Growth in development raises costs and danger of fighting wildfires, highlights need for funding fix.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2015 - A new U.S. Forest Service report shows the continued expansion of housing development near forests, an area referred to as the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), with direct implications for the cost of wildfire fighting. Increasing densities of people and infrastructure in the WUI makes wildfire management more complex and requires more firefighting assets to ensure an appropriate, safe and effective response, which in turn drives up the cost of fighting wildfires. Expansion of the WUI has direct implications for wildfire management as more of the Forest Service's resources are spent each year to provide the firefighters, aircraft and other assets necessary to protect lives, property and natural resources in the wildland urban interface regions. In addition, overall fire seasons have grown longer, and the frequency, size and severity of wildland fires has increased.

In recent decades, research has shown a steady increase in the area that is part of the WUI, as documented and visually depicted in a new publication titled, "The 2010 Wildland-Urban Interface of the Conterminous United States." The percent of homes in the WUI increased by over five percent between 2000 and 2010 (latest data available). As of 2010, the WUI of the lower 48 states includes about 44 million houses, equivalent to one in every three houses in the country, with the highest concentrations of houses in the WUI in California, Texas and Florida. The publication includes new, high-resolution maps showing housing density, land ownership, land cover and wildland vegetation cover for each state.

"The expanding wildland urban interface is a critical issue for wildland firefighting and for the conservation of our forests," said Robert Bonnie. "More people, homes, and infrastructure are at risk than ever before. As the WUI grows, our fire fighters must commit greater resources to protect homes and property which dramatically increases the cost of fire suppression."

The cost of wildfire suppression reached a record $243 in a one week period during the height of suppression activity in late August. In 2015, 52% of the Forest Service budget was set aside for fire suppression, up from 16% in 1995. By September 2015, the Forest Service had already exceeded the funding set aside for fire suppression and was forced to borrow funds meant for other Forest Service activities. The bipartisan Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, already introduced in the House and Senate, is an important step forward in addressing the funding problems. The proposed legislation, which mirrors a similar proposal in President Obama's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget, would provide a fiscally responsible mechanism to treat wildfires more like other natural disasters, end "fire transfers" and partially replenish the ability to restore resilient forests and protect against future fire outbreaks.

While WUI expansion has increased the likelihood that wildfire will threaten structures and people and increase the number of people affected by wildfire, not all WUI acres are at high risk of wildfire or the only management concern. Increased risk of invasive species and disruption of wildlife and ecosystem processes often accompany human habitation, making the WUI maps an important guide in conservation work.

To download a copy of this publication, visit the Northern Research Station's website.

The mission of the Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the Nation's clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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Growing Along the River - Focus on Fall Gardening Conference benefits all gardeners, both novice and seasoned, with an opportunity to learn, mingle, and share ideas on all aspects of gardening in the Quad-Cities. This year's conference will be held Saturday, October 3, 2015 at Scott Community College, 500 Belmont Road, Bettendorf, Iowa from 8:00am-4:00pm.

Keynote speakers are Jason Delaney and Laura Christensen. Jason is the Bulbs Collection Specialist at the Missouri Botanical Garden and will speak on "Success with Bulbs in Midwest Gardens." Laura is a landscape architect and owns her own business, Design with Nature, in Wheaton, Illinois and will be presenting "A Landscape Love Affair: A 25-Year Relationship with My Garden."  

In addition to the keynote speakers, four breakout sessions will be offered with participants choosing from 20 additional gardening topics presented by Iowa State University (ISU) professors, horticulturalists, and local experts. The cost is $40 and includes lunch.

The conference is presented by ISU Scott County Extension Master Gardeners. Complete conference information is online at www.eicc.edu/focusonfall and search course #159012. You can also find us on Facebook at ISU Scott County Extension and Outreach and on the web at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/scott or call 563-359-7577 for more information.

Visit our events calendar at our web site:   http://dbs.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/

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ICYMI, here's what happened last week at USDA:

The heart of USDA's mission is to put in place sound policies that lay a steady groundwork for a better future for our children and our children's children. That means using the resources we have today to invest in creative solutions to tomorrow's challenges.

