Abstract

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Paper
Using ArcObjects for Automating Fireshed Assessments and Analyzing Wildfire Risk
Track: EMS/Fire
Author(s): Alan Ager, Bernie Bahro, Mark Finney

Fire sheds are geographic units used by the Forest Service to delineate areas with similar fire regimes, fire history, and wildland fire risk issues. A fire shed assessment is a collaborative process where specialists design fuel treatments to mitigate wildfire risk. Fire shed assessments are an iterative process where fuel treatments are proposed for specific stands based on fire behavior, and the resulting matrix of treatments is evaluated in terms of landscape scale fire behavior. The fire shed process uses an array of fire behavior models and GIS operations, making it difficult to analyze large numbers of scenarios in a timely fashion. We automated fire shed analysis with VBA macros and ArcObjects. The macros are implemented on custom toolbars in ArcMap and ArcGlobe, and link vegetation and wildfire behavior models with ArcGIS, MS Access, Excel, and Forest Service vegetation databases, providing the capability for real-time evaluation of proposed fuel treatments within ArcGIS.

Alan Ager
USDA Forest Service
2517 Hailey
Pendleton , OR 97801
US
Phone: 5412783740
E-mail: aager@fs.fed.us

Bernie Bahro
USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region
3327 Peacekeeper Way
McClellan 95652
US
Phone: 9166401066
E-mail: bbahro@fs.fed.us

Mark Finney
USDA Forest Service
Rocky Mountain Research Station
Missoula , MT 59802
US
Phone: 406 329 4832
E-mail: mfinney@fs.fed.us