Soil/Fuel Moisture for Improved Wildfire Protection
Project Title: Soil and Fuel Moisture for Improved Wildfire Protection
Project Sponsor: USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
Principal Investigators: Salli Dymond (NAU), Teki Sankey (NAU)
Collaborators: Jackson Leonard (USFS), Joel Biederman (ARS)
Project Location: Sierra Ancha Experimental Forest; SRP Dude Thinning Project, Tonto NF, AZ
Postdoctoral Scholars: Charlie Devine (ARS), TBD
Funding Total: $682,000
Project Summary: Wildfires throughout the United States result in ~$400-900B in costs and damages each year. Proper forest management to reduce the risk of severe wildfires, as well as early detection and warning, are key to reducing economic losses and to saving lives and infrastructure. In the US, wildfire danger rating systems use weather-based metrics of drought to determine the potential of ignition of live and dead fuels. However, plants and smaller dead fuels may be more related to soil moisture, which is more complicated and more variable across landscapes than typical weather variables. This study will use a network of soil moisture sensors and fuel moisture sensors across multiple forests types and forest and fuel management treatments in northern Arizona to determine if soil moisture measurements 1) are related to live and dead fuels and 2) improve wildfire danger ratings in the southwestern US. If so, we will scale our field-based measurements across landscapes using remote sensing. Field-based soil moisture sensors can transmit data from remote sites back to offices, allowing for real-time and more enhanced fire prediction to enhance safety across the region.
Project Outcomes:
Project Handout
Project Sponsor: USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
Principal Investigators: Salli Dymond (NAU), Teki Sankey (NAU)
Collaborators: Jackson Leonard (USFS), Joel Biederman (ARS)
Project Location: Sierra Ancha Experimental Forest; SRP Dude Thinning Project, Tonto NF, AZ
Postdoctoral Scholars: Charlie Devine (ARS), TBD
Funding Total: $682,000
Project Summary: Wildfires throughout the United States result in ~$400-900B in costs and damages each year. Proper forest management to reduce the risk of severe wildfires, as well as early detection and warning, are key to reducing economic losses and to saving lives and infrastructure. In the US, wildfire danger rating systems use weather-based metrics of drought to determine the potential of ignition of live and dead fuels. However, plants and smaller dead fuels may be more related to soil moisture, which is more complicated and more variable across landscapes than typical weather variables. This study will use a network of soil moisture sensors and fuel moisture sensors across multiple forests types and forest and fuel management treatments in northern Arizona to determine if soil moisture measurements 1) are related to live and dead fuels and 2) improve wildfire danger ratings in the southwestern US. If so, we will scale our field-based measurements across landscapes using remote sensing. Field-based soil moisture sensors can transmit data from remote sites back to offices, allowing for real-time and more enhanced fire prediction to enhance safety across the region.
Project Outcomes:
- Use real-time soil moisture data to update fire predictions and warnings
- High-resolution maps of forest drought and fire risk across AZ
Project Handout
