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Diane Denenberg, Communications Director Western Forestry Leadership Coalition – March 25, 2009 Wildland Urban Interface

Diane Denenberg, Communications Director Western Forestry Leadership Coalition – March 25, 2009 Wildland Urban Interface Fire Conference Diane.denenberg@cololostate.edu. Today’s Presentation. Introduce the concepts of the new report: The True Costs of Wildfire in the Western U.S . Discuss

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Diane Denenberg, Communications Director Western Forestry Leadership Coalition – March 25, 2009 Wildland Urban Interface

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  1. Diane Denenberg, Communications Director Western Forestry Leadership Coalition – March 25, 2009 Wildland Urban Interface Fire Conference Diane.denenberg@cololostate.edu

  2. Today’s Presentation • Introduce the concepts of the new report: The True Costs of Wildfire in the Western U.S. • Discuss • Your input for final draft • How can you use this report?

  3. Major Preface - We Pay and Pay • We pay much more than just suppression costs when a large wildfire crosses the landscape. • A full accounting, “true costs” is needed to fully understand the impacts and therefore • Help justify funds for preventative treatments, or “healthy” forest management

  4. What is included in True Costs? • Property losses • Post-fire impacts • Flooding, erosion, water quality… • Air quality damages • Health care costs • Injuries and fatalities • Lost revenues • Infrastructure shutdowns • Loss of ecosystem services

  5. How do we Account for True Costs? • Direct and Rehabilitation Costs • Fit into specific analytical categories • Short(er) term • Indirect and Additional Costs • Evade quantification • Tend to be long(er) term

  6. 1) Direct and Rehabilitation Costs • Direct • more easily measured, data are readily available • incurred during or immediately following the fire • Rehabilitation • On-going, harder to measure, may not be clearly connected to fire • Short(er) term

  7. 2) Indirect and Additional Costs • Indirect - impact • Not accounted for • Extend beyond the “life” of the fire • Loss of revenues • Additional - special • Longer term • Fatalities and health problems • Loss of ecosystem services

  8. Case Studies • Canyon Ferry Complex (MT - 2000) • Cerro Grande (NM - 2000) • Rodeo-Chediski (AZ - 2002) • Hayman (CO - 2002) • Missionary Ridge (CO - 2002) • Old, Grand Prix, Padua (CA - 2003) Case Studies show true costs are 2 to 30 times higher than reported costs

  9. Report Recommendations • Preventative Active Management • Improve data collection • New Fire Suppression Funding Mechanism

  10. Discussion Questions • “Day-lighting the true costs highlights opportunities to use active management..” • Where and what are these opportunities • Data is difficult to compare. • Implications of this? • What if the “true costs” were part of the funding debate? • How would you use this report? Thank You!

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