Sponsors:

NCASI, USFS, USFWS, NOAA Fisheries, USGS, OSU, University of WA, Clemson University, OFRI (Oregon Forest Resource Institute), AWCP (American Wildlife Conservation Partners), Boise Cascade Corporation

Problem:

Increasingly throughout America, forest and range ecosystems are being affected by disturbances including those caused by insects, diseases and wildfires. The occurrence or threat of uncharacteristic wildfires (those that burn with unusual intensity and size) is a particular concern in drier ecosystems. This includes for example, sagebrush-grasslands, and dry Douglas-fir, dry grand fir and ponderosa pine forests in the West, and longleaf pine forests in the Southeast that evolved with short interval (0-35 year), low intensity wildfire. All values of the forests and rangelands are affected including economic and social, as well as wildlife, fish and water. Public and private landowners and managers are faced with assessing the short-term ecosystem effects, often on species listed under ESA, of restoration management designed to reduce risks posed by uncharacteristic wildfire. In order to balance risks, they also face assessing the long-term effects of no restoration management. In this “relative risk” assessment process, thresholds for unacceptable short-term risks are not commonly defined and understood, while tools and procedures for assessing long-term effects of no restoration management are generally lacking. This conference is designed to develop tools and information necessary to assess short-term risks and benefits associated with restoration to prevent uncharacteristic wildfire, and the long-term risks and benefits of no such restoration.

Goal:

Advance analytical tools and decision-making procedures that will provide managers equal confidence in their ability to assess and display short and long-term risks and benefits of restoration and short and long-term risks and benefits of no restoration, so that balanced decisions are possible.

Objectives:

1. Summarize the disciplines of risk assessment, and management and decision-making including the “precautionary principle”, applied to “natural” systems.
2. Summarize the state-of-the-art for predicting hazards and risks of uncharacteristic wildfire. 3. Summarize the principles and management practices and specific cases for conservation of “species in peril” subject to uncharacteristic wildfire.
4. Identify needs and priorities for new assessment methods and tools, and for new decision-making protocols.
5. Describe a protocol for decision-making where considerations of short and long-term risks/benefits and uncertainty are primary.

Focus Questions:

Define short-term risks and benefits of restoration management.
Define and describe “unacceptable” short-term risks of restoration.
Define long-term risks and benefits of no restoration.
Define and describe “unacceptable” long-term risks of no restoration.
Define and describe necessary decision-making protocols related to “relative risks” and uncertainty.
Describe needed results and selection criteria for necessary tools and protocols that are lacking.

Method:

Plenary sessions and case studies.

Fee

The fee for the conference is $150. It includes all handout materials, two lunches, one dinner, and coffee breaks.