Understanding the Cost of Catastrophe: Wildfire Suppression Costs Drivers by Fire Size Class Stephanie A. Overla * Project Mentor(s): Megan K. Walsh, PhD; Brian Potter, PhD; Tony Sipic, PhD While most wildfires burn less than 100 acres, the western United States experiences much larger fires annually, placing increasing pressure on suppression resources. Changes in weather patterns, fuel composition, and the spatial complexity of human development have rapidly altered historic fire regimes, increasing both the frequency of large wildfires and the challenges of managing them. This study compares two wildfire classes— Fires of Unusual Size (FOUS); > 90,000 acres with at least one rapid growth eve nt, and Large Fires (LF); 25,000–90,000 acres—to identify differences in how size- and growth- based fire classes influence wildfire suppression costs (WSC). Suppression cost data for 60 fires was collected, while fire behavior and socio-economic variables, including fuel moisture, wind speeds, elevation, land cover, population, and housing values, were derived from remote sensing, climate, and population datasets. Nonlinear statistical models were used to analyze the results, maintaining temporal sequence and relationships between the variables. Results indicate that FOUS are more expensive overall but less costly per acre than LF. FOUS WSC are most sensitive to the fuel types within the final fire perimeter and to the elevation of ignition. LF WSC also increase with certain fuel types, but are also highly influenced by increased populations, and weather variables such as vapor pressure deficit, and wind speeds both near the surface and at the 700 mb pressure level. These findings help improve understanding of WSC variability across fire size classes and can support adaptive, data-driven decision- making. An Analysis and Teaching Exercise Using Western Washington Historic Ceramics Gregory Plank* Project Mentor(s): Patrick Lubinski, PhD This thesis explores collections of ceramic sherds donated to CWU from western Washington but lacking detailed provenience. Included are some 980 sherds from Padilla Bay, 95 sherds from an Overseas Chinese site in Port Ludlow, and another 78 sherds that were not labeled. Ceramics will be studied and recorded for paste, surface finish, decoration, vessel form, vessel portion, and decoration style. Maker’s marks will be researched to gain production ranges for the sherds. Researching historical documents regarding communities in the study area will gain more robust provenience and help interpret the ceramic sherds. Once analyzed, the ceramic sherds will be used to create a hands-on laboratory exercise for the CWU introduction to archaeology course. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation (May 21, 9:30am–3:00pm) Keywords : Wildfire, Suppression cost, Fuel, Land cover, Wind speed SOURCE Form ID: 170
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation (May 21, 9:30am–3:00pm) Keywords: Archaeology, Historic Archaeology, Ceramics, Teaching SOURCE Form ID: 118
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