On the final morning of the workshop, we will solicit input and recommendations from participants on future directions for wildland fire science R&D within the USGS. This will be accomplished through four concurrent breakout groups that will meet for 75 minutes each, to discuss future R&D directions in topical areas listed below. Discussions in each group will be facilitated and organized by a discussion leader; two note takers will be identified for each group (primary and back-up) to record key points and recommendations discussed by each group. These notes will be gathered electronically at the end of the breakout session. Following a short break, each group discussion leader will present a synopsis of recommendations of their group to all workshop participants.
Following the workshop, each group leader will assemble a small team who will organize the ideas and notes that emerged from their group, and produce a 3-5 page white paper that will summarize key ideas and recommendations developed at the workshop. These four white papers will provide input to development of a strategic plan for fire science R&D across all Disciplines in the USGS, in the months following the workshop.
As background materials for these breakout discussions, we will make available on the workshop website white papers from the previous (3rd) USGS fire science workshop. We encourage all workshop participants to review these prior to attending the 4th workshop.
When you pick up your workshop registration materials in Tucson, you will be asked to identify your preference as to which breakout group you wish to work with during this session. Please come prepared to provide this information to the individuals staffing the registration table.
Summary of breakout topics:
" Pre-fire Risk Assessment, including Fuels Mapping
and Treatments - research focused on models, tools and approaches
to evaluate wildfire risk, to conduct assessments of pre-fire risk to human
communities and to water and biological resources, and techniques for planning
and evaluating effectiveness of fuels mapping and fuels treatments to reduce
risk.
" Fire Ecology and Wildfire Effects
- research focused on understanding fire histories and historical fire regimes,
changes in fire regimes due to climate variability and change and to human actions,
and fire effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, processes, and species.
" Post-fire Restoration and Rehabilitation
- research focused on developing tools and methods for, and on evaluating the
effectiveness of, restoration of both fire-adapted ecosystems and of ecosystems
following wildfire, and rehabilitation of watersheds following wildfire.
" Fire Incident Response and Operations Support
- R&D that supports development of maps, tools and other products of use
to fire managers during fire incidents, including new technologies supporting
fire operations and support.