Park managers realize that fire plays a significant role in maintaining the health of a boreal ecosystem and reducing flammable forest fuels.
Prescribed burning is one practice that can regenerate fire-dependent ecosystems, reduce hazardous fuels, and reduce wildfire spread.
In her Master's research, Anne Grant studied using prescribed or controlled burns to build up a fire barrier (or firebreak). A firebreak is an integrated system of natural features and forest treatment by fire, logging or other means, designed to create a regional fire break effect. A firebreak is effective in reducing flammable fuels, regenerating fire-dependant species and reducing the spread of and containing wildfires.
The safe alternative to understanding firebreak effectiveness is to build various firebreak scenarios using computer modelling, rather than waiting for a large wildfire in the field! These various firebreak designs were simulated using Prometheus fire behaviour modeling software.
In order to realistically model fire behavior, the following geospatial data layers were needed to accurately simulate:
Map of frequency of wildfire ignitions that escaped to demonstrate potential weaknesses in this particular firebreak design.
This research project was successful because we were able to use geomatics technology in the field, geospatial data for simulating fire activity, and modeling software in the lab to combine all information and visually see effectiveness of different firebreak designs.
By using geomatics technology such as GIS and remote sensing, park managers can work with a variety of “what-if” scenarios and prepare for potential risks of wildfires within the park. Overall, this research demonstrates one way in which these models can also be applied to the planning and management of fire’s benefits (e.g. ecological diversity) and costs (e.g. potential loss of life, infrastructure, and timber resources).
