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Prioritizing limited resources for wildland fire projects need to be based on risk, and less on politics. Quantitative evaluation methods, particularly mapping, are essential for establishing risk objectively. Ground-truthing is also a key quality control aspect, ensuring mapped data accurately reflects the conditions on the ground.
Below is an online application showing how hazardous fuels, wildfire exposure, and risk to structures vary within the municipality of Anchorage. This is to be used as guidance regarding where fuel reduction activities would be beneficial.
Parcels are assigned to the nearest MOA school based on drive time. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of parcels assigned to a school.
Hazardous vegetation along egress routes within the Anchorage Hillside. Note: ground-truthing is needed before making final decisions.
Example of dead ends identified in the Rabbit Creek Community Council area of Anchorage.
What to know what fuel treatments have been done across Alaska? Note that in the linked map fuel treatments include timber thinning due to beetle kill (a lot on the Kenai Peninsula in the 1990s). Fuel treatments are completed by many, many agencies so gathering the data into one location can be challenging. If you are curious about a treatment and can visit it, I encourage you to do so because these were assessed with google earth. Boots on the ground is best!
[Placeholder for next steps, priorities for future risk assessment projects/funding]
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