Innovative Solutions for Wildfire Management
Enhancing Wildfire Risk Reduction with AgTerra Solutions
BACKGROUND
Teton Conservation District, established in 1946, is dedicated to promoting the conservation and stewardship of natural resources through local projects, partnerships, research, and education. The District’s boundaries encompass all of Teton County, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, and Wyoming’s portion of Yellowstone National Park. The District faced a significant challenge in efficiently managing the Wildfire Risk Reduction Program, which involves field consultations with landowners to advise them on reducing wildfire risk on their properties.
THE CHALLENGE
While surveying properties, the process of transcribing field notes, referring to written standards, and formatting pictures and graphics was cumbersome and time-consuming. This limited the number of clients the program could serve each season.
THE SOLUTION
Robb Sgroi, the Land Resources Specialist for Teton Conservation District, sought an efficient reporting solution and turned to AgTerra for help. AgTerra’s Strider forms and reports were implemented in the spring of this year, revolutionizing the evaluation and reporting process. The use of Strider forms allowed the District to meet nearly every client’s request for service, producing over 60 overviews this year.
“AgTerra’s team has been outstanding to work with. Other entities highly recommended AgTerra to us, in part because of their customer service. AgTerra was instrumental in developing the first version of our Strider Form, from scratch. Our agency has made dozens of modifications to the Strider form over the past six months. AgTerra’s team has implemented these adjustments with a high degree of professionalism and cooperation. They have been dedicated to the success of our product.”
RESULTS
The implementation of AgTerra’s software significantly improved the efficiency of the Wildfire Risk Reduction Program. The District was able to serve more clients and produced over 60 comprehensive reports in a timely manner. Robb Sgroi praised AgTerra’s team for their outstanding customer service and professionalism. The team was instrumental in developing the first version of the Strider Form and has made numerous modifications over the past six months to ensure the success of the product.
CONCLUSION
The implementation of AgTerra’s Strider system streamlined data collection while surveying properties on site. Professional and printable reports, with multiple photos, were generated in near real time and greatly empowered homeowners to understand wildfire risks and take proactive steps to protect their properties.
FUTURE PLANS
Looking ahead, Teton Conservation District plans to continue collaborating with colleagues working in fire prevention and wildfire risk reduction to offer the tools developed with AgTerra. The goal is to enable other entities to utilize and improve upon the form to facilitate their work.