A Review of the Forest Service Remote Automated Weather United States Department of Agriculture Station (RAWS) Network Forest Service Rocky Mountain John Zachariassen Research Station Karl Zeller General Technical Ned Nikolov Report RMRS-GTR-119 Tom McClelland December 2003 Zachariassen, John; Zeller, Karl F.; Nikolov, Ned; and McClelland, Tom. 2003. A review of the Forest Service Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) network. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-119. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 153 p + CD. Abstract The RAWS network and RAWS data-use systems are closely reviewed and summarized in this report. RAWS is an active program created by the many land-management agencies that share a common need for accurate and timely weather data from remote locations for vital operational and program decisions specific to wildland and prescribed fires. A RAWS measures basic observable weather parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation as well as “fuel stick” temperature. Data from almost 1,900 stations deployed across the conterminous United States, Alaska, and Hawaii are now routinely used to calculate and forecast daily fire danger indices, components, and adjective ratings. Fire business applications include the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS), fire behavior, and fire use. Findings point to the fact that although the RAWS program works and provides needed weather data in support of fire operations, there are inefficiencies and significant problem areas that require leadership attention at the National level. Keywords: weather data, fire business, fire use, National Fire Danger Rating System, NFDRS, fire danger, RAWS, forest fire, wildland fire, weather observations, prescribed burns The Authors John Zachariassen, Karl F. Zeller, and Ned Nikolov are with the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO 80526 USA. Tom McClelland is with the USDA Forest Service. Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air, and Rare Plants Management Office, Washington Office, Washington, DC, 20090 USA. The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any production or service You may order additional copies of this publication by sending your mailing information in label form through one of the following media. Please specify the publication title and series number. Fort Collins Service Center Telephone (970) 498-1392 FAX (970) 498-1396 E-mail [email protected] Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/rm Mailing address Publications Distribution Rocky Mountain Research Station 240 West Prospect Road Fort Collins, CO 80526 Rocky Mountain Research Station Natural Resources Research Center 2150 Centre Avenue, Building A Fort Collins, CO 80526 A Review of the Forest Service Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) Network John Zachariassen Karl Zeller Ned Nikolov Tom McClelland Acknowledgements We would like to thank all those who have helped in the preparation of this report; techni- cal support, providing RAWS documentation, history, points of contact, personal communi- cations, and answers to long lists of questions, etc.: Constance Lemos, Joyce VanDeWater, Rosemary Reinhart, Kolleen Shelley, Linnea Keating, Phil Sielaff, Buddy Adams, Bob Hamre, Charles Kazimir, Jeff Barnes, Mike Barrowcliff, Rick Ochoa, Dave Clement, Barry Shindelar, Chuck Maxwell, Russ Gripp, Beth Little, Barry Garten, personnel at the Northern California Training Center and Ft. Collins dispatch office, Mark Nelson, Paul Schlobom, Larry Bradshaw, Greg McCurdy, Kelly Redmond, Tim Mathewson, Steve Marien, Ann Stegmaier, Sue Stillings, Keth McGillivary, Ken Reninger, and Terry Marsha. We are sure we have forgotten some peo- ple who were also a great help and for that we apologize. We would also like to thank the USDA Forest Service Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air, and Rare Plants Management Washington Office and the USDA Forest Service Air Program Washington Office (Richard Fisher) for funding support. We acknowledge Kelly Homstad, our Metro State College student intern during the summer of 2002, for her help with this report, especially the Appendices W, X and Y. ii Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 1 What Is RAWS? ............................................................................................................................... 1 Is the RAWS Network Working? ...................................................................................................... 3 Report Organization ......................................................................................................................... 3 Background of the RAWS Network................................................................................................... 3 A Brief History .................................................................................................................................. 3 RAWS Classification Schemes ........................................................................................................ 4 RAWS Information Management Systems ...................................................................................... 5 National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS)........................................................................... 6 Administrative and Forest Fire Information Retrieval and Management System (AFFIRMS) .... 6 National Interagency Fire Management Integrated Database (NIFMID) .................................... 6 Automatic Sorting, Conversion, and Distribution System (ASCADS)......................................... 6 Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS) ................................................................................ 7 Western Region Climate Center (WRCC) ................................................................................... 7 Multiagency Resource...................................................................................................................... 7 NFDRS 2000 Standards .................................................................................................................. 7 Data Stream and Products................................................................................................................. 8 Summary of Data Flow..................................................................................................................... 8 Findings ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Operations, Protocols, and Organization ........................................................................................ 9 Installation and Deployment........................................................................................................... 10 Sensor Equipment.......................................................................................................................... 10 Sampling Protocols ........................................................................................................................ 10 Standard Sampling Protocols.................................................................................................... 10 NFDRS 2000 Sampling Protocol............................................................................................... 11 Recent Updates to NFDRS 2000 Standards ............................................................................ 12 Findings on Solar Radiation Data. ............................................................................ 12 Positions and Responsibilities (RAWS, WIMS, and NFDRS)........................................................ 12 NFDRS 2000 Standards............................................................................................................ 12 Findings................................................................................................................................. 13 Local Quality Control and Assurance (QA/QC)............................................................................. 13 Operating Period ............................................................................................................................ 14 Maintenance and Calibration ......................................................................................................... 14 Service Contracts...................................................................................................................... 14 Staffing Needs........................................................................................................................... 15 Findings................................................................................................................................. 15 Administrative Organization ........................................................................................................... 15 FS Funding ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Funding for Station Purchase, Repair, and Upgrades............................................................... 16 Funding for WIMS.....................................................................................................................