Fuel Treatment Effectiveness in the Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon

This webinar explores the landscape-level effectiveness of fuel treatments in the Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon. Using the Landis-II simulation model, the study evaluates how different management strategies such as mechanical thinning and prescribed burning impact wildfire spread and severity under both contemporary and extreme weather scenarios. A primary finding is that while treatments work at a local scale, tripling the current levels of prescribed fire is necessary to significantly shift wildfire behavior across the broader landscape. The research suggests that spatially optimizing treatments in high-risk zones can be just as effective as distributing them widely, offering a more efficient way to manage resources while preparing for a future of increased wildfire activity driven by climate change.