Bandelier National Monument Photo by: K. Honig Fire Management Plan 2005 Fire Management Plan Bandelier National Monument ii Fire Management Plan Bandelier National Monument I. Introduction ............................................................................................... 5 A. Need for a Fire Management Plan .................................................. 5 B. Bandelier National Monument........................................................ 6 C. Compliance Actions ........................................................................ 9 D. Collaboration.................................................................................. 9 E. Authorities Under Which This Plan is Developed.......................... 10 II. Relationship to Land Management Planning/Fire Policy........................ 10 A. National Level Regulations and Policies..................................... 10 National Park Service Management Policies ................................. 11 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy .................................... 11 Other Relevant Regulations and Policies ...................................... 14 B. Relationship of Bandelier’s Fire Management Plan to other Bandelier Plans................................................................................. 15 III. Wildland Fire Management Goals and Strategies................................. 16 A. General Management Considerations ........................................ 16 B. Wildland Fire Management Goals ........................................... 16 C. Wildland Fire Management Options ........................................... 19 Fire suppression ............................................................................ 19 Wildland Fire Use .......................................................................... 20 Prescribed fire ............................................................................... 20 Non-fire fuel treatments ............................................................... 20 Adaptive management .................................................................. 21 Fire Ecology Program .................................................................... 21 Fire monitoring.............................................................................. 22 D. Description of Wildland Fire Management Strategies by Fire Management Unit (FMU) 22 E. Bandelier Fuel Types and Desired Future Conditions ................... 26 IV. Wildland Fire Management Program Components................................. 39 A. General Implementation Procedures ........................................... 39 B. Wildland Fire Suppression............................................................ 39 1. Range of Potential Fire Behavior............................................... 39 2. Preparedness............................................................................. 42 a) Interagency planning and cooperation.................................. 42 b) Training.................................................................................. 43 c) Annual Preparedness Activities.............................................. 44 d) Fire Weather and Fire Danger................................................ 45 e) Staffing Plan .......................................................................... 46 f) Bandelier Dispatch Plan for fire reporting .............................. 47 g) Aviation Management Plan .................................................... 47 3. Pre-attack plan.......................................................................... 47 4. Initial Attack (IA) ...................................................................... 48 a) Initial Attack Priority Setting................................................. 48 b) Criteria for Appropriate Initial Attack Response ................... 48 c) Confinement as an Initial Attack Strategy............................. 49 1 Fire Management Plan Bandelier National Monument d) Typical Response Times......................................................... 49 e) Restrictions and Special Concerns ......................................... 50 5. Extended Attack and Large Fire Suppression ............................ 53 a) Determining Extended Attack Needs ..................................... 53 b) Wildland Fire Situation Analysis ............................................ 54 c) Complexity Decision Process.................................................. 54 d) Delegation of Authority ......................................................... 55 6. Exceeding existing WFIP........................................................... 55 7. Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics....................................... 55 8. Rehabilitation Guidelines .......................................................... 55 9. Reporting and Documentation .................................................. 56 C. Wildland Fire Use.......................................................................... 56 1. Objectives of WFU ..................................................................... 56 2. Parameters ................................................................................ 57 3. Pre-planning.............................................................................. 58 4. Implementation Procedures...................................................... 58 5. Potential Impacts ...................................................................... 58 6. WFU Organization ..................................................................... 58 7. Public Information and Interpretation...................................... 59 8. Reporting and Documentation .................................................. 60 D. Prescribed Fire ............................................................................. 60 1. Planning and Documentation .................................................... 60 a) Annual Activities .................................................................... 61 b) Long-term Strategy ............................................................... 61 c) Prescribed Fire Organization.................................................. 64 d) Monitoring ............................................................................. 64 e) Evaluation .............................................................................. 64 f) Reporting and Documentation ............................................... 65 h) Local Burn Plan Requirements............................................... 66 2. Exceeding Prescription.............................................................. 67 3. Air Quality and Smoke Management ......................................... 67 E. Non-Fire Fuel Applications............................................................ 69 1. Annual Activities........................................................................ 69 2. Special Considerations and Restrictions ................................... 69 3. Monitoring ................................................................................. 69 4. Evaluation.................................................................................. 70 5. Reporting and Documentation .................................................. 70 6. Historic Treatments................................................................... 70 F. Emergency Rehabilitation and Restoration .................................. 70 G. Adaptive Management ................................................................. 71 V. Organization and Administration............................................................. 71 A. Roles and Responsibilities.......................................................... 71 B. Interagency Coordination ....................................................... 72 C. Fire Program Funding................................................................. 73 2 Fire Management Plan Bandelier National Monument D. Updates and Reviews.............................................................. 73 VI. Monitoring and Evaluation ..................................................................... 73 VII. Fire Research........................................................................................ 74 VIII. Public Safety ....................................................................................... 74 IX. Information and Education .................................................................... 75 X. Protection of Sensitive Resources ........................................................... 77 A. Mitigation measures: natural resources....................................... 77 B. Mitigation measures: Cultural resources...................................... 84 MOA with the State Historic Preservation Office........................... 85 C. Mitigation measures: fire retardant ............................................. 87 D. Mitigation measures: wilderness ................................................. 87 E. Mitigation measures: air quality................................................... 87 F. Mitigation measures: unplanned fire events ................................ 88 XI. Fire Critiques and Annual Review .......................................................... 88 XII. Consultation and Coordination ............................................................. 88 XIII. Appendices.......................................................................................... 89 A. References Cited .......................................................................... 90 B. Glossary.......................................................................................