National Park Service Fire Management Program National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Pacific West Region Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and parts of Arizona and Montana Using Fire Safely to Maintain and Restore Ecosystems Prescribed Fire Message from the Regional Director in JJa.cificJV^st Parks As a former prescribed burn boss, I know first hand the work that is involved before, during, and after the application of prescribed fire. In the 1970's, we were so concerned about negative visitor reactions, we scraped charcoal off the bark on trees that park visitors might see. Today, most visitors know that fire is an integral part of how ecosystems and healthy forests are maintained. The use of fire to restore ecosystem health, perhaps more than any other professional program within the National Park Service, demands that we consult, communicate, and collabo­ rate in the service of conservation with THE NATIONAL FIRE PLAN every single partner, landowner, and Fire Recycles! concerned citizen. FLAMES THE COLOR OF SUNSETS, SWIRLS OF BILLOWING Fire regimes in National Parks and other wildland Determining when, where, and how smoke. Like volcanic eruptions, or showering geysers, wildland areas have been radically changed in modern times. much fire is currently safe for our fire is a powerful force which demands respect and caution. As an To protect human communities and the enviroment, ecosystems is one of our biggest chal ecological process, fire affects almost all of the earth's vegetation. the National Fire Plan is concerned with returning lenges. But, we have over 60 years of By shaping habitat, it significanlty affects wildlife as well. experience since we began using Prescribed fire is the decision to allow this process to occur under these regimes to a more historic condition. Wildland specific conditions. In national parks, prescribed fire is used to prescribed fire in the 1940's at ecosystems across the United States are placed preserve natural and cultural resources, and is part of a strategy to Everglades National Park. Today, in into 5 fire regime groups and 3 condition classes protect park and community structures from wildfire. Today, every cooperation with states and other land park manager must consider if and where fire will be allowed. for the purpose of managing this far reaching management agencies, our profes­ Fire that is wanted to meet resource management objectives is restoration effort. Prescribed fire in combination with sionally trained and experienced per­ prescribed. Unwanted fire is wildfire and is suppressed. other treatments is being used to achieve this goal. sonnel aio applying prescribed fire an J The National Fire Plan is still in draft form. other fuel reduction techniques to A fire regime is the pattern of fire in a landscape over time. A thousands of acres of park lands. park's prescribed fire program considers the fire history of the area Please visit www.fireplan.gov for more details. and how ecosystems are different today to determine how much Developing public understanding of fire is appropriate and safe. The amount of fuel present, invasive FIRE REGIMES how and why we use fire is one of our non-native species, and increased development in the wildland- highest priorities. Your comments and urban interface are critical factors in any plan to use prescribed Group Fire Frequency Ecological Severity fire. These plans divide areas where fire is appropriate into burn concerns are important, and you may units which are typically burned periodically, every several years. 1 0-35 years low severity reach me at [email protected]. II 0-35 years stand replacement In many parts of the Pacific West, fire has occurred often enough Jon Jarvis that species depend on it. Fire promotes biodiversity by recycling III 35-100+ years mixed severity Regional Director parts of the landscape back to earlier stages, creating variation in IV 35-100+ years stand replacement vegetation and its structure. Each stage in an ecosystem's develop­ ment has different plants and animals associated with it. V > 200 years stand replacement BURN BOSS - the person who directs operations Fire regimes differ based on the climate, vegetation, and the num­ CONDITION CLASSES during a prescribed burn ber of ignitions in each place. Ignitions are mainly caused by lightning, volcanic ash, lava, and a variety of human sources, both PRESCRIBED FIRE - planned and accidental. Without humans, almost all fire is caused 1 Fire regimes are within their historical range. fire used in a landscape to accomp by lightning. There is increasing evidence that many ecosystems The vegetation is intact and functioning ecologically. resource management objectives in the Pacific West have also had human-caused, prescribed fire as WILDFIRE - an integral process for thousands of years. 