Transcript burned_area-suppression_rehab

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Burned Area and
Suppression Response
for WRAs
Sandee Dingman
Natural Resource Specialist, Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Member of National Interagency BAER Team
Team Leader for regional/local BAER response in Mojave Desert
BAER Implementation Leader for Kelly Complex at Death Valley
Introduction

Lesson Objectives:
1) Understand agency BAER policy for
Wilderness
2) Understand the hierarchy of BAER methods
and techniques for wilderness
3) Examine information resources and
examples of BAER guidelines
4) Gain a working knowledge of BAER
procedures and authorities for approval
BAER Terms
Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)
 Three major programs
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– Suppression Rehabilitation
– Emergency Stabilization (BAER – ES)
– Non-Emergency Burned Area Rehabilitation
(BAER – BAR)
Post-fire Response
Suppression
Rehabilitation
Emergency
Stabilization
(ES)
Burned Area
Rehab
(BAR)
Restoration
Objective:
Repair
suppression
damages
Protect life and
property
Repair
damages
Long Term
Ecosystem
Restoration
Damage due
to:
Suppression
activities
Post-fire events
Fire
Fire
Timeframe:
90 days
Plan = 7 days;
implementation
= 1 year
1-3 years
3 + years
Responsible
party:
Incident
commander
Agency
Administrator
Agency
Administrator
Agency
Administrator
Funding
type:
Suppression
Account
Emergency
Stabilization
Rehabilitation
Regular
program
(from date of
containment)
Forest Service Policy
F.S. Manual 2523 (BAER)
All fires over 300 acres assessed
 Treatments would reduce risk
 Treatments are compatible with resource
management plans and wilderness
management objectives
 Treatments are essential and cost effective

Forest Service Policy
FS Manual 2323.43b (Wilderness)

Propose BAER treatments in wilderness only if
– necessary to protect life or property (inside or outside
wilderness) or
– resource values outside wilderness, or
– to prevent an unnatural loss of wilderness
resources

See BAER Guidance Paper: Treatments in
Wilderness
Agency Policy
National Park Service
Director’s Order #18 (Fire) and #41
(Wilderness)
 Use least intrusive BAER action required to
mitigate actual or potential damage
caused by wildland fire
 Erosion following wildland fire is an
element of natural landscape change and
should not necessarily be viewed as a
deleterious effect.

Agency Policy
Fish and Wildlife Service
FWS Manual Series 600
 Priorities: Protection
priorities are human life
and safety and property
and unique or critical
biological/cultural
resources
 Natural recovery by
native plant species is
preferable to planting or
seeding.

Agency Policy
Bureau of Land Management
BLM Handbook 1742-1
 Treatments in designated Wilderness Areas may
use native or naturalized non-native species
where there is no reasonable expectation of
natural regeneration
 Seeding equipment must be the minimum
necessary
 Overland motorized equipment will not be used
where non-motorized equipment can accomplish
the objective

Agency Policy
Department of the Interior
Departmental Manual Part 620, Chapter 2 –
Wildland Fire Management, Burned Area
Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation
Covers all things BAER – but does not
explicitly address wilderness!
An Important Point to Know…
Wildland Fire Use: natural starts that are
allowed to burn under prescribed
conditions in order to meet resource
objectives
 Wildland Fire Use is commonly used in
Wilderness where a current Fire
Management Plan allows
 Fires managed for Fire Use are not
eligible for ES or BAR funding!

Wilderness Considerations
Documenting Decisions

Suppression Rehab – wilderness considerations
documented in Resource Advisor Report, tasks
reflected in Incident Action Plans and eventually
Turn Back Plan

BAER (ES and BAR) Plans - May need a
wilderness resource assessment as determined
by the agency rep and the BAER team leader.
All treatments in wilderness should be addressed
in the compliance documentation, which
includes minimum requirement analysis for any
treatment in wilderness
Methods and Techniques

minimum requirement analysis for treatments
proposed in wilderness:
– Is it necessary for the administration of the area as
wilderness?
– Use minimum tool, commensurate with values at risk
and urgency of situation
See Minimum Requirement Decision Guide at
www.wilderness.net or use agency specific
format
 Approval is at different levels in each agency

Some philosophical questions….
When determining the minimum
requirement for post-fire treatment,
should you consider whether the fire was
a natural event (eg. lightning start) or
human-caused?
 What about a natural start burning in
unnatural fuel accumulation resulting from
decades of fire suppression?

