NWFSC Research Brief #5: Influences on Wildfire Burn Severity: Treatment and landscape drivers in an extreme fire event

In this study, researchers analyzed how previous management effortsand other factors including weather and landform influenced burn severityduring the 2006 Tripod Complex Fires, which at the time represented thelargest wildfire event in over 50 years in the state of Washington. The TripodComplex burned over 170,000 acres of mixed-conifer forests, including 387past harvest and fuel-treatment units. By evaluating differences in burn severityin areas with and without harvest and fuel treatments, as well as between areaswith different landform, vegetation, insect outbreak, and weather duringburning, researchers evaluated the relative influence of these drivers on burnseverity during the fire.