![]() Our goal is thus to develop a consistent methodology for mapping and assessing the risks of multiple negative impacts, prioritizing diverse mitigation activities, and implementing solutions that are effective and portable across WUI environments.ĭeciding where and how to build our communities – arguably the key function of land use and urban planning – has ripple effects across landscapes and feedbacks to wildfire occurrence and its impacts ( Butsic et al., 2015). Despite the uniqueness of many WUI communities, there is a quantifiable set of hazard-, vulnerability-, and exposure-related factors that characterize potential losses there. In spatial terms, most losses of lives and homes tend to occur at the wildland–urban interface (WUI), where human communities are located within or adjacent to flammable landscapes ( Radeloff et al., 2005 Chuvieco et al., 2014 Moritz et al., 2014 Manzello et al., 2018). Focusing primarily on a narrow issue, such as fuel reduction in forests or evacuation in built environments, will only ignore the broader context and ensure future disasters. We demonstrate here a consistent methodology for mapping hazards and vulnerabilities, assessing the risks of multiple negative impacts, prioritizing diverse mitigation activities, and implementing solutions that are effective and portable across many WUI environments.Īs fires increasingly impact human societies across the world, it is crucial that we approach complex fire-related problems as coupled social-ecological systems ( Chapin et al., 2006 Berkes et al., 2008 Moritz et al., 2014 Spies et al., 2014). The goals of an RWMP include (1) retrofitting of the built environment (i.e., structural ignition vulnerabilities, water supply deficiencies, evacuation constraints) (2) buffering the landscape (i.e., a mosaic of less flammable land uses complementing traditional fuel breaks) and (3) training the community (i.e., education to become fire-adapted). A Regional Wildfire Mitigation Program (RWMP), expanding on traditional approaches to wildfire protection, is a key step in this direction. A more comprehensive approach is needed – one that facilitates climate change adaptation and future resilience – to mitigate multiple fire-related risks. While this approach can reduce fire hazard in specific locations and under certain weather conditions, there are a variety of vulnerabilities that are not directly addressed by fuel reduction. Traditionally, most plans for protecting WUI inhabitants focus on fuel reduction in strategic locations (e.g., defensible space around homes, fuel breaks around communities). Although future developments may be sited and designed to be more survivable and resistant to losses, an over-arching strategy is needed for those that are already at high risk. There are thousands of communities and millions of homes in fire-prone wildland–urban interface (WUI) environments. 8Spatial Informatics Group (SIG), Pleasanton, CA, United States.7Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, Santa Barbara, CA, United States. ![]()
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