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The Rendezvous A Glossary

A Glossary Both New and Old School

Editor’s Note: This is a “real” U.S. Forest Service Employee’s Glossary. The genesis of this little project was cocktails with Mike DaLuz in a bar overlooking Washington, D.C. a number of years ago. He believed this would be a way to transfer that “old-timer” knowledge to the youngsters in the outfit and shortcut their transition. Please take a peek and send sugestions to the Rendezvous about acronyms and jargon you used during your time in the outfit. We gladly accept edits, comments, corrections and even notes to us on a speed memo. When we’re done, we’l share Mikey’s vision with the workin’ folks at the USFS.

A. APHIS: Accessibility: Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service – USDA The degree to which a product, device, service, or AQM: environment is available to as many people as Acquisition Management Staff Unit possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to ARPNG: access" and benefit from some system or entity. Arapaho Roosevelt and Pawnee National Grasslands Acre foot: ASC: A water volume measurement equal to the amount of Albuquerque Service Center water that would cover one acre to a depth of one ASQ: foot – approximately 326, 000 gallons. Allowable Sale Quantity Age class: ATV: An interval of years, commonly 20, into which trees All Terrain Vehicle are grouped for management. Example: 1-20 years, AUM: 21-40 years. Animal Unit Month AFMO: AWOL: Assistant Fire Management Officer Absence Without Official Leave Air Attack: Refers to the supervisor in the air (usually in a fixed- wing ) who supervises the process of attacking B. the wildfire from the air, including fixed-wing air Bambi Bucket: tankers, , and any other aviation resources A bucket suspended on a cable carried by a assigned to the fire. to deliver water for aerial firefighting. Each bucket has Air Tanker: a release valve on the bottom that is controlled by the Air tankers or water bombers are fixed-wing aircraft helicopter crew. Developed by Canadian Don Arney fitted with tanks that can be filled on the ground at an and produced by SEI Industries since 1983. air tanker base or, in the case of flying boats and , by skimming water from lakes, reservoirs, or large rivers. AL: Annual Leave AMP: Allotment Management Plan AMR: Appropriate Management Response AMS: Agricultural Marketing Service - USDA AO: Administrative Officer Bambi bucket 1 The Rendezvous A Glossary

Basal Area: BLM: Used in forest management that defines the area of a Bureau of Land Management – Interior Department given section of land that is occupied by the cross- (now often Black Lives Matter). section of tree trunks and stems at their base. Brush : Bear Wear: A fire with a single-edge blade that is 12” long, 3” Any of the variety of coats and hats and pins and wide on a 36” curved wooden handle. An excellent blankets and a host of items associated with Smokey clearing tool. Bear. BFR: A really big rock – as in “I hit a BFR with my rig.” C. Cache: A hiding place especially for concealing and Bladder Bag: preserving provisions or implements. In fire, caches A heavy-duty, are located in every geographical region of the United collapsible, five-gallon States with a shared national inventory value of over capacity yellow vinyl $91 million. These resources are shared and moved tank bag with a brass, throughout the wildfire season to allow us to annually hand-operated pump, issue supplies and equipment to a variety of incidents 1/4” hose, and padded throughout the year. shoulder straps. Canopy: Weighs 4-1/2 lbs. In a forest, the branches from the uppermost layer of empty. trees; on rangeland, the vertical projection downward of the aerial portion of vegetation. CDOW: BIA: Colorado Division of Wildlife – now the Colorado Bureau of Indian Parks and Wildlife. Affairs CE: BIFC: Categorical Exclusion Boise Interagency Fire Center – (old school) now CEQ: known as NIFC. Council on Environmental Quality Biomass: CFO: Biological material from living, or recently living Chief Financial Officer organisms, most often referring to plants or plant- CFTR: derived materials. Cooperative and Tribal Relations BIG: CFR: Blacks in Government Code of Federal Regulations. A set of regulations that BLI: have been published in the Federal Register, and are Budget Line Item used to govern Forest Service Activities. Blowdown: CIP: A tree or stand of timber that has been blown down Capital Investment Program. by the wind. Clearcutting: Board Foot: A controversial forestry/ practice in which A specialized unit of measure for the volume of most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. lumber in the United States and Canada. It is the volume of a one-foot length of a board one foot wide and one inch thick. BOR: Bureau of Reclamation – Interior Department

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Clinometer: Corks: An instrument for measuring angles of Also known as , are leather nail-soled slope (or tilt), elevation or depression boots worn by in the timber- of an object with respect to gravity. producing regions of the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

CPW: Colorado Parks and Wildlife

CR: Civil Rights Staff Unit

C-Rats: An individual canned, pre-cooked, or prepared wet ration often issued to firefighters when fresh food is in short supply.

