Wildfire risk assessment and mitigation strategies
The National Rural Fire Authority of New Zealand developed a national spatial methodology called Wildfire Threat Analysis for quantifying the level of threat an area faces from wildfires. Wildfire Threat is a combination of three factors; ignition potential, potential fire behaviour and the values threatened by wildfire. The objective of this analysis is to assist fire management decision-making by highlighting areas that would benefit from certain fire prevention, mitigation and management measures. This requires the creation of a number of different spatial products derived from the Wildfire Threat Analysis components, the development of guidelines for carrying out the spatial analysis and applying the appropriate fire management activities. This is encompassed in a process called Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategies (RAMS), a term borrowed from a similar programme within the US Bureau of Land Management. The RAMS process involves three steps; identifying the appropriate risk management strategy, determining the areas of priority, and then applying the appropriate activity. This is assisted by three spatially-derived products, the Risk Management Strategy analysis, the Priority Area analysis and the Most Significant Component analysis. This paper documents the creation of these three products.