Wildfire Risk Assessments Tools & Models
Wildfire Risk Assessments Tools & Models
A foundational step in the quantification of any benefits associated with wildfire mitigation projects should be an assessment of current wildfire risk within a water supply watershed. A wide range of resources exist to assist water providers in undertaking this type of assessment.
Several resources exist to model wildfire risk. Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) is a key national geospatial data source for strategic fire and resource management planning and analysis. LANDFIRE products help land managers identify strategic fuel and forest health treatment priorities and deliver data for community risk assessments. The Large Fire Simulator (FSim) (Finney et al., 2011) can also be used to model fire likelihood. Another resource, FlamMap5, can be used model wildfire behavior metrics in a moderate-fire and extreme-fire scenarios.
To estimate the effects of restoration projects, the Interagency Fuel Treatment Decision Support System (IFTDSS) integrates LANDFIRE and other tools in a single interface that allows users to model predicted fire behavior under a variety of weather conditions and fuels reduction scenarios such as thinning, clear cuts, and prescribed burning. It can be used at a variety of scales from local to landscape level. This resource can be useful in estimating the wildfire risk reduction benefits of potential or actual restoration projects. The effects of low tech process-based restoration (LTPBR) are not inherently integrated into IFTDSS or other, similar models. However, these models may be “tweaked” to deliver estimates of specific LTPBR benefits.
In recent years, private sector data analytics providers have created web-accessible platforms that provide wildfire mitigation and recovery scenario assessments. Land Tender, a decision support tool developed by Vibrant Planet with support from federal and state fire and land management agencies, integrates high-resolution spatial and land cover data, fire risk modeling, and economic valuation methodologies in a platform that allows users to model a range of scenarios and outcomes. This proprietary software requires a purchase or subscription to access their resources.
Pyrologix uses similar amalgamations of data to provide tailored wildfire risk assessments for community planners, government agencies and others. The State of California and Google have collaborated to develop Planscape, an open-source platform that combines operations of a series of complex models to evaluate and prioritize fire risk mitigation scenarios. While currently limited to covering forested areas in California, the open-source nature of the platform may enable customization to other geographies. NASA has provided on-line trainings to facilitate learning about sources and applications of satellite data for wildfire risk and impact assessment.
Bucket 2 Environmental Drought Mitigation Fact Sheet
The B2E application is open and accepting applications. Click the fact sheet below to learn more about eligible applicants and projects, federal funding amounts, and how WaterNow can support your application process.
WaterSMART Grant Advice from Colorado Communities
Curious about how Colorado communities have successfully secured WaterSMART grants? Explore our blog for valuable tips and insights from a recent panel discussion hosted by WaterNow. Don’t miss the webinar recording at the end of the blog for an in-depth look!
Planning and Project Design Grants Fact Sheet
FY24 Funding Opportunity is currently closed . Click the fact sheet below to learn more about eligible applicants and projects, federal funding amounts, and how WaterNow can support your application process.
Community Water Academy: Guide
Community Water Academy Guide
Ripples of Change: Guidelines & Templates for Building Your Own Community Water Academy
The purpose of this guide is to provide an accessible framework and actionable steps for creating a successful Community Water Academy in your community to strengthen the local water system and build long-term partnerships.
Community Water Academy Guide: Evaluation Form
Community Water Academy Guide: Evaluation Form
This is an example of an evaluation form from a Community Water Academy that can be used as part of the feedback and reflection process. Evaluations help inform what resonated best, what can be adjusted for future workshops, and potential opportunities for future engagement. For communities with increased access to the internet and/or smart phones, additional features can be incorporated, e.g., QR codes that link to online surveys, etc.
Click below to download an example evaluation form to inform the planning of your next Community Water Academy and additional opportunities for collaboration.
Community Water Academy Guide: Discussion Worksheet
Community Water Academy Guide: Discussion Worksheet
This is an example of a discussion worksheet from a Community Water Academy that can be customized and used as part of the planning process as you identify key topics to be reflected upon and discussed. This particular worksheet used topic ranking as a way to evaluate priorities and spark discussion, but other options include reflection worksheets, brainstorming worksheets, and role playing worksheets.
Click below to download an example discussion worksheet to inform the planning of your Community Water Academy development.
Community Water Academy Guide: Public Workshop Agenda
Community Water Academy Guide: Public Workshop Agenda
This is an example of an agenda for a Community Water Academy that was used to provide a public facing outline for distribution.
Click below to download an example public workshop agenda to inform the planning of your Community Water Academy development.
Community Water Academy Guide: Sign-In Sheets
Community Water Academy Guide: Sign-In Sheets
Registration or sign-in sheets allow workshop organizers to follow up with workshop participants.
Click below to download an example sign-in sheet to help inform the development of how your Community Water Academy will keep track of participants.
Community Water Academy Guide: Invite/Flyer
Community Water Academy Guide: Invite/Flyer
Advertisement for the Community Water Academy.
Click below to download an example invite/flyer to use as a guide for your Community Water Academy advertisement planning.
