INNOKO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN March 2005 REVIEW AND APPROVALS __________________________________________ ________________________ Prepared by Fire Management Officer Date __________________________________________ ________________________ Submitted by Refuge Manager Date __________________________________________ ________________________ Reviewed by Regional Fire Management Coordinator Date __________________________________________ ________________________ Reviewed by Regional Chief National Wildlife Date Refuge System __________________________________________ ________________________ Approved by Regional Director Date TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. PURPOSE OF THE FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN 1 B. ACHIEVING LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES 1 C. COMPLIANCE 1 D. COLLABORATIVE PROCESS 2 E. DESCRIPTION OF THE REFUGE 2 F. GENERAL REFUGE FIRE INFORMATION 4 1. Historical/ecological role of fire. 4 2. Refuge fire history. 6 3. Fire frequency and behavior. 8 4. Fire effects and vegetation. 8 5. Annual fire cycle. 12 6. Ecological impacts of fire suppression. 16 7. Economic importance. 16 8. Refuge management decision impacts on fire management. 17 9. Archaeological/cultural/historic resources. 17 II. RELATIONSHIP TO LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING/FIRE POLICY 17 A. AGENCY FIRE/RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICY 17 B. RELATIONSHIP TO ENABLING LEGISLATION 19 C. PURPOSE OF THE REFUGE 19 i D. LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN DIRECTION 20 III. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 22 A. GENERAL MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS 22 1. Wildland fire suppression. 22 2. Wildland fire use. 23 B. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES 24 1. Broad fire management objectives. 24 2. Refuge specific fire management objectives. 25 C. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 27 D. DESCRIPTION OF WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES BY FIRE MANAGEMENT UNIT 28 1. Non-wilderness fire management unit. 28 2. Wilderness fire management unit. 32 3. Fire management option departures. 35 4. Determining validity of appropriate management response (AMR). 35 5. Constraints to specific strategies. 36 6. Selection of options and rationale. 38 IV. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM COMPONENTS 39 A. WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION 39 1. Suppression authority and planning. 40 2. AIWFMP suppression response levels. 41 3. Escaped fires. 42 ii 4. Type I and Type II incidents. 42 5. Fire season. 43 6. Preparedness. 43 7. Prevention. 43 8. Wildland Urban Interface. 44 9. Training/qualifications/readiness. 45 10. Detection. 46 11. Initial and extended attack. 46 12. Air quality. 46 13. Future areas of special concern. 46 B. WILDLAND FIRE USE 47 C. PRESCRIBED FIRE 50 1. Prescribed fire use. 50 2. Monitoring and evaluation. 51 3. Prescriptions. 52 4. Affected vegetation types. 53 5. Fire behavior parameters. 53 6. Environmental parameters. 53 7. Drought indices. 54 8. Phenologic parameters. 54 9. Hazard and WUI fuels disposal. 55 iii 10. Prescribed fire review. 55 11. Reclassification review. 57 12. Air quality and smoke management. 57 13. Qualifications needed. 58 14. Minimum documentation. 58 15. Annual prescribed burning activities. 59 16. Long-term prescribed burning program. 59 D. NON-FIRE FUEL APPLICATIONS 59 E. EMERGENCY REHABILITATION AND RESTORATION 60 F. REMOTE ACCESS WEATHER STATIONS (RAWS) 61 V. ORGANIZATION AND BUDGET 61 A. Refuge fire management team responsibilities and qualifications. 61 B. Interagency coordination. 62 C. Normal unit strength. 62 D. Current and future budgets. 62 VI. MONITORING AND EVALUATION 63 A. Introduction 63 1. Fire effects monitoring 63 2. Implementation monitoring 65 VII. PUBLIC SAFETY 69 VIII. FIRE CRITIQUES AND ANNUAL PLAN REVIEW 70 IX. CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION 70 iv LIST OF FIGURES vi LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF EXHIBITS IN APPENDIX viii ACRONYMNS x v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Map of the Innoko NWR and Land Ownership. 5 2. Refuge Fire History since 1950. 7 3a. Vegetation types of the Innoko NWR. 13 3b. Fuel Model Image of Innoko NWR. 14 4. Innoko Refuge Fire Management Unit Map 30 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Vegetation types, fuel types and fuel models for Innoko NWR. 9 2. Fuel Model/Land Cover Class on the Innoko NWR 15 3. Target Refuge fire staff positions and qualifications. 61 4. Fire behavior and environmental conditions. 