Presentation 1.1: What is the Wildland- Urban Interface?

Outline Introduction Exercise 1.1: Piecing Connections Together Various WUI Perspectives  Spatial  Fire  Sociopolitical  Natural Resource Exercise 1.2: Describing the Interface Summary

Introduction Is the WUI a sharp delineation between developed and undeveloped lands? An area where development occurs within forests? How do you define the WUI based on your own experiences and perspectives?

Exercise 1.1: Piecing Connections Together

Exercise 1.1:Purpose and Directions This exercise will get us thinking about interface issues, possible solutions to interface problems, and the connections between interface issues. Pick a puzzle piece and a partner. Identify how your pieces are related and share that with the group. Put the puzzle together.

Exercise 1.1: Discussion Questions Who are the players in WUI issues? Who can we work with to solve problems? Where in our district/region are interface issues characterized by fire and where are water issues of most concern? Can we manage interface resources differently to reduce problems?

The WUI can be defined from many perspectives. Some of the major ones are: Spatial Fire Sociopolitical Natural Resource How do you define the WUI?

Classic Interface The Classic Interface is an area of urban sprawl where subdivisions and other development press against natural areas From a spatial perspective the WUI has been variously defined

Intermix The Intermix is an area going through a transition from agriculture and forest uses to urban land uses

Isolated Interface The Isolated Interface is an area where isolated structures are surrounded by large areas of vegetation

Wildland-Urban Interface Islands Wildland-Urban Interface Islands are pockets of isolated natural areas within cities and/or surrounded by urban areas

From a fire perspective… the WUI is a zone where structures are located in or adjacent to areas prone to wildfire

From a sociopolitical perspective… the WUI is an area where there is an interaction of different political forces and potentially competing interests

From a resource management perspective…. the WUI is an area where increased human influence and land conversion are changing natural resource goods, services, and management

With so many definitions, how can I know where the WUI is in my area?

A project supported by the USDA Forest Service and the University of Wisconsin-Madison addressed this question by mapping the WUI based on two components: 1)human presence 2)wildland vegetation They defined two types of WUI – interface and intermix. The two together make up the WUI.

What is most important is not where it is located but how key interface issues influence how natural resources are managed and conserved!

Exercise 1.2: Describing the Interface

Exercise 1.2: Purpose This exercise will help us to think about how to define the interface based on our own experiences and perspectives. The WUI may mean different things to each of us and this exercise helps us to understand these differences.

Pretend you are a tour guide and describe the wildland-urban interface for a visitor. What would you see, hear, and smell? What else would you point out? Exercise 1.2: Introduction

Exercise 1.2: Discussion Questions What characterizes the WUI in this region? What are the common characteristics described across all the groups? What differences have you noted among the groups responses? What are some of the unique characteristics in the region?

However the interface is defined, it is clear that increased human influences are changing forest ecosystems and creating new challenges and opportunities for natural resource professionals. Summary

Credits Photos: Slides 7, 8, 13, 14: Larry Korhnak Slides 7, 12: Cotton Randall Slide 9: Hans Riekerk Slide 10: VA Dept. of Forestry WUI Maps: Slides 17-19: Joint project between the USDA Forest Service, North Central Research Station and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Susan Stewart, Roger Hammer, Volker Radeloff