Computer Applications in Sustainable Forest Management Including Perspectives on Collaboration and Integration

Growing human populations llave Icd to the expansion of tlie Wildland-Urban Interface ( \WI) across the southeastern United States. The juxtaposition of build~ngs; infrastructure, and forests in the WUI creates challenges for natural resource managers. The presence of flammable vegetation, high rates of ht~man-caused ignitions and high building densities combine to increase risks of catastropllic loss from wildfire in the WU1. At the same time, fragmentation of large ownerships into smaller parcels and changing demograpl~ics may limit the possibilities for managing fuels with prescribed fire. To make effective dec~s~ons in this environment, lalid managers will need to integrate a large volr~~ne of information characterizing the physical features, biological characteristics, and human dimensions of these landscapes. Remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies are crucial in this regard. but they must also be integrated with field surveys, fire behavior models. and decision-support tools to carry out risk assessments and develop manapement plans for the WUI. This chapter outlines tile types of geospatial datascts that are currently available to map fuels and fire risk, provides exa~nples of how GIS has been applied in the WUI, and suggests fuh~re ~ I I ec t~ons for the integration of GIS datasets and spatial models to support forest management in the WU1.