The efficacy of hazardous fuel treatments: A rapid assessment of the economic and ecologic consequences of alternative hazardous fuel treatments

Several persistent questions related to wildfire economics and fuel treatment effectiveness continue to concern federal budget analysts at the Office of Wildland Fire in the U.S. Department of Interior. In the summer of 2012, the Ecological Restoration Institute was asked to critically examine the role and effectiveness of fuel reduction treatments for addressing the severity of wildland fire and the effects on suppression costs. ERI gathered a team of university-affiliated and independent economists to research and analyze these questions to determine if and when investments in fuel reduction treatments will reduce federal wildland fire suppression costs, decrease fire risk to communities, and prevent resource damage. The results from this rapid assessment are detailed in this special report to the Office of Wildland Fire