2 Fire regimes have been moderately altered from an unwanted fire which is suppress their historical range. A Fire Regime is defined by the Fire Return Interval or "Fire Some fire cycles have been missed or added. WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE- Cycle" - average number of years between fires; Size - average developed areas near wildlands which number of acres burned; Spatial Complexity - variation in effects 3 Fire regimes have been significantly altered from may be at risk from wildfire on vegetation; Seasonality - time of year when fires occur; Intensity - energy or heat released, related to the amount of fuel; their historical range. Severity - ecological effects, both physical and biological; and Many fire cycles have been missed or added. Vegetation com­ position, structure and diversity have been significantly altered. Fire Type, whether fire mainly occurs in the ground, surface, EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA understory or tree crowns. Ecosystems Periodic Fire Benefits WHAT'S INSIDE Fire Regimes and Condition Classes 1 Small Burns Prevent Big Fires 2 Smoke and Ecosystem Management 3 Fire Adapted Species 3 Each Place is Unique 4-5 Writing the Prescription 6 Risk Management 6 Wildland Fire Use 7 Culture and Fire 7 Fire Effects Monitoring & Research 8 The idea of using ecological Small Burns Prevent Big Fires boundaries rather than political boundaries has had an increasing influence on land Prescribed Fire in Stehekin at North Cascades National Park management. It is becoming commonly shared wisdom that ON SUMMER NIGHTS IN 1994, BOTH ENCROACHING TREES Thinned trees not needed by the park may wildland fire, watersheds, and curiosity and concern drew Stehekin Mixed conifer, Douglas fir, and be purchased by local residents for fire­ species, are all best managed residents to Buckner Orchard. From there ponderosa pine stands cover about 1,700 wood. Additional hazard fuel reduction when viewed holistically as part they could watch the Boulder Creek Fire acres. When non-Native Americans moved around structures creates a more defensi­ lighting the slopes and ridges high above to the valley in the late 19th century, they ble space for firefighters during wildfire of ecosystems. and slowly backing down towards their began cutting trees, favoring the large, suppression. homes on the valley floor. Before fire straight, and disease-free. They eventually suppression began 80 or more years logged an estimated 1,650 acres. The fire effects monitoring staff maintains PUBLICATION TEAM earlier, each acre of the valley burned 27 plots to track the program. Their 2002 every 25 to 100 years, more often on the Fire suppression allowed Douglas fir and report states, "By following the thinning NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STAFF dry alluvial fans. A century of logging, grand fir to invade open areas and form treatments with prescribed fire, we can CONTRIBUTORS building, and fire suppression had set the more dense forest stands. Today, pon­ restore the role of fire in the dry Douglas- REGIONAL OFFICE stage for potential catastrophe. That derosa pine dominates less than 1 % of the fir / Ponderosa pine forest, including Jon Jarvis, Regional Director summer, among the sights greeting pas­ coniferous forest, leaving it less tolerant of reduced fine fuel, litter and duff, reduction Holly Bundock, Public Affairs Specialist sengers bound for Stehekin on the Lady II fire and more prone to stand replacement. of ladder fuels, and increased native shrub Deanne Adams, Interpretation and was a barge loaded with fire trucks. There are also greater accumulations of and herbaceous species." Education Program Lead Measures taken to protect the people and downed woody fuel. In May 2003, the fire staff burned 116 FIRE EDUCATION, PREVENTION & INFORMATION property in the Stehekin Valley, including Marty OToole . Jody Lyle . Carol Jandrall a plan for evacuation by boat, were not STRATEGIC FUEL REDUCTION acres in 2 of the forest fuel reduction Scott Isaacson . Jennifer Chapman needed as intensive water drops and The 1994 Boulder Creek Fire highlighted areas, moving the program another step changing weather kept the fire on the the need for a more effective program to ahead and meeting the goals for this year. INTERPRETATION slopes and out of the valley bottom. reduce fire hazard in the valley. The next Stehekin residents support the fire pro­ Tim Manns . James Wheeler. Marea Ortiz year the Forest Fuel Reduction / Firewood gram as good for the forest and beneficial Joe Zarki . Dominic Cardea . John Fiedor Janis Burger. Roger Brandt. Corky Hays HUMAN RESIDENTS IN THE FOREST Management Plan set the needed new to them. Complete implementation of the Marsha McCabe . Eric Weisman Fifty-mile long Lake Chelan, slicing direction. It seeks to protect human life program will take many years, but each between the Glacier Peak and Lake and property by restoring the coniferous year brings the Stehekin Valley closer to a FIRE AND FUELS MANAGEMENT Chelan-Sawtooth Wildernesses and forest to a healthier, late successional condition both healthier for the forest and Dan Buckley . Mike Lewelling . Marti stage using a combination of management- safer for the people who live in it.