This award will support the participation of six U.S. scientists in a U.S.-Australia seminar that will focus on problems associated with development in fire-prone forest environments. Human development in the U.S. and Australia, as well as other regions of the world, is progressively extending into essentially wild forested environments. People are frequently drawn to these areas seeking closer interaction with nature and wildlife, as well as enjoyment of natural scenic beauty, quiet, and solitude. However, in temperate forest environments where fire is an important component of natural ecological processes, development can prove hazardous to human property and lives. Scientific understanding of forest ecosystems and forest fire behavior has progressed considerably in the U.S. and Australia. Less, but significant, progress has also been made in research on human perception of environmental quality and of natural hazards. Models have been developed that predict forest development, others that predict forest fire behavior, and still others that relate forest characteristics to public perceptions of natural scenic beauty. However, these separate areas of study have not yet been integrated into a model that can effectively guide design and development in fire-prone forest areas. This seminar, under the U.S.-Australia Cooperative Science Program, will serve as a vehicle for bringing together researchers from both countries who have separately addressed these relevant problem areas. The goal is to complete initial steps toward the creation of an integrated scientific information base for the design and management of forest developments that can provide the natural environmental amenities that people seek, without unacceptable risks to lives and property. Discussion will be directed toward identifying opportunities for mutually beneficial binational cooperation. The seminar organizers are Professor Terry C. Daniel, University of Arizona, and Professor Ian Ferguson, University of Melbourne, Australia. Co-organizers are Professor Michael M. McCarthy, Texas A&M University, and Professor Ian P. Williamson, University of Melbourne.