Climax: Cruiser Vest: It’s not what you think! Cruising vests are The final or mature seral stage in secondary plant designed to accommodate succession that persists for an indefinite period of a variety of equipment. time if no major disturbances occur. Many styles of vests are COB: available that suit the Close of Business – usually in the Washington Office. many types of work that COLA: are being done. Vest Cost of Living Adjustments – might be just for old pockets are designed to timers. fit the various pieces of Combi tool: equipment used for a The firefighter’s version of a military entrenching variety of tasks. tool. A small head which can be folded straight for use as a shovel or folded at 90 degrees for use as a scraping tool or on a 5 foot handle. CUI: Commercial Use: Controlled Undisclosed Information The use of products from the National Forest to CUPOLA: make a profit. In design work, a feature added to the layout so that Cone Crop: the boss can make an edit and feel like they Refers to the interval at which conifer species contributed. produce good cone crops. Cord: A stack of wood that contains 128 cubic feet. Measurements are usually four feet high – four feet wide and eight feet long. A pickup truck will hold about one-half cord of wood.

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D. DR: DBH: District Ranger Diameter at Breast Height DRF: DEIS: Deputy Regional Environmental Impact Statement Drip Torch: Desired Future Condition: A tool used in wildfire suppression, controlled A portrayal of the land or resource condition that is burning, and other forestry applications to expected to result if goals and objectives are fully intentionally ignite fires. achieved. Developed Recreation Site: These are sites that provide for visitor comfort, convenience and/or educational opportunities. DG: Data General (former Forest Service computer system)…also abbreviated GD-DG when it was working poorly.

Proper use of a drip torch.

Dwarf Mistletoe: Mistletoes are parasitic flowering plants that can infect and damage many species of trees.

Directional Drilling: The practice of drilling non-vertical wells. E. Dispersed Recreation: EA: Dispersed means no services; such as trash removal, External Affairs Staff Unit or Environmental and little or no facilities; such as tables and fire pits. Assessment or Environmental Analysis or DOA: Environmental Audit Dead on Arrival Ecosystem: DOB: A complete, interacting system of living organisms Date of Birth and the land and water that make up their DOI: environment; the home places of all living things, Department of Interior including humans. DOJ: EE: Department of Justice Environmental Education DOL: EEO: Department of Labor Equal Employment Opportunity DOT: Department of Transportation

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EIS: FOUO: Environmental Impact Statement For Official Use Only ENG: FPO: Engineering Staff Unit Forest Protection Officer or Fire Prevention Officer EPA: FS: Environmental Protection Agency Forest Service – also USFS FSH: Forest Service Handbook F. FS-INFO: FACA: Forest Service Information Library Service Federal Advisory Committee Act passed in 1972 to FSM: create an orderly procedure by which Federal agencies Forest Service Manual may seek advice and assistance from citizens and FTE: experts. Full Time Equivalent Also, the Florida Athletic Coaches Association FWS: FAM: Fish and Wildlife Service – also USFWS and F&WS Fiscal and Accounting Management Fish Squeezer: FAX: Slang term for a fisheries biologist. Facsimile Transmission G. GA: Grants and Agreements Staff Unit or Graphics Artist Gabion: A cage, cylinder or box filled with rocks, concrete, or sometimes sand and soil for use in civil engineering, Hewlett-Packard road building, military applications and landscaping. Model 1040 Fax Machine.

