Forests at the wildland-urban interface are at increasing risk due to the impacts of urbanization. Conserving and managing these forestlands for continued ecological and social benefits is a critical and complex challenge facing natural resource managers, land-use planners, and policymakers. Forests at the Wildland-Urban Interface: Conservat

This publication provides a review of critical wildland-urban interface issues, challenges, and needs for the Southern United States. Chapter topics include population and demographic trends; economic and tax issues; land use planning and policy; urban effects on forest ecosystems; challenges for forest resource management and conservation; social consequences of change; fire; and themes, research, and information needs for the wildland-urban interface.

A unique guide to solutions and strategies for managing fire at the urban edge. Offers analytical tools and comprehensive summaries not found in other manuals dealing with fire mitigation. Designed as a reference, it provides information on codes and laws, and includes case studies, tables, figures, suggested websites, and other source material. Draws on best practices from California, with lessons applicable nationwide. Equally useful to state, federal, and local agency staff and officials, fire agency staff, attorneys, architects, landscape architects, property owners, developers, insurance company managers, and business and community leaders.

This summary report synthesizes the findings contained in the Southern Wildland-Urban Interface Assessment (General Technical Report SRS-55). The Assessment provides a review of critical wildland-urban interface issues, challenges, and needs for the Southern United States. Topics include population and demographic trends, economic and tax issues, land use planning and policy issues, urban influences on forest ecosystems, challenges for forest resource management and conservation, social issues, and themes and research needs for the wildland-urban interface.

This reference work encompasses the current, accepted state of the art in the science of wildfires and wildfires that spread to communities, known as wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires. 171 author contributions include accepted knowledge on these topics from throughout the world, all written by the leading researchers, experts, practitioners, and academics. This encyclopedia is an invaluable reference for newcomers to the field, as well as researchers, students, developers, and professionals who are interested in exploring this dynamic area. General Sections include: Combustion Coordination System Locations Fire Whirls Firebrands and Embers Incident Management Team (IMT) Support Locations Incident Response Support Locations On-the-Incident Locations Soot and Effects on Wildland/WUI Fire Behavior Weathering Effects on Fire Retardant Wood Treatments Wildland Firefighting Locations Wildland Fuel Treatments

This bibliography is intended to provide information on a wide variety of topics related to fire management in the wildland-urban interface. Subject areas represented include building design and materials, disaster management and natural hazards, land use planning and development, politics, public education, psychology, sociology, and fire suppression. Types of resource materials contained in the bibliography range from brochures and audio-visual materials to technical reports and research papers. Citations range in date from the late 1800s to mid-1993. In geographic terms, most of the materials are from the United States, Canada, and Australia. Total number of citations, arranged by author, is around 2,200. Includes subject index.

Human activities have significantly altered forest conditions throughout Eastern Washington, United States, particularly in the wildland-urban interface where small acreage private landowners control a significant share of remaining forests. Focusing on Spokane County as a case study, this project used Geographic Information Systems, remotely sensed data, and property ownership information to estimate forest cover, identify private forest landowners in the wildland-urban interface, and measure vegetation changes between 1991 and 2011. Simplified reclassification of land cover yielded an estimated 315,268 acres (127,584 hectares) of forest in the county, approximately 28% of total land area. Forty-seven percent of forested land (149,236 acres - 60,393 hectares) is owned by 21,045 small forest landowners (defined here as individuals owning 2-180 acres). Change detection analysis using multi-temporal Landsat imagery measured slight increases in mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (+1.2 points) and mean Normalized Burn Ratio (+5.2 points). Visual comparison with aerial imagery suggested significant increases (>20 points) corresponded with forest growth or regeneration, while significant decreases (>20 points) corresponded with development or forest removal.