T130 Wildland Fire in the Anthropocene: An Agent of Geomorphic, Ecologic, and Societal Change

Monday, 23 September 2024
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
209A

PRE-FIRE HAZARD PLANNING IN COLORADO WITH WILDFIRE READY ACTION PLANS

Paper number: T130-7
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:55 PM – 3:10 PM

Authors

Abstract

The need for pre-fire planning to anticipate and mitigate post-fire hydrologic hazards is becoming more apparent in the western United States and elsewhere. In 2021, Colorado passed Senate Bill (SB) 21-240 to fund a statewide pre-fire hazard susceptibility study and to create a framework for the preparation of more detailed Wildfire Ready Action Plans (WRAPs). Following, additional funds from SB 21-240 were appropriated to grantees seeking to prepare their own WRAP. Wright Water Engineers, Inc. (WWE) was part of the technical assistance team for the statewide study and is now participating in the WRAP process for several project sponsors around the state of Colorado. In this talk, we will discuss the primary methods used to conduct predictive post-fire hydrologic, erosion, debris flow, and fluvial hazard evaluations for WRAPs, and how the data generated by each hazard evaluation is then used to evaluate the susceptibility of critical assets to said hazards. Several lessons learned will be discussed, such as when and how to engage stakeholders, the need for programmatic guidance on methodology, and the importance of integrating new wildfire-related planning and guidance documents with pre-existing information, such as Community Wildfire Protection Programs (CWPPs).

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-404301

© Copyright 2024 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.