Page 146 - Mapping the Nation: Taking Climate Action

145 The limbs and branches cut from trees and large brush help prevent fire from spreading near housing in Zion National Park. The piles will be used in fireplaces in the winter. Hartsburg and Edel's assessment work proved useful recently in New Mexico, as the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire that began in April 2022 crept closer to Pecos National Historical Park—home to some of the earliest Native Americans. Assessments of the park's structures were uploaded into the NIFC Structure Triage dataset, providing information to thousands of firefighters and responders. Although the assessments don't include natural landmarks such as trees or rock formations, they offer a first-ever comprehensive look at each park's wildfire risks, with assets ranging from the grandest visitor centers to parking structures to modest "comfort station" commodes. New buildings in the park system are often built with a host of natural threats in mind, but the parks' many historic structures can be trickier. To retain historic character, many still feature original or similar construction materials—and are not necessarily fire retardant. In response, the assessments outline ways to fortify the buildings by removing anything that might fuel a fire that's surrounding the structures while maintaining their history. "We don't want to change the structure, but we don't want it to burn down," said Edel. Seeing Where the Risks Exist All the collected data appears on an online dashboard that includes a map, searchable by a park, by region, or across the entire country—with a list of highest-priority sites based on wildfire vulnerability and value. The majestic and historic Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone ranks first overall, for example. By sharing the information in a single database and a visual dashboard, people "can see the data, they can touch the data," Edel said.