FEDSTRIP: Wire Federal Standard Requisitioning and Issue Procedures Gabion FIO: Basket Fire Information Officer - possibly the most valuable person on a fire team. FLT: Forest Leadership Team FMHA: Farmers Home Administration FOIA: GIS: Freedom of Information Act Geographical Information System FONSI: GMUG: Finding of No Significant Impact. Has nothing to do Grand Mesa, Uncompaghre and Gunnison National with “Happy Days” television show. Forests…also Gunny-Munk..Gee-Mug. Forb: GPO: Broad-leafed, herbaceous, nongrass-like plant species Government Printing Office other than true grasses, sedges, and non–woody GPS: plants; fleshy leafed plants; having little or no woody Global Positioning System material.

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Green and Gray: Indian: The color of the Forest Service vehicles back in the An early firefighting metal backpack pump made by old days. Gray tops ended in the 1970s. the Indian Company. Irreverent slang was/is "piss Green Underwear: pump." Slang for extreme loyalty to the Forest Service. GSA: General Services Administration GSC: Gunnison Service Center H.

Henweigh: About 2 pounds…in answer to the question; “What’s a henweigh?” Indian Backpack Pump. ”D. B. Smith & Company. Helispot: Utica, N.Y., U.S.A.” circa 1930s. A natural or improved takeoff and landing area intended for temporary or occasional helicopter use. Hot Shot: A member of an elite consisting of 20-22 wildland firefighters, with specific qualifications to J. provide leadership for initial-attack and extended- Job code: attack on wildland fires across the nation. An accounting number that you write down on your Hot Spot: Time and Attendance A particular active part of a fire. JCCC: HR: Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center Human Resources HRP: Human Resources Program HUD: Housing and Urban Development Pine Ridge Civilian Conservation Center in Chadron I. Nebraska.

IC: Incident Commander ICP: Incident Command Post JHA: I & E: Job Hazard Analysis Information and Education – (old school) J-Root: IDP: An improperly planted seedling that takes a J-shaped Individual Development Plan configuration in the planting hole. Such seedlings IDT: often die prematurely, grow poorly, and are susceptible Interdisciplinary Team to windthrow. IF: International Forestry

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LWOP: K. Leave With Out Pay Kicker: As in “cargo kicker.” Airplanes loaded with cargo are flown into areas accessible only by air, and cargo is M. then "kicked" out the door and dropped or M: parachuted to locations on the ground. Thousand Kiosk: Manual: A small, open or glass enclosed booth or building such The Forest Service Manual and Handbooks are as the fee-collection and information booth at a forest internal agency guidance designed to assist employees entrance station. in carrying out their duties under the laws and Knot bumper: regulations. Slang for a sawyer M&IE: KSA: Meals and Incidental Expenses Knowledge, Skills and Abilities MBF: KV: Thousand Board Feet Knutsen-Vandenburg (Act) Med-Bow Routt: The Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and L. Thunder Basin National Grassland Fuel: Vegetation located below the crown level of forest trees, which can carry fire from the forest floor to tree crowns. Ladder fuels may be low growing tree branches, shrubs, or smaller trees. LSC: Lakewood Service Center LEI: Law Enforcement and Investigation Staff Unit LEO: Law Enforcement Officer Litter: The uppermost layer of organic debris on the soil surface, which is essentially the freshly fallen or slightly decomposed vegetation material such as stems, leaves, twigs, and fruits. Also according to Woodsy Owl - trash. Logs Chief: The person in charge of Logistics on an incident.

Lookout: A person designated to detect and report fires from a vantage point. Or the building - a lookout station. LT: Leadership Team Devil’s Head Lookout Tower - Pike National Forest. LWCF: Land and Water Conservation Fund

