MANHATTAN — Kansas State University researchers are part of a team that has been awarded a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop technology to enhance the safety of prescribed burning. Prescribed burning is when vegetation is intentionally set on fire as a technique for managing land and natural resources, and it offers a variety of benefits.
Controlled fires replenish soil nutrients, increase forage production for livestock and decrease invasive overgrowth. They also reduce the risk and impact of uncontrolled wildfires by removing built-up vegetation. However, prescribed fires also carry safety and environmental concerns. An escaped or reignited fire can cause damage and injuries, and smoke causes air pollution in nearby and downwind communities.
The project, "Smart and Safe Prescribed Burning for Rangeland and Wildland Urban Interface Communities," connects innovative research in social sciences and engineering to develop technology to support safer burning practices. The project uses data collected through satellite imagery, uncrewed aircraft systems and crowdsensing through landowner partners who conduct prescribed burns to develop the technologies.
The K-State researchers involved in the multidisciplinary project are Audrey Joslin, associate professor of geography and geospatial sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences; Zifei Liu, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering; and Walter Fick, professor of agronomy and extension rangeland management specialist in the College of Agriculture. The researchers are collaborating with landowners and members of the Eastern Kansas and Gyp Hills Prescribed Burn Associations in the areas of Medicine Lodge and Paola. They are also doing outreach to schools in those communities.