Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Wildland Fire: Our Reality
Prior to fire suppression policies (circa 1860) • 15,000-20,000 acres/year historically burned in the parks based upon tree rings(dendrochronology)studies conducted by fire ecologists and other researchers. • 10,000 acres this year. •Approximately 26,000 acres/year historically burned on the Sierra National Forest • 11,000 acres this year. Tree rings with fire scars from a giant sequoia tree demonstrate that fire occurred frequently in the Sierra Nevada
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
In California Before the1800s, 1.1 million acres/year burned on average in forests. California skies were likely smoky from late summer to early fall (Stephens, et al). 1.5 million acres have burned in California this year. This is well within the historic norm. Lightning strikes, flicked cigarettes, escaped campfires, car fires, etc. happen The Siskiyou Fire, July 9 We need to work together to manage smoke when we manage fire.
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Nationally Collected Statistics Show the Average Annual Fire Acreage is Increasing 6 of the 10 largest acreage fire seasons have happened in the last decade. The numbers show that this trend is not an anomaly.
Source: NIFC Skyland Fire, Montana, 2007
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Factors considered by land managers when considering fire:
•Firefighter and public safety •Protection of property and infrastructure •Land Management Plans (Fire Management Plans, General Plans, and other applicable law such as the Wilderness Act) •Smoke Impacts •Cost •Availability of firefighting resources and other fires in the state or nation •Ecological benefits of fire and reducing the risk of future large fires.
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Firefighter Safety
•Firefighter and public safety: Land Managers have ethical and legal responsibilities to provide for firefighter safety. There are rules of engagement that need to be met. • There were 27 firefighter fatalities nationally in 2008– 16 in California, 14 in aircraft. •We, as federal land managers, would like to work with SJVUAPCD to help define how firefighter safety is integrated with smoke and public health objectives of the District into our decision making.
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America
Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Tehipite Fire: A Timeline Started on or about 7/14, detected on 7/19 7/26-7/31- 2 hotshot crews and 3 helicopters assigned. Fireline completed. Numerous holding issues in the steep terrain. 7 injuries during this time. Two firefighters still not back to work.
Tehipite Fire on July 20
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
8/12- Fireline is compromised when fire rolls out, makes uphill run and spots across control lines on SW. 477 acres.
8/13 Strategy for fire revised upon safety concerns. Conversations with the Sierra begin in earnest for mutual management of the fire.
10/29: 11,596 acres, 4140 on park, 7,456 Tehipite Fire makes an uphill run, on forest. August 14
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Hidden Fire Timeline Started by lightning on September 10. Detected by Buck Rock at 1824. Aggressive initial attack was the strategy identified in the Fuels &Fire Management Plan •Significant probability of fire spreading beyond park boundaries to private lands to the west •Significant smoke impacts to local communities and the valley •Limited terrain to support direct attack with fireline •Large fire growth/ long duration fire
Hidden Fire, 9/13
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Hidden Timeline Cont’d 9/15 Red Flag Warning for low relative humidity 9/16: 466 acres, Type II team in-briefed 9/17: 807 acres, direct attack on the eastern and southern flanks abandoned as the fire moved into steeper terrain. Fire Info Meeting held in Three Rivers Hidden Fire 9/19 9/18-9/23: Burnout operations deepen fireline in advance of the main fire.
9/23: 2,041 acres
9/30: Contained at 3,685 acres.
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America
Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks •The challenge facing federal land managers and SJVUAPVD is dealing with the reality of wildland fire in an already air polluted environment.
•We as federal land managers and the SJVUAPCD have the responsibility to implement the Clean Air Act for public health. We manage and live in a Class I airshed. It is in all of our interests to work together to manage smoke. •Example: Sharing data and expertise to better understand the influence of wildland fire smoke emissions on regional air quality.
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America Sierra National Forest, Sequoia National Forest & Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
N Oakhurst Prather Trimmer Convict Flat Cedar Grove Hume Lake Pinehurst * Ash Mountain * Three Rivers Springville * Federal agencies maintained a network of EBAMS that were deployed from Oakhurst to Springville. *These sites are operated year- round.
Caring for the Land and Serving People Experience Your America
Key Points of 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Policy
• Two types of fire – Prescribed – Wildfire response • Management for multiple objectives on a wildland fire or combination of wildland fires