Natural Hazards

We know how to quantify, measure, assess the risks of, and map the potential impacts of wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. Our Natural Hazards Team specializes in completing detailed risk assessments for natural hazards and will work with you to provide quantitative, science-based answers to questions such as: How much of your ownership or infrastructure is exposed to the risk to high severity wildfire or flood events? What is the value of the natural resources and assets at risk? Can this risk be mitigated by implementing various management actions? What are the ecological and economic costs and benefits to mitigating this risk? We’ll work directly with your organization to answer these questions at parcel, project, and landscape scales depending on the types of resources and assets at risk. We bring world-class expertise to wildfire risk and hazard assessment, mitigation, emissions modeling, and other original research. We’ve completed wildfire hazard assessments on large landscapes, such as the Lake Tahoe Basin, and other public and privately owned forest lands in the Sierra Nevada, California. In addition, we model fire weather, climate change scenarios, determine risk to buildings and infrastructure, and provide original research, expert witness, and other fire related science support. We are ready to assist you in the following areas:

• Wildland Urban Interface and wildland wildfire hazard and risk quantification
• Climate change and wildfire weather modeling
• Forest and wildfire risk management scenario analysis
• Wildfire and forest condition status and trend monitoring

• Wildfire emission modeling
• High resolution weather scenario modeling
• Forest carbon vulnerability assessments

• Literature synthesis, data analysis and preparation of scientific papers and presentations
• Peer-review
• Expert witness

• Vegetation, timber, and fuels inventory design, training, and implementation
• Short- and long-term vegetation and fuels monitoring
• Data analysis and visualization
• Forest growth modeling and visualization