Fighting a wildfire can be tough in the best of circumstances. It helps fire managers to know what is burning, and on what kind of terrain.
University of Washington and Michigan Tech researchers recently unveiled a tool that can help fire managers. It's a database with corresponding maps that show fuel loads of living and dead vegetation, the very fuel that will feed a fire.
Note the map of our region: purple is a high load of fuels. UW researchers Susan Prichard and Maureen Kennedy join us with details.