Stanford Explores New “BurnBot” Technology for Living Fire Lab
This summer, Stanford’s Conservation Program kicked off a study in an effort to research effective wildfire management. This pilot study evaluates the performance of a newly developed “BurnBot” device in creating fire breaks (a strip of land that is either cleared to bare soil or planted with fire-resistant vegetation), controlling non-native plants, and supporting native plants. The rolling BurnBot has a mobile burn chamber with three rows of propane torches, pulled by a remote control vehicle. The BurnBot’s burn chamber incinerates vegetation, contains emissions, and puts out fire with water sprayers and larger rollers at the back of the unit.
The BurnBot pilot effort is among the initiatives implemented by Stanford’s Fire Management team, designed to reduce the risk of high-severity fires on Stanford's open space. Esther Cole Adelsheim, Conservation Program Manager in the Land Use and Environmental Planning department, reflected on the BurnBot pilot project: “Stanford is exploring and recognizing the benefits of the use of various forms of controlled fire to reduce the risk of high severity fire. We are discovering that ‘Good Fire’ can be safely applied in the urban-wildland interface to achieve benefits to people and local ecosystems.” This study is a great example of the amazing synergy at Stanford between hands-on sustainability operations and academic research, with learning outcomes that could be applied to land beyond campus. Look out for more news on this topic as the BurnBot study continues!