USDA's management of our national lands and our support for farmers' and ranchers' stewardship of private working lands not only helps to support a robust and thriving rural economy, but also meets our moral obligation to the next generation to leave our land, water, and wildlife better than we found it. Our efforts to strengthen rural economies by providing farmers and ranchers the resources they need to feed their families and our nation can at the same time promote clean air, clean water, and thriving wildlife habitat on both public and private land. No one knows the importance of conservation more than our nation's farmers and ranchers. And we are here to support them.

With record fires currently burning out West, the importance of forest management is front and center in our nation's policy discussion.  Unprecedented resources are being spent to combat fires throughout the U.S., which means the Forest Service's budget for non-fire operations, including forest conservation and management activities that lessen the threat of wildfires, are at risk. The work we do today to create and maintain resilient forests will have lasting impacts on our future generations.

Throughout the month, we'll focus on our partnerships and collaborative efforts that will ensure our national forests and private working lands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate change. Follow along or join the conversation using hashtag #conservation.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - This is the first week of National Preparedness Month (NPM) and in the Midwest it's off to a roaring start with active outreach and conversations meant to inspire individuals and families to take action and prepare for flooding?the most common and costly disaster in the United States. Yes, it can happen where you live!

During this first week of NPM, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency's 10 regional offices; county and local emergency managers; other federal agencies; businesses; voluntary and other organizations; as well as families and individuals will use news releases, social media, educational activities and events to promote the message that preparing for floods is important for protecting lives, livelihoods and properties.

"Flooding is fresh on the minds of many people in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. With so much flooding during the past few months, it's a good time to consider the true risk," said FEMA Region VII Regional Administrator Beth Freeman. "But it's not enough to simply realize flooding is a real threat for us all. This month, this week, today, we hope everyone will take action to develop and practice a family emergency communication plan for hazards like flooding. This year our theme is, 'Don't wait. Communicate. Make your emergency plan today.'"

Fewer than half of Americans have taken the time to plan what they will do if there is an emergency. Sitting down and developing a communication plan with loved ones doesn't cost a thing, but can save a lot if a flood or another disaster impacts you and your family.

In addition to floods, hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes and earthquakes also occur frequently and devastate lives across the country every year. To encourage disaster planning for all hazards, FEMA and the Ad Council just launched a new series of public service announcements (PSAs) in English and Spanish, at www.ready.gov/september,  The PSAs direct audiences to www.ready.gov/communicate for tools and resources to help develop and practice a family emergency communication plan.

Managed and sponsored by the Ready campaign, National Preparedness Month is designed to raise awareness and encourage Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, schools, organizations, businesses, and places of worship. National Preparedness Month is an opportunity to share emergency preparedness information and host activities across the country to help Americans understand what it truly means to be ready.

National Preparedness Month Weekly Themes

• Week 1 (September 1-5)  Flood
• Week 2 (September 6-12)  Wildfire
• Week 3 (September 13-19)  Hurricane
• Week 4 (September 20-26)  Power Outage
• Week 5 (September 27-30)  Lead up to National PrepareAthon! Day, September 30

National Preparedness Month culminates with National PrepareAthon! Day on September 30 when cities and counties across the country are planning community-wide events bringing together schools, their business community, government, faith leaders, hospitals, individuals and families, and others to participate in preparedness drills and activities for hazards that are relevant to their area.

For more information visit Ready.gov/September or follow the campaign on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/readygov, on Twitter, at https://twitter.com/Readygov, or for FEMA Region VII, www.twitter.com/femaregion7. For more information about events for America's PrepareAthon throughout September, and for National PrepareAthon! Day information, visit www.ready.gov/prepare.

Quick facts to consider as you plan:

• Text messages and social media can be better ways to communicate during an emergency when phone lines are tied up, or even not working.

• Homeowners and renters insurance don't cover floods

• Talking to children about emergencies and involving them in the planning process helps children feel they have some control over what could happen during an emergency. It can also make recovery much easier on everyone.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Find regional updates from FEMA Region VII at www.twitter.com/femaregion7. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.  The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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