69 vii LIST OF EXHIBITS IN APPENDIX A. Alaska Interagency Wildland Fire Management Plan. B. Enabling Legislation. C. Key Points of the National Fire Plan, 2001 Federal Fire Policy Guiding Principles, A Collaborative Approach for Reducing Wildland Fire Risks to Communities and the Environment 10-Year Comprehensive Strategy and Implementation Plan and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – National Wildlife Refuge System Wildland Fire Management Program Strategic Plan 2003-2010 (November 2003 Draft). D. Decision Criteria Checklist. E. Wildland Fire Situation Analysis (WFSA). F. Federal Interagency Wildland Firefighter Medical Qualification Standards Introduction. G. Alaska Enhanced Smoke Management Plan June 2004. H. Wildland Fire Use Management. I. Prescribed Fire Plan Format. J. Prescribed fire qualifications. K. AWFCG Fire Effects Group Monitoring Data List. L. Contact List. M. Fire Cache Equipment. N. Incident Complexity Analysis. O. Prescriptive Criteria for wildland fires managed for resource benefit. P. Hauling Chart. Q. Minimum Requirement Decision Guide. R. Innoko Fire Regime and Condition Class. viii S. Wildland Fire Use Decision Matrix. T. Fire Surveillance Form. U. Innoko Preparedness Plan. V. Wildland Urban Interface Preliminary Risk Assessment ix ACRONYMNS ADEC = Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation ADF&G = Alaska Department of Fish and Game AIWFMP = Alaska Interagency Wildland Fire Management Plan AFS = Alaska Fire Service AMR = appropriate management response ANILCA = Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act AWFCG = Alaska Wildland Fire Coordinating Group BIA = Bureau of Indian Affairs BLM = Bureau of Land Management BTU = British thermal unit BUI = buildup index CCP = comprehensive conservation plan CDI = Canadian drought index CFFDRS =Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System DC = drought code DM = departmental manual DMC = drought moisture code DOF = (State of Alaska) Department of Forestry EA = environmental assessment EFF = emergency firefighter EIS = environmental impact statement FFM = fine fuel moisture FFMC = fine fuel moisture code FMO = fire management officer FMP = fire management plan FMU = fire management unit FRCC =fire regime and condition class FY = fiscal year IQCS = Incident Qualifications and Certification System MAC = Multi-Agency Coordination MMA = maximum manageable area NEPA = National Environmental Protection Act NFFL = Northern Forest Fire Laboratory NFDRS = National Fire Danger Rating System NWR = National Wildlife Refuge OAS = Office of Aircraft Safety RH = relative humidity Service = U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service TES = threatened, endangered and sensitive (species) WFIP = Wildland Fire Implementation Plan WFSA = Wildland Fire Situation Analysis WR = wilderness review x Bureau of Land Management National Park Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Forest Service I. INTRODUCTION A. PURPOSE OF THE FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN The purpose of the Innoko Fire Management Plan (FMP) is to describe the fire management activities that will occur on the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge. The FMP provides the framework for all refuge fire management decision-making and specifies the uses of fire that are consistent with refuge goals and objectives. Once the FMP is approved, it becomes the authority for the expenditure of fire funds. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) policy requires all refuges with vegetation capable of sustaining fire to develop a fire management plan. The FMP describes the relationship to land management goals and fire policy, wildland fire management strategies and components, organization and budget, and monitoring and evaluation. An approved FMP is also a prerequisite to conducting prescribed burning and wildland fire use activities. B. ACHIEVING LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES This FMP will help achieve land and resource management goals and objectives as defined in the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, and Wilderness Review - Final, October 1987 (CCP/EIS/WR), the Alaska Interagency Wildland Fire Management Plan 1998 (AIWFMP), the National Fire Plan 2001 and the Healthy Forests Restoration Act December 2003. C. COMPLIANCE As required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Service must assess environmental effects of specific Service actions. Generally fire management activities are categorically excluded (40 CFR 1508.4 and 516 DM 2.3A). For each action a NEPA Compliance Checklist and an Environmental Action Statement shall be completed, along with supporting documentation. Based on this initial assessment the action will either meet the criteria for a categorical exclusion or require an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement. Before taking any fire management action, an EA or EIS is prepared for all actions not categorically excluded. Fire management activities were analyzed in the Innoko CCP/EIS/WR and the FMP tiered to that document. Operational plans developed and implemented are usually categorically excluded from further NEPA analysis when there is an approved CCP, the CCP has been through the NEPA process and burning is done for habitat improvement or prevention purposes. Fire management ARTHUR CARHART NATIONAL WILDERNESS