National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Yellowstone National Park 2004 Update of the 1992 Wildland Fire Management Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 A. Purpose for 2004 Update of the 1992 Wildland Fire Management Plan.................1 B. History of Wildland Fire Management in Yellowstone National Park ..................... 4 C. Collaborative Processes....................................................................................... 5 D. Achieving Resource Management and Fire Management Goals Through Implementation of Fire Management Policies ........................................................5 E. Compliance with Federal Laws..............................................................................7 1. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 .....................................................7 2. National Historic Preservation Act of 1966......................................................7 3. Endangered Species Act of 1973....................................................................8 F. Authorities for Implementation of the 2004 Update..............................................8 II. RELATIONSHIP TO LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND FIRE POLICY...............9 A. NPS 2001 Management Policies............................................................................9 B. Enabling Legislation and Purpose of Park ..............................................................9 C. Parkwide Desired Future Conditions ...................................................................11 D. Objectives of the Resource Management Plan.....................................................11 E. The Role of the 2004 Update in Meeting the Objectives in the Resource Management Plan ..............................................................................................11 III. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ......................................................12 A. General Management Considerations.................................................................12 B. Wildland Fire Management Goals .......................................................................13 C. Wildland Fire Management Options....................................................................13 1. Suppression .................................................................................................13 2. Wildland Fire Use .........................................................................................13 3. Prescribed Fire..............................................................................................14 4. Non-Fire Fuels Management Applications.....................................................14 D. Description of Wildland Fire Management Options by Fire Management Unit......14 1. Fire Management Unit Identifier...................................................................14 a. Physical Description of the Fire Management Units.................................14 (1) Northern Range ..............................................................................14 (2) Northwest.......................................................................................17 (3) Washburn Range ............................................................................18 (4) Mirror Plateau.................................................................................19 (5) Central Plateau ...............................................................................20 (6) Southwest ......................................................................................21 (7) Southeast .......................................................................................22 b. Description of Cultural Resources...........................................................23 (1) Museum Collections........................................................................24 (2) Archeology .....................................................................................24 (3) Ethnography ...................................................................................25 (4) Historic Properties ...........................................................................25 (5) Cultural Landscapes ........................................................................26 Page iii of 107 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) c. Description of Natural Resources............................................................26 (1) Vegetation......................................................................................27 (2) Soils................................................................................................29 (3) Air Quality.......................................................................................29 (4) Wilderness ......................................................................................31 (5) Wildlife ...........................................................................................32 (6) Geothermal Resources ....................................................................33 (7) Wetlands and Aquatic Resources.....................................................33 2. Strategic and Measurable Fire Management Objectives for Fire Management Units ......................................................................................34 3. Five-Year Plan for Fire Management Program ...............................................34 4. Historical Role of Fire ...................................................................................35 5. Specifics of Wildland Fire Management Situation for Fire Management Units ......................................................................................36 a. Historical Weather Analysis....................................................................36 b. Fire Season............................................................................................37 c. Fuel Characteristics In Relation to Fire Behavior ......................................37 d. Fire Regime Alteration ...........................................................................39 e. Control Problems and Dominant Topographic Features ..........................41 f. Other Elements of Environment Affecting Fire Management ..................41 IV. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM COMPONENTS................................41 A. General Implementation Procedures ...................................................................41 B. Wildland Fire Implementation Plan......................................................................42 1. Stage I: Initial Fire Assessment......................................................................43 2. Stage II: Short-term Implementation Actions.................................................43 3. Stage III: Long-term Assessment and Implementation Actions.......................45 4. Periodic Fire Assessment...............................................................................45 C. Wildland Fire Suppression...................................................................................46 1. Range of Potential Fire Behavior ...................................................................46 2. Preparedness Actions ...................................................................................46 a. Fire Prevention Program.........................................................................46 (1) Objectives .......................................................................................46 (2) General Actions ..............................................................................47 (3) Annual Schedule For Preparedness Actions Including Training..........48 b. Fire Readiness of Equipment and Supplies..............................................49 c. Fire Weather and Fire Danger Monitoring ..............................................49 (1) Weather Stations ............................................................................49 (2) National Fire Danger Rating System.................................................50 d. Step-Up Staffing Plan ............................................................................52 e. Severity Funding....................................................................................52 Page iv of 107 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) f. Fire Detection........................................................................................53 (1) Fire Lookouts ..................................................................................53 (2) Aerial Detection Flights ...................................................................53 (3) Fire Detection Patrols ......................................................................53 (4) Other Federal Agency Fire Detection Methods .................................53 3. Pre-Attack Plan ............................................................................................54 4. Initial Attack ................................................................................................54 a. Information Used to Set Initial Attack Priorities.......................................54 b. Dispatch................................................................................................55 c. Criteria for the Appropriate Initial Attack Response Consistent with Resource Management Plan Goals and Objectives..................................56 d. Confinement as an Initial Attack Suppression Strategy ...........................56 5. Extended Attack and Large