The dangers from wildfire in forested areas on the urban fringe are greater than ever before, as last week’s catastrophic fires in Colorado and elsewhere made clear. Current forest conditions, weather patterns and the growing number of homes in interface areas all contribute to the problem.
Bruce Shindler, a professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University, has studied, taught courses and done extensive research on forest management issues in the wildland-urban interface. One study from 2011 is available here: http://bit.ly/jzcOtJShindler notes that state and federal management agencies have focused most of their limited resources on fire suppression, but are struggling to cope as fires become larger and more intense. Wildfires are now also occurring in places unaccustomed to such events, and the traditional fire season continues to lengthen. This makes the need to pre-plan before a fire arrives a priority. Success has been achieved when communities have been able to focus on fuel reduction activities, plan for evacuations, and collaborate between community groups and government agencies to reduce fire threats and property loss.
A news story from a year ago outlines some successes in these areas in communities across the West, available here: http://bit.ly/mSO8Uo
Shindler received his doctorate from OSU in 1993, and a current focus of his research includes public acceptance of wildland fire management and fuel reduction practices.
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