WASHINGTON, DC—The Forest Service is taking a proactive, collaborative and innovative approach to wildfire management in part by hosting a series of potential operational delineation workshops. Gathered around maps, partners from local fire and law enforcement agencies, state foresters, tribal leaders and county officials in the Northern Region have come together to draw cross-boundary POD lines on maps.

PODs are boundaries identified ahead of wildfires where firefighters can safely engage and manage fire. PODs are then integrated with other spatial data, such as GIS, to create an enhanced capability of understanding how fire may engage within a given landscape. Participants collaborated to identify safe boundaries for engaging wildfires using maps, wildfire models and local fire management expertise under the leadership of Michael Dardis, the Washington Office Enterprise Program Fire and Fuels PODs project manager.

By developing PODs, managers can work together ahead of fires to develop cross-boundary agreements and plan fuel treatments and prescribed burns within these containers. The impact of the PODs approach is significant in minimizing risk and preparing for future fires. Pre-planning for fire is necessary to identify the best locations to engage fire with a high probability of success, increase firefighter and public safety, enhance the capability for using fire on the landscape to achieve ecological objectives where appropriate, and prepare for future fires.

"The PODs initiative is a great example of the Forest Service's commitment to collaboration and using innovative approaches to wildfire management," said Dardis. "By working with partners and national forests, the Forest Service can continue to improve the resilience and health of forests and grasslands while protecting important values and enhancing firefighter and public safety."

The success of the PODs approach can be attributed to the collaborative planning process, which involves engaging partners from surrounding communities and using their local knowledge and values to inform decision-making. Through workshops and cooperative efforts with national forests and their partners, the Fire and Fuels team has developed several PODs in the Northern Region and plans to have them completed throughout the region by fiscal year 2024.

This approach will allow more national forests and their partners to benefit from PODs while reducing the risks of wildfires and protecting essential values such as communities, infrastructure, and natural resources. PODs workshops foster cross-boundary collaboration and communication by involving partners in the planning process, creating a shared understanding of risks, management opportunities and desired outcomes. As a result, land managers are better equipped to use fire on the landscape to achieve ecological objectives while minimizing the risks of future wildfires.

For more information about PODs and the Fire and Fuels team’s work, please contact Jessica Haas at Jessica.r.haas@usda.gov, executive officer, Enterprise Fire and Fuels program.