Researchers study the potential impacts of fuel reduction treatments on wildfire suppression costs

A new research article was published in the Society of American Foresters Journal of Forestry, January 2013.  Under the auspices of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program,  US Forest Service researchers – Matthew Thompson, Nicole Valliant, Jessica Haas, Krista Gebert, and Keith Stockman modeled the impacts and effects of hazardous fuel reduction treatments on the Deschutes National Forest located in central Oregon.   The computer-aided simulation approach involved analyzing wildfire computer outputs with wildfire suppression costs.  The analysis reinforced the idea that fuel-treatments is a very useful strategy when trying to reduce the burden of wildfire on the landscape.  This type of research is very powerful as it helps the federal land-management agencies get a better understanding on what type and scale of wildfire mitigation strategies they should invest when trying to contain our Nation’s ever increasing wildfire suppression costs.