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Use of Expert Knowledge to Develop Fuel Maps for Wildland Fire Management

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Expert Knowledge and Its Application in Landscape Ecology

Abstract

Fuel maps are becoming an essential tool in fire management because they describe, in a spatial context, the one factor that fire managers can control over many scales – surface and canopy fuel characteristics. Coarse-resolution fuel maps are useful in global, national, and regional fire danger assessments because they help fire managers effectively plan, allocate, and mobilize suppression resources (Burgan et al. 1998). Regional fuel maps are useful as inputs for simulating carbon dynamics, smoke scenarios, and biogeochemical cycles, as well as for describing fire hazards to support prioritization of firefighting resources (Leenhouts 1998; Lenihan et al. 1998).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 5775 Highway 10 West, Missoula, MT, 59808, USA

    Robert E. Keane

  2. RMRS Forestry Sciences Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 800 E. Beckwith Ave., Missoula, MT, 59801, USA

    Matt Reeves

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  1. Robert E. Keane
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  2. Matt Reeves
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Correspondence to Robert E. Keane .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario Forest Research Institute, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Queen St. East 1235, Sault Ste. Marie, P6A 2E5, Ontario, Canada

    Ajith H. Perera

  2. Dept. Zoology, Biodiversity & Spatial Information Ctr., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27695, North Carolina, USA

    C. Ashton Drew

  3. Fac. Natural Resources &, Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, University Way 3333, Prince George, V2N 4Z9, British Columbia, Canada

    Chris J. Johnson

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Keane, R.E., Reeves, M. (2012). Use of Expert Knowledge to Develop Fuel Maps for Wildland Fire Management. In: Perera, A., Drew, C., Johnson, C. (eds) Expert Knowledge and Its Application in Landscape Ecology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1034-8_11

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