Supporting Fire Prevention efforts

CAL FIRE conducts a variety of fuels reduction, vegetation management, defensible space, and fire hazard severity programs throughout the state of California with the goal of helping eliminate fire hazards and risks by reducing fuel loads and educating the public. Defensible Space helps property owners assess and create buffer zones between a building and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surround it. These efforts help inform and have implications for matters like residential house development and permit policies. How can we improve methodologies, strategies, or data analyses used to drive these programs?

1. What analysis would help CAL FIRE determine the most significant or beneficial areas to conduct forestry practices (e.g., tree and vegetation clearing, controlled burns, fuel reduction)? Crucial areas to focus fire prevention efforts based on factors like land cover type, presence of defensible space zones and properties? Crucial areas that should not be touched based on this analysis? Can you provide a capability that presents this information for decision makers?
2. How can we use all the wildfire-related data, like defensible space and Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps, to improve methodologies or processes  for forestry service programs?

• Vegetation Management Program (ca.gov)
• Defensible Space / PRC 4291 (ca.gov)
• Prescribed Fire (ca.gov)
• Fire Hazard Severity Zones (ca.gov)

• Vegetation Management Program (ca.gov)
• Defensible Space / PRC 4291 (ca.gov)
• Prescribed Fire (ca.gov)
• Fire Hazard Severity Zones (ca.gov)