Abstract
Forests are becoming drier due to a warming climate thus increasing the
risk of wildfires. In recent years, wildfires have grown larger and more
severe. In the U.S., over 80% of wildfires are human-caused and such
events can substantially extend the fire season. At the same time, more
and more people are living in areas where wildfires can burn. Recent
fires have illustrated the devastating consequences of fires in the
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). In this context, the ability to rapidly
assess fuel load is crucial in assessing and managing the risk of
wildfires. Current methods for monitoring fuel loads (e.g., FIREMON,
Brown’s Transect) are accurate but time- and personnel-intensive. The
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
Observer Fire Fuel app is being developed using the Photoload Sampling
Technique to offer options in rapidly assessing fuel loads by 1)
providing citizen scientists with a fast and easy method to monitor WUI
fuel loads, enabling them to contribute to the knowledge of fuels in
their communities, and empowering them to think more about how fuels
might be managed in their area; and 2) offering natural resource
managers and fire science researchers a detailed, scientific application
that primarily aids experts already studying fuels to better collect the
fuels data they need. This poster will provide an overview of the GLOBE
Observer Fire Fuel app and the current app development status. We will
highlight the value and opportunity the power of smartphones and tablets
offer to rapidly assess fuel loads via an app-based method compared to
collecting the data on paper. We greatly welcome input from the fire
science community at this point of the fire fuel app development.