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Meetings: Where minutes are taken and hours are lost. O. MIST: OGC: Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics. A set of Office of General Counsel guidelines prescribing safety, fire line procedures, Old Growth: , and equipment that has the least impact on the Refers to a patch or stand condition, not individual environment during suppression and mop-up phases trees. However, old trees can occur in smaller or larger of fire spatial configurations, namely tree groups or patches, MUSYA: and forests or landscapes that may also be termed old Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act growth….or a disparaging term for employees who MVA: stay too long in their job. Motor Vehicle Accident OPM: Office of Personnel Management N. NEPA: P. National Environmental Policy Act Parkie: NF: A loving term for National Park Service employees. National Forest P-Code: NFC: Fire accounting slang National Finance Center NFMA: Pebble Count: National Forest Management Act A method that NFS: hydrologists use National Forest System to study streams. NICHE: They reach A place or activity for which a thing is best fitted. down and pick NIFC: up the first grain National Interagency Fire Center (old school) – touched. formerly BIFC – Boise Interagency Fire Center Diameter is NICC: measured for The National Interagency Coordination Center is the the average Performing a pebble count - Galatin River Task Force. focal point for coordinating the mobilization of dimension and resources for wildland fire and other incidents recorded. throughout the United States. NLT: PEER: National Leadership Team Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility NOAA: Permittee: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Any holder of a permit from the U.S. Forest Service. NPS: The term "permittee" is seldom if ever applied to the National Park Service – Interior Department holder of a motor vehicle or trailer permit, who is NWCG: more aptly termed a "visitor." The National Wildfire Coordinating Group

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Pickle Suit: Humorous name for the Forest Service uniform Piker Bell: The Pike and San Isabel National Forests PII: Personally Identifiable Information

Pine Cone Club: The Forest Service wives club in the 70s, 80s and 90s in Denver, CO.

A Pumpkin Tank is the standard in helicopter bucketing operations. The Pumpkin Tank also serves as a portable water reservoir for fire departments and forest fire control agencies.

PR: Physical Resources Staff Unit Pumpkin: Prescribed Fire: A big orange colored water container that helicopters Prescribed fire is any fire ignited by management dip water out of on a fire. actions to meet specific objectives. Prescribed fire is intended to mimic natural fire regimes. Public Relations: Primitive Area Arguably the most important part of the Forest Any of a number of tracts within the National Forests, Service. The state of mutual esteem, interest, set aside for preservation in natural condition; no cooperation, and friendship existing between the alteration or development, beyond measures for fire public and the Forest Service. prevention, being permitted. PSICC: Pike and San Isabel and Comanche and Cimarron Q. National Grasslands Quad: A "quadrangle" is a topographic map produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) covering the United States. The maps are usually named after local physiographic features. Quality Class: Annual change in volume of live sawtimber trees plus total volume of trees reaching sawtimber size, minus volume losses resulting from natural causes. Quality of Life: Pulaksi: Refers to the satisfaction people feel for the places The firefighter tool of where they live (or may visit) and for the places they choice named after Big Ed occupy as part of that experience. . He is widely Quartersawn Lumber: credited for the invention Another term for edge-grained lumber. of the Pulaski in 1911. A QSI: combination hand tool Quality Step Increase with a for Ed Pulaski outside the tunnel where he led his men to safety digging or grubbing on during the Big Burn in August one side and an axe for of 1910 near Walace, Idaho. chopping on the other. 9 The Rendezvous A Glossary

R. RARE I and RARE II: Riparian Area: Roadless Area Review and Evaluation An area with distinctive soils and vegetation between Rare Earth: a stream, or other body of water, and the adjacent Xxxxxxxxxx upland area consisting of vegetation that requires free, RAWS: or unbound, water for survival. Remote Automated Weather Station RMACC: RBO: Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center in Regional Budget Office Lakewood, Colorado provides safe, cost effective, and RCSC: timely response of national and area resources for all Rapid City Service Center aspects of wildland fire management activities and REC RACK: other emergency management activities within the Recreation Resource Advisory Council Rocky Mountain Area. Retiree: ROD: A person who has retired from employment. Record of Decision RF: ROSS: Regional Forester Resource Ordering System RFT: RR: Regional Forester Team Renewable Resources Staff Unit RHRW: Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness Resources RI: S. Resource Information Staff Unit Seral: RIG: Refers to the stages that plant communities go Slang for a motor vehicle. through during the progression in structure and composition over time. Development stages have characteristic structure and plant species composition. SFAM: Safety, Fire and Aviation Management Shelterwood: The cutting of most trees, leaving those needed to produce sufficient shade to produce a new age class in a moderated microenvironment.

Old Green and Grey - circa 1959.

