block in the responsibility framework reduces WUI expenditures by local, regional, and national governments. The risk of a structure to ignite in

5772-472: The wildlife composition of interface regions. Pets can kill large quantities of wildlife. Forest fragmentation is another impact of WUI growth, which can lead to unintended ecological consequences. For instance, increased forest fragmentation can lead to an increase in the prevalence of Lyme disease. White-footed mice , a primary host of the Lyme tick , thrive in fragmented habitats. Increased urbanisation has

5850-399: The world. The program also promotes sustainable land management overseas and brings important technologies and innovations back to the United States. The program focuses on conserving key natural resource in cooperation with countries across the world. Although a large volume of timber is logged every year, not all National Forests are entirely forested. There are tidewater glaciers in

5928-491: Was changed in 1993 to more accurately reflect its national mission. Originally the U.S. Forest Service , Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and National Weather Service saw the need to work together to reduce service duplication, cut costs, and coordinate national fire planning and operations. The National Park Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs joined BIFC in the mid 1970s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service joined in 1979. The Wildland Firefighters National Monument

6006-632: Was created to implement the Federal Wildland Fire Management Act Policy. The NFAEB has created the Federal Fire Policy Directives Task Group, which coordinates with state agencies in order to implement cooperative agreements. The center's primary mission is the complex interagency co-ordination of wildland firefighting resources in the U.S. Although NIFC was initially founded to manage firefighting resources throughout

6084-545: Was dedicated on May 25, 2000, and is on the grounds of the NIFC's headquarters in Boise. Any wildland fire is perforce initially managed by the local agency which has the fire protection responsibility in its jurisdiction. Engines, ground crews, hotshots , smokejumpers , helicopters with water buckets, and airtankers may all be used for initial suppression. Various local agencies may work together, sharing personnel and equipment, to fight both new fires and those not contained by

#381618