The implications and activities related to integrated fire management in the wildland and forestry interface

The need for mitigating the effects of unwanted fire, and its potential negative effects on the environment, has existed since humans first started using fire as a tool. It has developed to a point where only relatively recently the value of integration of the various aspects of fire management started to be understood by practitioners. Aside from a new understanding and the emergence of related technologies and techniques for integration, these are not yet widely applied. Working on Fire International is a leader in this field, having applied integrated fire management both to diverse land use areas throughout Southern Africa on a country scale, and also successfully implemented the full suite of integrated fire management services in the international arena. Its experience covers a varied range of circumstances from Africa through Australia, Indonesia to Chile. We seek to share some of the thirty years of practical experience in applied integrated fire management by in turn discussing the various components, benefits and values achieved by using an integrated system to manage the use of fire. The presentation will deal with all components of integrated fire management and how they integrate to ensure the supply of an efficient foundation, which drastically reduces the risk of fire to plantations and wildlands. This includes a seamless decision-making process to ultimately minimize the risk of fires and attendant losses through rapid response. The discourse will look at all aspects of integrated fire management including prevention, protection, suppression and post fire rehabilitation in the unique format that we have found to be logical, simple and highly effective.