Reducing Risks GIS and Wildfire Mitigation

Transcription

1 Reducing Risks GIS and Wildfire Mitigation Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization 501(c)(3) nonprofit Orlando Smith, Geospatial Consultant Gail Byrne, Executive Director Phone:

2 Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization Why we exist What we do How GIS is integral to all that we do GIS projects reducing risks

3 Resilient Communities and Effective Wildfire Risk Reduction Requires diverse prescriptions/actions Requires managing risk on multiple scales: Island-wide good planning, supporting codes/ordinances Landscape grazing, strategic placement of fuelbreaks Community - CCRs safer building materials, placement green space, etc. Individual homeowner Firewise landscaping

4 Resilient Communities and Effective Wildfire Risk Reduction HWMO implements projects on all scales through Building awareness - education Planning Mitigation Research GIS supports all our work, increasing our effectiveness to reduce risk

5 IslandWildfires

6 Island Wildfires in Fountain Grass Landscape

7 Life Cycle of Wildfires on Hawaii s Landscape Grass Invasion Loss to Communities and Native Resources Fuel Loading Recurring Wildfire Incidents

8 Wildfire in Native Dryland Forests

9 65% of Hawaii Island s Dryland forests have been lost, primarily to wildfire

10 What are the impacts of wildfire in Hawaii?

11 Loss of homes & structures

12 Waikoloa Wildfire 2004

13 Waikoloa Wildfires 2005 and 2007

14 iawe forest fire threatened Puako nearby resorts and offshore reef Multiple fire starts - arson

15 Fragmented Ecosystems

16 Loss of Endemic Native Ecosystems and Resources

17 Two-thirds of Hawaii s threatened and endangered species are in fire hazard areas

18 Loss of Ag Lands - veg conversion to non-grazeable plants

19 Impacts to Ocean Resources and Human Health

20 Wildfires Are Expensive 2009 Molokai Fire - $500, Pu u Mali - $250,000 Below: Mauna Lani condos and golf course. Homes at Puako escaped fire with shift in wind Waikoloa fire - $400,000 Billion dollars of infrastructure at risk: luxury homes, world class resorts Irreplaceable natural resources lost

21 Planning and Cost Challenges Primarily aerial suppression rough terrain & unexploded ordinances Long distance between water sources for helicopters for initial attack

22 Prevention and mitigation creates savings for wildfire suppression agencies AND taxpayers

23 HWMO formed as a collaborative and proactive organization

24 Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization -Founded in (c)3 in 2002 Mission: To facilitate proactive planning, disseminate critical information, and implement fuels management activities and research that protect irreplaceable natural resources and communities from wildfire.

25 HWMO s Diverse Board of Directors Miles Nakahara DLNR-DOFAW President Mark Thorne, Ph.D. Brandi Beaudet Land Resource Manager Parker Ranch Dave Faucette Range and Grazing Specialist, Natural Resource Management UH Coop Ext. Miki Kato Vice President Rancher Mike Tomich Eric Moller Hawaii Fire Dept. US Army, Pohakuloa Fire Chief Secretary Joe Molhoek Carolyn Stewart Fire Management Officer, National MCS International Park Service Treasurer Gail Byrne, Executive Director

26 What do we do? Reduce Wildfire Threat through: Building awareness education Planning Mitigation Research to increase understanding GIS is integral to all projects

27 Resiliency - Implementing Combinations of Prescriptions Across Scales Island-wide good planning, supporting ordinances, e.g. require up-front wildfire mitigation for new developments Landscape grazing, strategic placement of fuelbreaks (areas of reduced hazardous vegetation)

28 Resiliency - Implementing Combinations of Prescriptions Across Scales Community - CCRs safer building materials, placement of green space etc. What not to do Waikoloa houses protecting golf course.

29 Resiliency - Implementing Combinations of Prescriptions Across Scales Individual homeowner Firewise landscaping, e.g. vegetation that doesn t carry fire as easily, arrangement and spacing (green shield).

