2021 Fire Management Plan

Cumberland Island National Seashore North Cut Rx, July 2019 Fire Management Plan January 2015 Updated 2021 1 2 FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN (FMP) ANNUAL UPDATE CHECKLIST PARK NAME: Cumberland Island National Seashore YEAR OF UPDATE: 2021 National Park Service (NPS) Policy Requirement. Fire management plans do not expire and remain in effect until superseded by a new or revised plan. However, annual updates are required in order for the plan to be valid for the current year. Changes in the step-up plan, FMP terminology, cooperative agreements and the multi- year fuels treatment plan are examples of FMP sections that are often updated through the annual review process. Directions. Please ensure that you are reviewing and updating the current signed FMP. Review the items in the Annual FMP Update Checklist. Where no update is required, check “No Update Needed: Reviewed and Current”. If there are updates needed, check “Update Needed: Changes made in FMP” and describe the changes made in the space provided in each row of the checklist and include FMP section/appendix. Notify the Regional Fire Planner when the Annual FMP Update Checklist and FMP revisions are completed. Once the Annual Update Checklist is completed and all suggested changes have been vetted through the appropriate fire management and park staff, the Superintendent must sign the FMP Annual Update Checklist. All approved changes must then be incorporated in the FMP and the Annual Update Checklist must be added to the FMP immediately following the cover-page. The revised FMP, including the signed Annual Update Checklist, must be uploaded to the IN2 Managing Fire - Fire Management Plans and Compliance Documents - All Documents (sharepoint.com). ANNUAL FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE NO UPDATE CHECKLIST UPDATE NEEDED: NEEDED: CHANGES REVIEWED MADE IN & FMP CURRENT 1 Are updates needed for the Delegation of Authority from Park Superintendent to Fire Staff? Describe updates made to the Delegation of Authority: X Current Delegations of Authority were in included in Appendix G Preparedness Elements. 2 Are updates needed for the FMP to conform to NPS and DOI fire management policy such as RM 18 and Redbook? X Describe revisions made including FMP section number/appendix: 3 Are updates needed for the local cooperative agreements, annual operating plans, inter-park, or other agreement(s) for Wildland Fire? Describe revisions made including FMP section number/appendix: X Updated Annual Operating Plans were included in Appendix I Interagency Agreements. 1 ANNUAL FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE NO UPDATE CHECKLIST UPDATE NEEDED: NEEDED: CHANGES REVIEWED MADE IN & FMP CURRENT 4 Are updates needed for the preparedness planning elements (e.g. Step- up Plan, Response Plan or other preparedness planning elements)? Describe revisions made including FMP section number/appendix: X Updates to the Step-Up Plan in the FMP and Appendix G were included using the last 10 years RAWS data. Contact information was updated in Appendix G Preparedness Elements and Appendix J Duty Officer Manual. 5 Are updates needed for the Duty Officer (DO) Roles and Responsibilities and have updates been vetted by the Park staff, Superintendent and FMO? X Describe revisions made including FMP section number/appendix: 6 Are updates needed for the Notification Procedures and Emergency Contact List? Describe revisions made including FMP section number/appendix: X Contact information was updated in Appendix G and Appendix I 7 Are fuel treatments addressing park treatment objectives and FMP programmatic goals as indicated by the current annual fire effects monitoring report or other monitoring data? (If needed, the update should document any program adjustments or X decisions made as a result of reviewing monitoring data or operational concerns). Describe any revisions made including FMP section number/appendix: 8 Are updates to the multi-year fuels treatment plan needed? Appendix E Fuel Treatment Plan was updated to planned treatment X FY22-FY26. 9 Are there any updates not captured in questions 1 - 8? Describe any revisions including FMP section number/appendix: FY21 CUIS FMP Update Errata Sheet documents all updates not X mentioned above. Most are minor grammatical changes and updated fire policy. 2 FMP/NEPA REVISION TRIGGERS Over time, an FMP and its supporting NEPA document may become outdated due to changes in policy or circumstances in the park and thus require revision. The following questions will help you to determine whether FMP revisions and a new environmental compliance process needs to be initiated. Some items may require discussions with staff from other divisions to complete. An FMP can be amended through a categorical exclusion (CE), environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS) depending on the complexity of the issues involved. If you answer YES to any of the questions below, additional compliance may be necessary. Consult with your Regional Fire Planner and Park Compliance Specialist to determine if additional NEPA and/or other compliance (section 7, section 106, etc.) will be necessary. In the space to the right, please list the current FMP NEPA compliance with date: EA FONSI 2014 FMP/NEPA REVISION TRIGGERS YES NO 1 Is the park strategy for managing wildfires and implementing fuel X treatments inconsistent with the FMP and NEPA documents? Are FMP goals and objectives inconsistent with newer, approved park 2 planning documents (Foundation Document, GMP, RSS, etc.)? If FMP goals and objectives are inconsistent with park planning X documents, please provide a brief description of the inconsistency or conflict: Have there been changes in the status of cultural resources, historic X 3 properties and/or sensitive species in the park that could affect FMP implementation? If yes, consult with appropriate specialist. 4 Since FMP approval or update, have there been changes in park policy or legal requirements that require changes to the FMP and supporting X compliance documents? Explain if yes: 3 FMP/NEPA REVISION TRIGGERS YES NO If new lands with burnable vegetation have been added to the park since the last FMP approval or FMP NEPA review/amendment: 5 • Is the new land going to have a fuels treatment plan this year? • Is management of the new land different from the rest of the unit? X • Does the new land have any threatened or endangered species? • Does the new land have any cultural resources and/or historic properties? Note: if you answered YES to any of these questions, consult your regional fire planner to determine if additional environmental compliance is needed for the area. 4 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................. 6 1.1 Purpose and Need for the Fire Management Plan .................................................................................................. 6 1.2 General Description of the Park ............................................................................................................................... 7 1.2.1 Background ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.2.2 Management Environment ............................................................................................................................. 9 1.2.2.1 Land ownership, significant resources, mission, and management direction ........................................ 9 1.2.2.2 Overview of Physical and Biotic Characteristics of the Park ................................................................ 11 1.2.2.2.1 Soils ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 1.2.2.2.2 Air Quality ............................................................................................................................................. 11 1.2.2.2.3 Water Resources ................................................................................................................................... 12 1.2.2.2.4 Vegetation .............................................................................................................................................. 14 1.2.2.2.5 Wildlife................................................................................................................................................... 15 1.2.2.2.6 Threatened and Endangered Species .................................................................................................. 16 1.2.2.2.7 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................................... 21 1.2.2.2.8 Real Property ........................................................................................................................................ 26 1.2.2.3 Role of Fire in the Park............................................................................................................................. 29 1.2.2.3.1 Current and Desired Role of Fire in the Park .................................................................................... 29 1.2.2.3.2 Past Role of Fire .................................................................................................................................... 29 1.3 Environmental Compliance ...................................................................................................................................

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