1 00:00:03,303 --> 00:00:06,840 We cannot eliminate fire, nor do we want to. 2 00:00:07,340 --> 00:00:10,176 Wildland fires are natural and essential 3 00:00:10,176 --> 00:00:13,179 part of ecosystems on our landscape. 4 00:00:13,179 --> 00:00:16,649 In 2023, the National Interagency Fire Center 5 00:00:16,916 --> 00:00:20,787 reported responding to 56,580 fires, 6 00:00:21,087 --> 00:00:26,760 which amounts to about 2.7 million acres burned in the United States. 7 00:00:27,293 --> 00:00:29,896 And this impacts communities, 8 00:00:29,896 --> 00:00:33,133 public health and air quality and ecosystems. 9 00:00:33,633 --> 00:00:38,204 Surprisingly, one effective method to mitigate future severe fires 10 00:00:38,605 --> 00:00:41,641 is to use fire to combat fires. 11 00:00:42,075 --> 00:00:45,512 Both prescription burning and unplanned fire ignitions, 12 00:00:45,645 --> 00:00:50,150 like lightning caused fires, under the right fire weather conditions 13 00:00:50,350 --> 00:00:54,954 reduce fuels for future fires that might burn more intensely 14 00:00:54,954 --> 00:00:58,625 under hotter and dry conditions that we cannot control. 15 00:00:59,225 --> 00:01:03,963 Fires clear understory growth, the grasses and the fuels in the brush, 16 00:01:04,230 --> 00:01:07,534 and this promotes new plant growth, benefiting 17 00:01:07,534 --> 00:01:10,170 both the ecosystems and wildlife. 18 00:01:10,170 --> 00:01:12,906 Change, including fire, is vital 19 00:01:12,906 --> 00:01:16,476 for forest health, and many species depend on it. 20 00:01:18,645 --> 00:01:21,714 It's crucial for us to further our understanding of fire. 21 00:01:21,781 --> 00:01:23,416 At the Rocky Mountain Research Station, 22 00:01:23,416 --> 00:01:26,286 we use the latest technologies to study fire. 23 00:01:26,286 --> 00:01:30,990 Using the latest data sets from partners like NASA to map vegetation, fuels 24 00:01:30,990 --> 00:01:34,694 and past fires helps researchers to model 25 00:01:35,028 --> 00:01:37,764 fire spread risk and severity. 26 00:01:37,764 --> 00:01:41,401 Building tools, models and applications that fire managers can use 27 00:01:41,401 --> 00:01:45,872 to make decisions, often under rapidly changing conditions, that restore fire 28 00:01:45,872 --> 00:01:49,309 to the landscape in the appropriate ways, times, and places 29 00:01:49,309 --> 00:01:52,312 reduces the risk and severity of future fires. 30 00:01:52,779 --> 00:01:57,350 At NASA, we employ various methods to collect near real-time fire data. 31 00:01:57,684 --> 00:02:01,020 This includes aircraft and ground based campaigns. 32 00:02:01,554 --> 00:02:05,558 One distinct approach is by using satellites. 33 00:02:05,658 --> 00:02:10,730 We have a global view of fire with this perspective from space 34 00:02:10,763 --> 00:02:15,168 scientists can accurately locate thermal anomalies, or fires, 35 00:02:15,468 --> 00:02:20,240 their spread over time and monitor vegetation conditions. 36 00:02:20,740 --> 00:02:23,109 Fire managers have to make complex decisions. 37 00:02:23,109 --> 00:02:26,312 These data sets and scientific approaches help teams predict 38 00:02:26,312 --> 00:02:29,282 how Fire will evolve over various different scenarios, 39 00:02:29,449 --> 00:02:33,119 and foster collaboration within fire affected communities. 40 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,090 Satellite observations give us an eye in the sky 41 00:02:37,090 --> 00:02:40,193 during an active blaze, and also allow us 42 00:02:40,193 --> 00:02:43,196 to track fire behavior trends over time. 43 00:02:43,563 --> 00:02:47,734 Providing those on the ground with the data they need to make complex 44 00:02:47,734 --> 00:02:52,105 decisions, and bringing fire safely back to our landscapes. 45 00:02:52,305 --> 00:02:56,509 Forest service research and NASA data sets help us to move to more proactive 46 00:02:56,509 --> 00:03:00,313 fire management that promotes healthy forests and watersheds 47 00:03:00,780 --> 00:03:04,117 while simultaneously reducing the risk and severity of future fires.