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Shot Crew: Swamper: A 20 person Hot Shot fire crew. The second person on a tree cutting crew who Silviculturist: watches for danger and clears the brush away from the A specialist who knows everything about trees. feller. Sit Report: The Incident Management Situation Report for fires in the United States. T. Six Pack: T and A: A vehicle holding six passengers - usually a pickup Time and Attendance truck with an expanded cab. TES: SL: Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Sick Leave Slurry: Timber Beast: Retardant usually dropped from airplanes or Slang term for a Forester. helicopters to slow the progress of a fire. TSI: Smokey: Timber Stand Improvement As in “The Bear.” TYPE 1: : National and State Level – a Federally or State- A firefighter who parachutes into locations otherwise certified team; is the most robust IMT with the most difficult to reach. These folks jump out of a perfectly training and experience. good airplane into a burning forest. TYPE 2: SNAFU: National and State Level – a Federally or State- Situation Normal - All Fouled Up certified team; has less training, staffing and SST: experience than Type 1 IMTs, and is typically used on Sweet Smelling Toilets smaller scale national or state incidents TYPE 3: State or Metropolitan Area Level – a standing team of trained personnel from different departments, organizations, agencies, and jurisdictions within a state or DHS Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) region, activated to support incident management at incidents that extend beyond one operational period TWAIN: Technology Without An Interesting Name U.

Understory: The trees occupying the lower level of a stand that has at least two size and age classes. USDA: Stafer: United States Department of Agriculture A staff worker for a Congressional Member USDI: Stick (of Jumpers): United States Department of Interior Typically a load of consists of a half- dozen people, depending on the size of the aircraft. They typically jump in “sticks” of two to four firefighters at a time.

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USFS: United States Forest Service Wattles: Long, tubular, rolls of noxious weed- USFWS: free rice straw, United States Fish and Wildlife wrapped in Service black plastic netting. They are approximately 8 inches in diameter and 25-30 feet long. Staked into place along hillsides that have been recently constructed or disturbed, the rolls will last for 3 to 5 years and are USGS: particularly useful in preventing erosion by trapping United States Geological Survey and holding sediment on the slopes.

WFSA: V. Wildland Fire Situation Analysis Volunteer: Generally considered an altruistic activity and is Whites: intended to promote good or improve human The brand of quality of life. In return, this activity produces a boot that many feeling of self-worth and respect; however, there is firefighters no financial gain. Volunteering is also renowned choose to wear. for skill development, socialization, and fun. Voluntold: When your boss tells you that you wil volunteer for a task.

The Original Smokejumper boots - Model 400V. Rebuildable/ W. Resoleable. In stock sizes 6-15, C, D, E, EE, FF. On sale now for Watershed: $431.00. A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same Widow Maker: place. Describes a detached or broken limb or tree top and Watertender: denotes the hazards that such features cause, being A , also known as a tanker in some responsible for causing fatalities to forest workers. regions, is a specialized firefighting apparatus designed for transporting water from a water source to a fire scene.

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Wild and Scenic River: Woody Biomass: The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was Generally refers to the by-product of management, created by Congress in 1968 to preserve certain rivers restoration, and hazardous fuel reduction treatments, with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational including trees and woody plants (i.e., limbs, tops, values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of needles, leaves, and other woody parts) grown in a present and future generations. forest, woodland, or rangeland environment. Wilderness: WUI: A natural environment on Earth that has not been Wildland Urban Interface significantly modified by human activity.

Witches Broom: A disease or X. deformity in Xerox Machine: a woody In the old days, this was the only brand of copier you plant, could find. typically a tree, where the natural structure of Y. the plant is YACC: changed. A Young Adult Conservation Crew dense mass YCC: of shoots Youth Conservation Crew grows from a single point, with the resulting structure Yikes: resembling a broom or a bird's nest. An expression of surprise. W.F.L.C. Western Forestry Leadership Council Z. Zero Dark Thirty: Woodsy: Really, really early in the morning. As in “The Owl.” Zoom cCall: Woodsy's slogan A new addition to the glossary in 2020 - the year of was officially Covid-19. introduced on September 15, 1971 by Secretary of Agriculture Clifford Hardin. The first Woodsy Owl public service spot was created by U.S. Forest Ranger Chuck Williams, who was the Forest Service's technical consultant for the Lassie TV show which featured a Forest Service Ranger and his family.

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