Prevention and Control of Wildfires Through Roadside Vegetation Management

The wildland urban interface (WUI) is an area where human development meets or intermingles with undeveloped wildland and vegetative fuels that are both fire-dependent and fire-prone. Wildfires near roadways have increased in scale, frequency and intensity due to factors such as drought and invasive species. Some wildfires are the consequence of vehicle operations such as accidents or sparking causing wildfire ignition within roadside vegetation. The risk of wildfire ignitions within roadside vegetation is compounded by increased traffic volumes in the WUI. State departments of transportation (DOTs) have adopted innovative solutions in roadside vegetation management to reduce the number and intensity of wildfires impacting WUI communities. A study of known wildfire risk factors, wildfire risk management, staffing, training, coordination, and effective roadside vegetation management practices is needed to establish an ongoing national adaptive roadside management strategy to address wildfire related challenges at the WUI. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop a guide for state DOTs on roadside vegetation management strategies that reduce the risk of wildfires. At minimum, the guide will highlight effective practices and areas of concern within roadside vegetation operations, areas of possible improvement, and suggestions for future study.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5551

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $300,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 25-71

• Sponsor Organizations:

  State Departments of Transportation (participating member states of American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO))

  American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Brooks, Mike

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Maryland, College Park

  College Park, MD  United States  20742
• Principal Investigators:

  Eun, Jongwan

• Start Date: 20250609
• Expected Completion Date: 20270611
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Best practices; Prevention; Risk management; Roadside flora; Vegetation control; Wildfires
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01904520
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 25-71
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 15 2024 7:30PM