Fire Risk Assessment at the Fireshed Level

The fireshed is a conceptually similar to a watershed, encompassing areas of similar wildfire threat where a similar response strategy could influence the wildfire outcome. The fireshed assessment is based on the premise that fuels treatments strategically located to modify fire behavior can positively affect the outcome of a wildland fire by limiting the area severely burned and reducing negative effects on communities, habitat, and watersheds. The fireshed of Naher el Kaleb is located in the center of Lebanon, starting 15 km northeast of Beirut, on the western exposed side of the Lebanon Mountains. It has a total size of 40,560 ha and ranges between sea level and 2400 m asl at Mt Sa. The fireshed is a critical area for wildfire risk assessment and management due to its high population density, agricultural activities, and urban development. The Firewise approach is a community collaborative effort that connects all those who play a role in wildfire education, planning, and action with comprehensive resources to help reduce wildfire risk. The approach aims to create a Firesmart landscape in the wildland/urban interface based on the wildfire risk assessment, involving the local community in the effort to reduce the risk of wildland fires. The Firewise plan for a community in Lebanon is expected to reduce wildfire risk and its negative economic, social, and ecological impacts, increase awareness about wildfires, and help maintain a community-based sustainable forest management. The methodology of work for the fireshed assessment involves identifying and delineating the fireshed as a study area, reviewing the national and local context related to fire prevention, assessing fire risk in the study area, identifying and characterizing priority sites, and generating a list of recommendations for fire prevention. The fire risk assessment will be conducted by producing fire hazard, vulnerability, and risk maps of the identified fireshed using satellite imagery. Priority sites will be identified with the combined use of the fire risk map and field visits to very high fire risk areas. The current fire risk management practices within the fireshed and the applicability of current regulations and laws will be investigated. The assessment will also involve collaboration and coordination with multiple landowners and interested parties to develop a coordinated program of work for managing landscapes to influence potential large wildfires. The underlying assumption is that as landscape-scale wildfire behavior is modified over time, fire suppression and fire management opportunities will be enhanced, leading to fires that are less damaging and less costly. The Firewise project in Lebanon aims to promote NFPA standards that relate to Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) issues for adoption, as applicable, and work with municipal, directorate, and national bodies to promote Firewise and community-based fire management strategies in Lebanon. The objectives of the work include identifying and delineating a fireshed as a study area, reviewing the national and local context related to fire prevention, assessing fire risk in the study area, identifying and characterizing priority sites, and generating a list of recommendations for fire prevention. The fireshed assessment will provide a comprehensive understanding of the wildfire risk in the area, enabling the development of effective fire prevention and management strategies. The assessment will also inform the development of a coordinated program of work for managing landscapes to influence potential large wildfires, involving collaboration and coordination with multiple landowners and interested parties. The ultimate goal is to reduce wildfire risk and its negative economic, social, and ecological impacts, increase awareness about wildfires, and help maintain a community-based sustainable forest management.