National Wildland Fire Weather Needs Assessment

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National Wildland Fire Weather Needs Assessment
Interdepartmental Committee For Meteorological
Services And Supporting Research November 18,
2005
PROBLEM / NEED An abundance of accumulated
biomass in forests and rangelands and persistent
drought conditions are contributing to larger,
more costly wildland fires. To effectively
manage and suppress wildland fires, fire managers
need timely, accurate, and detailed fire weather
and climate information.
GOALS / DESIRED OUTCOMES

• Conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of
  weather and climate needs of providers and users
  in their wildland fire and fuels management
  activities
• Assess the capabilities of the provider agencies
  to ensure that needed weather and climate
  information is available to fire managers and
  other users

KEY FEDERAL AGENCY STAKEHOLDERS

• DOE
• DOD
• All Service Components
• National Guard / Reserve
• DOT
• FAA
• FHWA
• FRA
• FTA
• EPA

• DOC
• NOAA
• NIST
• NASA
• DHS
• FEMA
• U.S. Fire Administration
• HHS
• NSF

• DOI
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• National Park Service
• Bureau of Land Mgmt
• U.S. Geological Survey
• Bureau of Indian Affairs
• USDA
• Forest Service

FUNCTIONAL AREAS COVERED IN ASSESSMENT

• 1. Data Collection
• 2. Modeling / Prediction
• 3. Products / Services
• Training / Education / Outreach
• Information Dissemination

• 6. User Response / Decision Support
• 7. Research and Development
• 8. Resource Considerations
• Partnering / Collaboration
• 10. Socioeconomic Impacts

KEY ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES / APPROACH
1. ICMSSR brief 2. Establish JAG 3. Review
federal agencies wildland fire programs 4.
Identify stakeholders (federal, state, etc.)
link to federal agencies where applicable 5.
Develop assessment questions
6. Conduct mini workshops 7. Gather
assessment information 8. Identify gaps to meet
needs 9. Develop report outline 10. Draft
weather needs assessment report
GOAL COMPLETE FINAL PRODUCT BY SPRING 2007
WGA CONFERENCE