B.C. Wildfire Conference 2004:
Wildland Urban Interface Fire in the New Era
Whistler Conference Centre
Whistler, British Columbia, CANADA
May 11, 12, 13, 2004
Conference Powerpoint Presentations
Human settlement, climate, and the condition of our forest ecosystems now form an equation where wildfire is becoming an increasingly persistent and severe threat. Few experts believe the destructive fires of 2003 were simply exceptional disasters. More likely, they were the beginning of a new era of frequent, catastrophic wildfire.
The purpose of the BC Wildfire Conference 2004 is to:
- lay the foundations for a broad understanding of our present wildfire predicament;
- present the strategic policies and practices we need to implement to abate the hazard;
- discuss how we must share the responsibility for wildfire in order to mitigate its future effects.
No longer just for the specialized few, wildfire now touches the interests and livelihoods of urban planners, municipal and regional district officials, insurers, conservationists, developers and landowners, as well as the traditional sectors of fire protection and forestry.
The conference topics range from the ecology, economics and governance of wildfire management to the specifics of the wildland-urban interface, fuels reduction, emergency planning, bio-mass reduction opportunities, public education, parks policy and home insurance.
"The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George and the City of Prince George recognize the importance of coordinated emergency planning, design standards, prevention measures and event response concerning wildfire. The Wildfire Conference provides a timely opportunity for information sharing and learning, particularly in light of the devastating effects of the Mountain Pine Beetle on our urban forests. I look forward to attending the Whistler conference."
Mayor Colin Kinsley, City of Prince George and Chairman, Fraser-Fort George Regional District
Conference Presentations
Day 1 - Tuesday, May 11,
2004 |
|
Topic |
Speaker |
| Introductions, welcome | Paul
Kuster, Squamish Forest District
Manager, and The Honourable Mike de
Jong, |
| Where have our present fire management practices brought us today and where they will take us if we continue them? | Robert
Mutch, Fire Research, |
Ecology: What are the
ecological roots of our
present wildfire state? What is the issue and where is it? How do we deal with fuels? |
|
| Historic fire regimes and condition class - how has depriving fire of its place in US forests contributed to the fire problem? | Wendy
Joslin, Fire Ecologist, |
| In Western Canada where do the combinations of BC's historic fire regimes, our forest condition classes and the Wildland Urban Interface leave us? | Brad Hawkes, Fire Research Officer, Canadian Forest Service |
| Can we reduce the wildfire hazard by creating positive fire effects without using fire? The US fire and fire surrogate study - an update. | Richy Harrod, Fire Ecologist, USDA Forest Service Okanagan-Wenatchee National Forest |
| Have fuel treatments been successful in diminishing wildfire behavior? | Phil Omi, Professor of Fire Ecology, Colorado State University |
| What costs are associated with large-scale fuel treatments in B.C. and how do we measure their effectiveness? | Greg Anderson, BC Ministry of Forests, Rocky Mountain Forest District |
| How are fuels managed in US National Parks? | Kara Paintner, Fire Ecologist, US National Park Service, Yosemite National Park |
| How are fuels managed in Canada's National Parks? | Al
Westhaver, Fire Ecologist, |
| What are the fuels management policies and practices in B.C's provincial parks and protected areas? | Lyle Gawalko, Conservation Analyst, Parks and Protected Areas Branch, BC Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection |
| What is the NGO response to fuels management in parks and protected areas? | Eva
Riccius, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society |
Economics: How do we
economically deal with the
bio-mass and small diameter trees that result from fuel reduction treatments? |
|
| What are the product opportunities associated with small diameter tree utilization? | Daniel Len, Small Diameter Utilization Project Manager, USDA Forest Service, Ft. Collins Colorado |
| How is
biomass utilization integrated into
forest practices in Finland? - [Video Clip # 1 - mpeg; Video Clip # 2 - mpeg] |
Paul
Holman, Application Specialist, Timberjack Ltd. |
| What are the biomass opportunities as seen by the B.C. Ministry of Energy and Mines * | Janice Larsen, Senior Policy Advisor, Biofuels and Alternative Energy, B.C. Ministry of Energy and Mines |
Tuesday Evening Public
Session: Recent fire effects |
|
| What are the hydrological impacts from the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire? | Timothy Smith and Don Dobson, Engineering Geologists, Dobson Engineering Ltd. |
| What role do forest insects and diseases of the dry BC interior ecosystems play in shaping the landscape and in relation to wildfire? * | Janice Hodge, Forest Health
Specialist, JCH Pest Management Ltd. |
| What do we do with all the burned, dead trees? | Richy Harrod, Fire Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Okanagan-Wenatchee National Forest |
Day 2: Wednesday, May 12,
2004 |
|
Topic |
Speaker |
Economics (continued) |
|
| What are the economics of fuel treatment? An Alberta example. | Rory Thompson, Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada |
| What are the economics of fuel treatment? An American example. | Roger Fight, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station |
Social: How do we create
public understanding and
education around the
wildfire issue? What are the governance issues? |
|
| What does the B.C. 2003 fire season means to British Columbians? A review. | Peter Fuglem, Director, BC Ministry of Forests Protection Branch |
| What was the public's reaction to the wildfire summer as seen from the Firestorm 2003 Provincial Review Panel's side? (.pdf file) | The Honorable Gary Filmon |
| Letdowns, Wake-Up Calls, and Middle-of-the-Road Judgments: People's Responses to Fuel and Fire Risks. | Joseph Arvai, Professor of Environmental Decision Making, Ohio State University |
| How can we be proactive and effective with home and landscape treatments in the Wildland-Urban Interface? | Rick Arthur - President, Partners in Protection, FireSmart Program |
| How can we better plan for future wildfire emergencies and who shares the responsibilities among governments? | Tom Brach, Fire Protection and Emergency Services Coordinator, Regional District Central Kootenay |
| Can Australia's 'Prepare, stay and survive' program work in Western Canada? An examination of the residents' role in protecting their homes during a wildfire. | John Gledhill, Chief Officer, Tasmania Fire Service and President, Australasia Fire Authority Council |
| How large an area do we need to treat in order to safeguard communities? | Mark Finney, Fire Research, Systems for Environmental Management |
| Implementing successful community WUI plans, integrating programs and building alliances. | Dan Bailey & Nancy Porter, USDA Forest Service National WUI/Firewise Program Manager |
| What is the insurance's industry emerging approach to wildfire hazard abatement and home coverage? | Jamie France, Manager, |
| What are Florida's legal requirements for fuel reduction treatments in the WUI? | Jim Brenner, State of Florida Division of Forestry |
| Banquet Speaker: What are the politics around wildfire?* | Vaughn Palmer, Columnist, The Vancouver Sun |
| * Presentation not available
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