US Forest Service Research and Development Synthesizing Scientific Information for Fire and Fuels Project Managers - Rocky Mountain Research Station - RMRS - US Forest Service
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Synthesizing Scientific Information for Fire and Fuels Project Managers

Protecting natural resources and property from wildfires, and saving lives and money, are high priority goals for today's land managers. The size and severity of wildfires can be reduced by reducing accumulations of woody biomass in dry western forests. The concept of reducing woody biomass seems straightforward, but fuel treatment planners have to integrate many factors into their decisions. With an increased emphasis on treating fuels to reduce wildfire impacts in the United States, the need for well-documented, accessible scientific information is becoming ever more crucial.

The Fuels Synthesis Project is responding to the need for tools and information useful for planning site-specific fuel treatment projects in dry western forests. Project goals include developing decision support tools; writing peer-reviewed documents that synthesize and integrate the ecological and social science relevant to fuels treatments; and delivering these products in a user-friendly format. Target audiences include fuels management specialists, resource specialists, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning teams, line officers in the Forest Service and Department of the Interior, community leaders, and educators.

The Fuels Synthesis Project is organized around four key science topics:

  • Forest structure and fire hazard,
  • Environmental consequences of fuels treatments,
  • Economic uses of material and costs of fuels treatments, and
  • Public understanding, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to fuels management.
A series of 56 easy-to-digest one-page fact sheets, highlighting key information and findings, has been completed. The Fuels Synthesis Project website is located at: www.fs.fed.us/fire/tech_transfer/synthesis/synthesis_index

The Fuels Synthesis Project is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, North Central Research Station, Pacific Northwest Research Station, and Pacific Southwest Research Station.

Rocky Mountain Research Station
Last Modified: Monday, 28 April 2008 at 17:16:29 EDT (Version 1.0.5)