Encinitas, USA, July 31, 2007: Advances in wildfire prevention planning will be discussed by representatives from Dudek’s urban forestry and GIS consulting practices at the 45th annual national conference of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) to be held August 20 to 23 in Washington, D.C.
Sophisticated technology such as spatially-explicit fire behavior modeling lets foresters and fire officials to analyze the physical nature of a potential fire using information about the fire environment. A precise plan can then be developed that includes improved brush thinning techniques to reduce fuel sources while preserving habitat and strategies for effectively responding to a wildfire emergency.
Scott Eckardt, Dudek’s licensed forester and Lisa Lubeley, a certified GIS professional will be addressing the issues related to wildfire prevention planning and fire protection and also describe variety of advanced spatial applications used specifically for wildfire prevention planning at the conference.
Dudek, based in California, is involved with consulting practices in urban forestry and has helped numerous fire agencies develop wildfire prevention plans. The state has a particularly serious problem with fires in the so-called Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). The state’s forestry division estimates approximately 12 million homes are located in 7.8 million acres with WUI designation. The WUI fire issue could become even more serious with the California’s population expected to grow from 28 million to 50 million people by 2050.
