Solution:

To fill this knowledge gap, a team of scientists and land managers designed an integrated national network of long-term research sites, with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior Joint Fire Science Program. This long-term interdisciplinary research has been implemented to quantify the consequences and tradeoffs of alternative fire and fire surrogate treatments.

Research Objective: Develop realistic management options that will:

1) Reduce fuel loads and thereby wildfire hazards.
2) Change the stand structure by reducing the midstory.
3) Readjust the composition and structure of the understory so grasses and forbs are dominant.
4) Accomplish fuel reductions, structural adjustments, and compositional changes without compromising long-term integrity or sustainability of the ecosystem.
5) Be economically and socially acceptable