Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 12-2017 Community Wildfire Planning and Design: A Review and Evaluation of Current Policies and Practices in the Western United States Carlene C. Klein Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Landscape Architecture Commons Recommended Citation Klein, Carlene C., "Community Wildfire Planning and Design: A Review and Evaluation of Current Policies and Practices in the Western United States" (2017). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 6921. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/6921 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PLANNING AND DESIGN: A REVIEW AND EVLAUATION OF CURRENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES by Carlene C. Klein A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Approved: ______________________ ____________________ Barty Warren-Kretzschmar, Ph.D. Richard E. Toth Major Professor Committee Member ______________________ ____________________ Carlos V. Licon, Ph.D. Mark R. McLellan, Ph.D. Committee Member Vice President for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2017 ii Copyright © Carlene C. Klein 2017 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Community Wildfire Planning & Design: A Review and Evaluation of Current Policies and Practices in the Western United States by Carlene C. Klein, Master of Landscape Architecture Utah State University, 2017 Major Professor: Dr. Barty Warren-Kretzschmar Department: Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Wildland fire is an important and complex issue, particularly in the fire-prone ecosystems of the Western United States. At the same time that the number of catastrophic wildland fires is increasing across the United States, more people are moving into at-risk areas across the West, growing the interface between urban and wildlands. Communities in this wildland-urban interface are the most at risk of wildland fire and the protection of communities in these high-risk areas accounts for the largest percentage of fire suppression costs. Scientific knowledge of risk, perceptions, and management of wildfire is numerous and well researched. However, the extent to which professionals charged with the planning and design of communities at risk of wildfire incorporate best available research in the development of these communities is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is first, conduct a state of the art review exploring the fundamentals of wildfire and the benefits and limitations of current community planning and design practices that are being employed at the federal, state and local levels. Second, the aim is iv to evaluate these current approaches employed at the various levels through case study research. Knowledge of the best practices supported in both best-available research and current practice will provide the foundation for the development of a framework for planning and design decision-making to improve the resilience of Western communities in the face of wildfire. (201 pages) v PUBLIC ABSTRACT Community Wildfire Planning & Design: A Review and Evaluation of Current Policies and Practices in the Western United States Carlene C. Klein Wildland fire is an important and complex issue, particularly in the fire-prone ecosystems of the Western United States. At the same time that the number of catastrophic wildland fires is increasing across the United States, more people are moving in to wildland areas growing the interface between urban and wildlands. Managing wildfire in the Western United States is becoming increasingly more complex and costly as growth and development continues to push the edge of municipalities into undeveloped wildlands. Communities in this wildland urban interface are exacerbating the problem of wildfire in the West. With more people living in wildfire prone areas and changes facing our climate, the occurrence of catastrophic wildfire in the U.S., particularly in the West, is only expected to increase. It is unrealistic to rely on voluntary actions to address the problem of development in wildfire prone ecosystems. Greater understanding of the ways we can build our communities to live with wildfire and using this understanding to guide planning and design decisions will be necessary to improve community resilience to wildfire in the West. Planners and designers will play a key role because these professionals have unique opportunity to address development in areas at-risk of wildfire before the need or want for development occurs. In order to improve the resilience of Western communities to wildfire, the current state of wildfire science and planning must be known to identify the gaps between best available science and practice and improve the development of communities at risk of wildfire. Therefore, the first objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive literature review, and the second objective was to use key findings from the literature vi review to inform a framework to guide planning and design decisions in wildfire prone communities. The intent of the state of the art review was to provide a critical examination of both best available, peer-reviewed wildfire literature and the current strategies communities in the Western United States are employing to address the growing threat of wildland fire. Knowledge of the benefits and limitations of the current state of community wildfire planning and design in the fire-prone ecosystems of the West helped identify where community resilience could be improved. Beneficial community wildfire planning and design strategies provided the foundation for a planning and design audit. The goal of this audit was to evaluate a community’s preparedness for wildfire, which was assessed based on reduction of losses to life and property. This audit was tested using two Western communities: one that successfully reduced its risk of wildfire and one that was unsuccessful. The wildfire planning and design audit provides a checklist for planners and designers to ensure future growth and development reflects wildfire risk. vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my committee for their mentorship and encouragement. The following individuals were instrumental in the completion of this thesis: Barty Warren-Kretzschmar, Carlos Licon and Richard Toth. I would also like to thank the faculty and staff in the Department of Landscape Architecture for their important insight along the way. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for their love and support. Carlene C. Klein viii CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... iii PUBLIC ABSTRACT ............................................................................................ v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................. x LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................. xii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 Wildfire is a Critical Issue ................................................................................ 1 More People are Moving to Wildfire-Prone Areas ........................................... 2 Managing Wildfire Prone Areas is Complex and Costly .................................. 3 Fuel treatments and Fire Prevention Methods Only Go So Far ........................ 4 Planners and Designers Need to be a Part of the Solution ................................ 4 II. OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................... 6 Purpose .............................................................................................................. 6 Research Questions ........................................................................................... 7 Significance....................................................................................................... 8 III. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................. 10 Wildfires in the West ...................................................................................... 11 Development in the West ................................................................................ 25 The Wildland Urban Interface ........................................................................ 32 Responsibility in the Wildland Urban Interface ............................................. 46 Findings and Conclusions of the Literature Review ....................................... 51 IV. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................ 55 Procedures and Design .................................................................................... 55 Methodology Limitations................................................................................ 65 V. STATE OF THE ART