30 Community Planning and Wildfire Protection Ka u CWPP Kona Palisades Firewise Hazard Assessment South Kohala Community Development Plan Northwest Hawaii Island CWPP Ordinances for Fire Mitigation &Dev t

31 Fund Firewise Programs in Communities Kohala By The Sea Firewise Program

32 Assist communities with fuels mitigation projects Grazed fuels and hazard reduced Mitigation works Waikoloa saved

33 Implement fuels mitigation projects using various prescriptions Living fuelbreaks Helicopter herbicide Grazing

34 Assist resource managers with ecosystem protection and restoration Kipuka Oweowe, Pu u Wa awa a

35 Assist fire management agencies with projects that improve initial attack capabilities Wildfire Resource Map Strategic Diptank Locations

36 Innovative and Pioneering Research Costs & benefits of various fuels mitigation projects: Optimal Grazing Levels Living Fuelbreaks Conventional Firebreaks Herbicide Treatment and Application

37 Inform Legislation on State and County Levels Wise Development Wildfire Mitigation Plans for New Development Fuels Mitigation Around Communities and Resources Building Codes Firefighter Safety

38 How GIS is integral to all that we do Using GIS, Hawaii Wildfire Management, identifies hazard areas identifies optimal mitigation and restoration sites generates new knowledge and understandings to effectively reduce risk easily communicates complex concepts to communities GIS helps prioritize work and leverage resources

39 GIS Projects reducing risks Simple to complex: I. Convey concepts and display work visually pictures worth a thousands words II. Present data single to multiple overlays III. Analysis and modeling - new data and knowledge

40 Convey concepts and display work visually Pictures worth a thousands words Defines fuelbreak and effectiveness

41 Convey non-visual concepts (wind, seasonal hydrology)

42 and relationships to wildfire mitigation

43 Another example: Conveying non-visual concepts and relationships to wildfire mitigation

44 Picture worth a thousand words Map is essentially a project/grant proposal Easy for funders to digest map of projects and sites Mitigation projects and sites id by GIS analysis and Board expertise: Fire history Resources requiring protection Vegetation types, etc.

45 II. Present data - single to multiple data layers

46 Wildfire Resources Map all response districts Info required to accelerate initial attack (reduces scale of fires): landowner contact mile markers gates dippablewater, etc.

47 Potential Build-out of North Kohala Pink icons represent typical building envelope of single family residence Relevant to planning: id future resource needs, response times, etc. Based on existing zoning Developed for Community Development Plans implements General Plan

48 Fueltyping of Vegetation Used State s GAP analysis Based on HWMO firefighting experience in Hawaii, classified vegetation to National Fueltype Model Number (how veg burns) Resulting layer for use in hazard potential model developed by Maui Pacific Disaster Center

49 Fuel Type Model Map Fuel Type - input for model Collaboration with Maui Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) on input for wildfire hazard potential model

50 III. Analysis - new data and knowledge

51 Wildfire Hazard Areas Small kine analysis for community planning: - Rainfall - Veg type - Fire history - HWMO Board experience Delineates where hazard mitigation required.

52 Analysis clearly communicated magnitude of hazard Community responded! CD Plan now includes, incentives for grazing to reduce fuels on landscape scale requirement for up-front mitigation by developers outreach on Firewise construction and landscaping to anyone obtaining building permits Hazard area blue hatch

53 81 Year Fire History Map Island wide Spans 81 years now (55 yrs previously) Data from DLNR, Hawaii County Fire Dept, National Park Service, PTA data, various sources Tells a land use story

54 Land Management Story zoom into North Kona and Kohala Pu uanahulu - numerous, catastrophic wildfires that decimated dryland forest Pu uwa awa a - smaller, less frequent fires with less impact to ecosystems Areas separated by lava flow Cattle removed in 1960 s. Only difference: PWW historically grazed by cattle Large areas of intact forest grazed until recently lava flow

55 Adapted Wildfire Hazard Potential Model PDC GIS based model includes HWMO veg analysis Model considered veg type but not production(lb/acre) how much veg/fuel per acre Production impacts intensity, rate of spread, and scale of fire

56 Model adapted to allow for production - lbs of fuel (veg) per acre Output shows that grazing, which reduced vegetation, reduces wildfire hazard. Low production. Areas recently grazed = lower hazard potential Production Model output hazard rating

57 Significantly different output with production Next Steps: relate fire history data (scale & frequency) to historical production data to change model s relative hazard rating to predictive hazard rating, e.g. likely size of fire

58 Veg Analysis Project Identify veg sampling plots to capture info on post burn changes to veg species, composition, distribution: Fire history Soils Veg type Slope Elevation Rainfall

59 Inputs Fire history Soils Veg type Slope Elevation Rainfall Output 9 sampling sites at 3 elevation bands

60 Sampling Results: conversion of vegetation in areas that have repeatedly burned Colonization by barbed wire grass, not grazeable Possible impacts: Could eliminate feasible landscape scale mitigation option

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62 Upcoming Analysis Project Identify optimal locations for post-fire mitigation and restoration: Proximity to water sources Soil Slope Fire History Rainfall Elevation Changes in veg

63 HWMO Looking Ahead 40 current projects all are supported by GIS Focus on protecting communities and irreplaceable ecosystems Continue to bring GIS to the community making it available!