U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge Fire Management Plan March 2007 FIRE MANAGEMENT PLAN KANUTI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE PREPARED BY: Refuge Fire Management Officer Date SUBMITTED BY: Refuge Manager Date REVIEWED BY: Region 7 Fire Management Coordinator Date CONCURRED BY: Regional Chief, National Wildlife Refuge System Date APPROVED BY: Regional Director Date 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 Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge...............................................................2 1. Physical Description......................................................................................................2 2. Adjacent Ownership......................................................................................................2 3. Village Population and Access......................................................................................3 F. Climate, Weather Patterns, and Lightning Activity...........................................................3 G. Topography .......................................................................................................................7 1. Kanuti Flats ...................................................................................................................7 2. Indian River Uplands ....................................................................................................7 3. Hodzana Highlands…………………………………………………………………….7 4. Ray Mountains ..............................................................................................................8 H. Geology and Soils………………………………………………………………………...8 I. Air Quality......................................................................................................................... 8 J. Water Resources.................................................................................................................8 K. Vegetation .......................................................................................................................10 1. Threatened and Endangered Plants .............................................................................10 2. Sensitive Biological Communities..............................................................................10 L. Special Value Area ..........................................................................................................15 M. Wildlife...........................................................................................................................15 N. Refuge Facilities and Public Use.....................................................................................16 1. Facilities ......................................................................................................................16 2. Public Use ...................................................................................................................17 3. Cultural, Social, and Economic Considerations..........................................................17 O. General Refuge Fire Information ....................................................................................19 1. Refuge Fire History.....................................................................................................19 2. Fire Frequency.............................................................................................................22 3. Fire Season ..................................................................................................................24 4. Fuel Models and Fire Behavior...................................................................................27 a. Black Spruce (C-2 Boreal Spruce) .........................................................................27 b. White Spruce (C-2 Boreal Spruce).........................................................................28 c. Hardwoods and Mixed Spruce/Hardwoods (M-2 Hardwood Forest) ....................29 d. Brush and Shrub lands (M-2 Hardwood Forest) ....................................................29 e. Tundra and Marshes (O-1a Matted Grass or O-1b Standing Grass) ......................29 5. Fire Effects...................................................................................................................31 II. RELATIONSHIP TO LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING/FIRE POLICY ..................32 A. Agency Fire/Resource Management Policy...................................................................32 B. Relationship to Enabling Legislation.............................................................................33 1. Guidance for Developing Objectives ..........................................................................33 2. Guidance from Departmental and Service Manuals ...................................................33 3. Compliance with Other Legislative Mandates............................................................34 i C. Purpose of the Refuge.....................................................................................................37 III. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES......................................................37 A. General Management Considerations .............................................................................37 B. Wildland Fire Management Goals and Objectives..........................................................39 a. Broad Fire Management Goals ..............................................................................39 b. Refuge Specific Fire Management Goals and Objectives .....................................40 C. Wildland Fire Management Options ...............................................................................43 1. Strategies to be Employed...........................................................................................43 2. General Constraints to All Strategies..........................................................................43 D. Description of Wildland Fire Management Strategies by Fire Management Unit..........44 1. Kanuti Limited Fire Management Unit.......................................................................46 2. Kanuti Modified Fire Management Unit.....................................................................47 3. Full/Critical Management Fire Management Units ....................................................47 IV. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM COMPONENTS..............................49 A. Wildland Fire Suppression..............................................................................................49 B. Suppression Authority and Planning...............................................................................49 1. Suppression Strategies Related to Designated Wildland Fire Management Option...49 2. Wildland Fires in Critical Management Option Areas................................................49 3. Wildland Fires in Full Management Option Areas .....................................................50 4. Wildland Fires in Modified Management Option Areas.............................................51 5. Wildland Fires in Limited Management Option Areas...............................................51 6. Surveillance Requirements..........................................................................................52 7. Protection of Permitted Cabin(s).................................................................................52 8. Use of Alternative Initial Response, Escaped Fires, and Extended Attack ................52 a. Geographic Area Responses by MAC Group.........................................................52 b. Nonstandard Initial Responses to Wildland Fires ..................................................53 c. Wildland Fire Situation Analysis ...........................................................................53 d. Type I and Type II Incidents ..................................................................................54 C. Preparedness....................................................................................................................54 1. Hazard Reduction/Fuels Management ........................................................................54 2. Fire Prevention and Education ....................................................................................55 3. Emergency Funding Assistance ..................................................................................55 4. Fire Detection..............................................................................................................56 5. Pre-attack Plan.............................................................................................................56 6. General Readiness – Kanuti Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS)..............56 7. Training .......................................................................................................................58 D. Wildland Fire Use ...........................................................................................................58