ABSTRACT
The risk of wildland fires is of significant concern in the southwestern United States. Although the Southwest has a long history as a fire-prone ecosystem, years of drought and insect infestation have increased fire risk. Paired with these ecological forces is the increased risk caused by the concentration of populations in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), compounded as urban encroachment spills over into wildland areas (Cleaves 2001; Daniel 2003; Fulton 2003; Murphy 2000; Platt 2001). As a consequence of this encroachment, the WUI has been growing (Cleaves 2001; Hamner et al. 2004; Platt 2001). These land-use changes and aggressive fire suppression have altered vegetative composition and structure and increased the risk of larger and more severe wildland fires (Cleaves 2001).
