Potential Operational Delineations

This vector dataset represents Potential Operational Delineations, or PODs, for the Northern California Region of California. PODs are mapped polygons whose boundary features are relevant to fire control operations (e.g., roads, ridgetops, and water bodies). These PODs were developed using funding from the California Department of Conservation Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program awarded to the Northern California Resource Partnership. Please note, creating and refining this NCRRP PODs layer is an ongoing, iterative process. The PODs layer for the NCRRP is NOT an authoritative dataset, and is currently a working draft. This layer needs further review, both in GIS and in the field. Specifically, since this layer could be used during wildfires with limited time frames for cultural review. It is imperative that this layer not be used to guide suppression action without prior Tribal input. It is intended to be used as a risk management and planning tool for wildfire suppression, prescribed and cultural fire, and hazardous fuels mitigation. Potential Operational Delineations, or PODs, are a spatial tool for fire planning and wildfire prevention. They are being developed regionally across the United States. PODs are a network of connected features across a landscape that are relevant for fire control operations. This includes a network of roads, ridgetops, riparian areas, and other fuel breaks. PODs provide land managers a formal process for developing landscape-scale wildfire response options before fires start, because they outline where the best potential locations are to contain fire and create management units. PODs are created by drawing a lattice of connecting lines through geographic features that could be suitable for fire operations. This is best accomplished through in-person meetings with regional experts discussing the pros and cons of different control features and drawing on physical maps. From December 2021-May 2022, the NCRP hosted several workshops across the Northern California Region to solicit input on the PODs dataset. These workshops included representatives from the following organizations: CAL FIRE, Local Fire Departments, United States Forest Service, The Watershed Training Center, Several Fire Safe Councils, Timber Industry Representatives, County Government Officials, Tribal Representatives, Cooperative Extension Specialists, Land Trusts, Resource Conservation District (RCD) Representatives. The basemaps that the PODs are drawn on use various wildfire planning models to help guide the best location for the PODs. The foundational datasets used included: Suppression Difficulty Index, or SDI, is a quantitative rating of relative difficulty in performing fire control work. Factors include topography, fuels, expected fire behavior under severe fire weather conditions, firefighter line production rates in various fuel types, and accessibility. Potential Control Locations, or PCLs, show the probability of a point or feature on a landscape being successfully used as a containment point for large wildfires. PCLs are developed through similar data inputs as the SDI with special attention to proximity to fire stations and response time. In addition, PODs have been created by partners at the USDA Forest Service. The team integrated existing PODs from the Mendocino National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, and Modoc National Forest into the give workshop attendees the chance to review and refine existing PODs.