Wildland Fire Use and Cost Containment: A Colorado Case Study
Land management agencies are under political pressure both to reduce fire costs and to mitigate fire risk. One new tool, the development of Fire Management Plans (FMP), is considered so central to both of these objectives that is now required by law for each administrative unit.
A growing recognition that fire has substantial benefits for the land is leading many to incorporate Wildland Fire Use (WFU), the preplanned use of wildland fire for resource benefit, into their emerging FMP analyses. Barriers that continue to impede WFU application, which include both planning and economic dimensions, are discussed.
A case study in Colorado, USA, is presented to provide a quantification of cost differences between current suppression practices and potentially increased WFU on public lands. The findings of this case study suggest that substantial cost savings will result from expanded use of wildland fire.
Authors: Lisa Gregory, Greg Aplet, and Bo Wilmer
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Sam Goldman
Sam has been with The Wilderness Society since Fall 2007. He came most recently from M+R Strategic Services in Washington, DC where he worked with national environmental groups to improve their online campaign work and field organizing capacity. Before that, Sam was the Assistant National Field Director for U.S. PIRG where he covered a variety of issues including the fight to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
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