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Sustainable community fuel breaks�for social-ecological resilience �to northern wildfires

Working group supported by

MORPHO program at NCEAS

Santa Barbara, CA

Jill Johnstone, Lead

Research Associate

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Michelle Mack, Co-Lead

Regents Professor

Northern Arizona University

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Photo: D. Rees

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Photo: M. Mack

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Problem Statement

Fire seasons are expanding
We need to take proactive measures
Installing fuel breaks is one option

- BUT -

Fuel breaks are expensive, with unintended side effects, and sometimes unwelcome to locals

Is there a better path forward?

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Fuel breaks are opportunities for co-benefits

Designing Wildfire Fuelbreaks with Co-Benefits for Communities

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Photo by Kira Wilkinson

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Partners

Tanana Chiefs Conference

City of Eagle, AK

Government of the Yukon Territories

Alaska Fire Science Consortia

Collaborators

UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research

USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station WiRē Team

US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Park Service

BLM and AK Interagency Fire Management

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Potential Scenarios of Co-Benefits

FIRE FOCUS

ECOLOGICAL CONVERSION

FOOD & SUBSISTENCE

INFRASTRUCTURE & RECREATION

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Fire Focus

Education, research, and demonstration sites
Focus on fire protection
Re-treatment is part of process
Train new firefighters and education the public
Fire science and management research

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Education and training

A place for learning about boreal forests and fire

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Education & Training

A place for workforce development and professional training

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Ecological Conversions

Aspen and birch are less flammable than spruce and pines
Natural vegetation can slow or reduce fire spread
Maintains natural ecosystems and their services

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What controls post-treatment fuel composition and ecological impacts, such as forest health?

Which management actions nudge successional processes to promote the growth of fire-resistant deciduous trees?

How will these novel successional trajectories shape future fuels and forests?

NAU graduate students Nicholas Link and Jonas Noomah

Ecological research for the design of living fuel breaks

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Photo by Betsy Black

Photo by Nick Link

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Photo by Nick Link

Photo by Doug Younce

Photo by Nick Link

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We expect the Copper Haul Road and the Mary Lake Shaded Fuelbreak area to be completed fuel abatement treatment by 2026, with aspen planting and monitoring ongoing

Copper Haul Road North Fuelbreak was just recently screened through YESAB . It’s a real success story for our branch and a proactive approach to consultation and problem solving. The project received 7 comments in the assessment process, all supporting the project. As some of you are no doubt aware, processing and storing logs in Whitehorse is a challenge so with this project we scoped in 4 processing and storage sites to provide contractors working within the project area with safe, reliable sites where they can store and process their wood if they do not have their own facility.

Klondike South Fuelbreak – Planning in progress, into YESAB in the next few years.

Overall will create the broader Whitehorse South Fuelbreak and will be almost 20km long.

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Link to video: https://youtu.be/yoqmO9vC148

Photo by L.Bibeau

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Enhancing Food and Subsistence Resources

Native forage species can be encouraged to grow in open spaces
Trails improve access to foraging resources
Agricultural use of more open spaces supports food security
Use maintains fuel break

Clearing land for a fuel break could serve the dual purpose of preparing that land for agricultural production. Many of the communities in the BWNA are heavily self-reliant for their food resources. Dedicating space for horticulture and animal agriculture would increase that capacity – especially for youth, elders, and people who are less mobile – while creating a community space that can facilitate education and traditional knowledge sharing

Consistent anecdotal evidence that fuel breaks are great for berry foraging. Some First Nation communities in Canada have considered planting or transplanting local ecotypes in these openings to enhance their ability to procure berries, medicinal plants, and mushrooms. On the large-scale agriculture side, in Whitestone, AK, fuel breaks were anchored to their agricultural fields so that they could work in tandem for fire protection

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Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation

Fuel Break Food Forest

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Photos: C. Johnston

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Berry Production in Vaccinium spp. in Response to Fuel Reduction Treatments in Interior Alaska

Felecia Amundsen

fa598@nau.edu

Photo by F. Amundsen

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Treatments

Mechanical treatment

Shaded hand-thinned treatment

Photo by F. Amundsen

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Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Vaccinium uliginosum

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Goals

Drivers that influence berry production
Species response towards human induced disturbances
Aid in developing management plans to increase ecosystem services

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Infrastructure and Recreation

Developing lands with open spaces
Support necessary infrastructure or recreation
Potential for public-private partnerships
Use maintains fuel break

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Campbell Tract, Anchorage �

Fuel break & recreational trails

Photo: N. Lojewski

Photo: S. Justin

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Photo: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/alaska/campbell-airstrip-loop

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Integrating multiple co-benefits

Human health & wellbeing

Wildlife habitat

Berries & forage plants

Non-motorized recreation

Soil erosion stability

Research & Education

Wood & Fibre

Gardens & agriculture

Motorized recreation

Self-sustaining natural systems

Hunting

Community engagement

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Wildfire risk mitigation in Teslin, Yukon

Timber Harvest Plan developed to jointly manage for wood harvest and fire risk mitigation

Phase 1: FireSmart retreatments

Phase 2: Thinning, Community FireSmart

Phase 3: THP stand conversion

Fuel break?

THP Op Units

Study blocks

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Ongoing research: exploring leverage points for change�

MORPHO Working Group

Case studies