Version 1
: Received: 18 July 2024 / Approved: 19 July 2024 / Online: 22 July 2024 (05:02:10 CEST)
How to cite:
Ross, C. W.; Loudermilk, E. L.; O’Brien, J. J.; Flanagan, S. A.; Snitker, G.; Hiers, J. K. Prescribed Fire Reduces Wildfire Damages to Valued Resources Within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Preprints2024, 2024071631. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1631.v1
Ross, C. W.; Loudermilk, E. L.; O’Brien, J. J.; Flanagan, S. A.; Snitker, G.; Hiers, J. K. Prescribed Fire Reduces Wildfire Damages to Valued Resources Within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Preprints 2024, 2024071631. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1631.v1
Ross, C. W.; Loudermilk, E. L.; O’Brien, J. J.; Flanagan, S. A.; Snitker, G.; Hiers, J. K. Prescribed Fire Reduces Wildfire Damages to Valued Resources Within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Preprints2024, 2024071631. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1631.v1
APA Style
Ross, C. W., Loudermilk, E. L., O’Brien, J. J., Flanagan, S. A., Snitker, G., & Hiers, J. K. (2024). Prescribed Fire Reduces Wildfire Damages to Valued Resources Within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1631.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Ross, C. W., Grant Snitker and J. Kevin Hiers. 2024 "Prescribed Fire Reduces Wildfire Damages to Valued Resources Within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1631.v1
Abstract
Prescribed fire is increasingly utilized for conservation and restoration goals, yet there is limited empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness in reducing wildfire-induced damages to valued resources of significant worth—whether natural, cultural, or economic. This study evaluates the efficacy of prescribed fire in reducing wildfire severity to LANDFIRE-defined vegetation classes and valued resources impacted by the 2017 West Mims event. Wildfire severity, measured using the differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR) index, was highly heterogeneous both within and between vegetation classes; however, profound differences between treated and untreated areas were evident. The beneficial effects of prescribed fire were most pronounced within ca. two-years post-treatment but remained evident beyond three-years relative to untreated areas. For example, actively managed areas that were treated with prescribed fire just one month prior to the West Mims event exhibited an 88% reduction in mean wildfire severity relative to unmanaged areas. When post-treatment duration reached 38 months, mean wildfire severity remained 17% lower than untreated areas. Findings from this study reveal significant reductions in both average and peak wildfire severities in areas treated with frequent fire, supporting burn rotations of one to two years to balance fuel reduction and ecological conservation.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
