Romain MATILE 2019 Fellow from FRANCE

Wildfire Prevention

Prescribed Burning France: General Information

FRANCE Western Europe About 250,000 miles² 67 million hab. (2017) Temperate zone

OREGON USA Loc. in Pacific Northwest About 100,000 miles² 4 million hab. (2017) Temperate zone France: the “Clichés” Fellowship Project Comparing US/France Practices

Forest/Wildfire prevention actions Prescribed burning management My Job in Provence, South of France

• Based on wildfire prevention, working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

• Area about 2,000 mi² (= Grand Canyon National Park) with 2 million people

• Financial, legislative, executive and administrative aspects PRESCRIBED WHAT?

Prescribed Burning /Controlled Burn /Planned Fire/Rx is a wildfire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration

From a fireline to another fireline, prescribed burning managers set a down wind backfire, which create a blackline. Backfire burning creates a lower temperature burn which impacts as minimum as Wind direction possible the soil and the trees. Crew members also patrol the fire to ensure that the burn is contained.

Fire Common Themes: Flash-Back

Pristine Nature?

Native American shaped their world by burning

Native European shaped their world too Wildfire Common Themes Today

Population is growing Infrastructure is encroaching the forest Wildfire Related Themes • More and more population live in Fire Prone Area • Wildland Urban Interface

Fire Prone Area

Population Density Fire Prone Areas Increasing Due to Global Warming

Reference Period 1989-2008 Modeled Data to 2040

Climate change is bringing higher temperatures, lower humidity, and longer stretches of drought. Pacific Northwest is experiencing the same phenomenon SOLUTIONS? FIRE SUPPRESSION

USA: $ 3 billion suppressing wildfires 2018

France: € 0,2 billion

Treat the symptomes but not the disease BETTER SOLUTION: Treat the « Fireshed »

FireshedWatershedare = the so area big, that what drains can into be a done? single river Fireshed = the area that drains into a single fire • Protect communities by mitigation activities in the wildland-urban interface

• By promoting fire adapted communities

• By mitigating fuels, assessing wildfire risk to structures, evacuation planning and drills, awareness, and education Treat the « Fireshed »

• Conduct project planning at the landscape scale in high priority areas

• Do strategic thinning, modify fuels through chipping and mastication, and utilize wood where appropriate • Use fire: • burn piles • prescribed burning • Allow wildfires to burn when firefighter and public safety permits New Concepts to Take Home and Share

If no human is endangered = Let it burn

Fire is not bad, it’s part of the ecology

Fire has ALWAYS been part of the landscape

The more we do Fire Suppression, the worst it will be Increase the use of “Tools” to Mitigate Wildfire Risk Prescribed Burning and Forestry Management My Fellowship Project What am I Bringing Back Home?

• Prescribed burning U.S. knowledge • Smoke management improvement • Communication tools and practice • Many, many, many other new skills!

In October, I will present my Fellowship research project findings in France, during the 29th Annual French Prescribed burning crews meeting!!!

After? I am planning to increase the use of Prescribed Burning activities in France!! QUESTIONS? THANK YOU!

Thanks to