SUPPRESSION REHAB
READ Responsibilities for
Suppression Rehab

You as the READ are primarily responsible for
identifying suppression rehab needs and holding
the IC to it!
– You have 90 days to get it all done, but do as much
as you can as soon as you can while the interest is
high and the resources are there.
– Identify rehab needs early and order additional
READs if needed
– Work with demob unit to hold sufficient handcrews
to rehab by hand in wilderness
Methods and Techniques
Expected Suppression Rehab
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Dozer Lines
Handlines
Spike camps
Staging areas
Base camp
Helispots and helibase
Retardant base
Water sites
WORK WITH SITUATION UNIT TO GET
ALL LOCATIONS MAPPED AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE!
– dip and draft as well as drop areas

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Fences
Roads
Noxious Weeds
– Especially if any vehicles traveled off road
Suppresion Rehab Firelines
Make sure all firelines are mapped
 Re-contour firelines and cup trenches

– Obliterate any berms
– Restore drainages to natural contours
Disguise lines with vertical mulch and/or
slash
 Avoid using firelines for travel
 Use water bars only when necessary and
install properly

Suppression Rehab Firelines
Flush cut stumps
 Camouflage cut
stumps:
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•
•
•
•
Flush-cutting
Chopping
Covering
Fire Line Explosives
Suppression Rehab Firelines
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Scatter any trees or brush cut during fireline construction
Discourage the use of newly created fire lines by
blocking with brush and logs
Rake out all vehicle tracks
Remove all trash and flagging
BEFORE
AFTER
Suppression Rehab Intensively Used Areas
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Examples: ICP, Staging
Areas, Helibase, Base
Camp
Compacted areas may
need to be ripped to 12
-18” deep
Rake out all tracks
Remove all trash and
flagging
Look for any chemical
spills and mitigate
EMERGENCY STABILIZATION
READ Responsibilities for
Emergency Stabilization

Recommend to agency administrator the need for ES
– May order a standing BAER team
– May do BAER planning with an ad hoc team
– Discuss with your regional office or state office BAER Coordinator
May be assigned as Agency Rep or READ to a BAER Team
 May be tasked with leading or participating in local BAER
effort
 Will probably be the interface with the Incident,
suppression rehab, and BAER team
 If on home unit, may have responsibility for BAER
implementation

Emergency Stabilization Priorities
Dept of the Interior:
Forest Service:
1) Protection of human life
and safety
2) Property and unique or
critical biological/cultural
resources
a. Human life and safety
b. Property
c. Critical natural/cultural
resource
That’s it –
all ES actions must address one of these priorities!
Approved Actions for ES
Dept of the Interior
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Replacing minor facilities essential to public health and safety
Placing structures to slow soil and water
Stabilize soil to prevent loss
Increase road drainage frequency/capacity
Install fences to protect treated or recovering areas
Conducting assessments of critical habitat or significant heritage
sites affected by treatments
Seeding/planting for critical habitat for listed species
Patrolling, camouflaging, burying heritage sites to prevent looting
Seeding to prevent weeds and direct treatment of weeds
Using IPM techniques to minimize the establishment of weeds
Monitoring of treatments and activities for up to 3 years
That’s it for DOI!
Order of ES Treatment Preference
Forest Service
1)
2)
3)
Natural Recovery: no emergency exists
or no practical measures are feasible
Administrative closures: emergency
exists, it is possible to restrict use, and
where use may significantly delay critical
recovery
Treatment: Proven measures to stabilize
soil or biotic communities or to moderate
intensity or severity of effects
Appropriate ES Measures
Forest Service
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Plant materials: mulching,
seeding, or planting
Structures
Hazard removal, warning,
and controls
Facility replacement
Consultation
Patrolling, camouflaging,
burying arch sites
Treatment of invasive
plants
Dept of the Interior ES Plans
must include
Description of each treatment or activity (a.k.a. specs)
 Discussion of how specs are consistent with approved
land use plans
 How specs are related to the fire
 How specs are reasonable and cost effective relative to
the severity of the burn and values at risk
 Provisions for monitoring and evaluation of treatment
effectiveness
 Clear delineation of funding and responsibilities for
implementation

Forest Service ES Plans
must include
Post-fire threats
 Values at risk
 Management objectives
 Prescriptions and cost estimates
 Analysis of treatment effectiveness
 Economic analysis of treatments
 Monitoring plan
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Watershed Analysis
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Most critical component
for ES Plans
Concern is for post-fire
flood damage
BARC imagery used to
map soil burn severity
Interdisciplinary:
– Hydrology
– Geology
– Soils
Why Watershed Focus?
So Cal Fires 2003:
Lives lost in fire = 6
Lives lost in post-fire floods = 16
Answers to the #1 ES Goal:
Protection of Life
Typical Watershed Treatments
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Flood warning
systems
Contour felling
Straw wattles
Seeding
Mulching
Watershed Treatment Preference
for Wilderness Use
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Forest Service BAER Guidance Paper:
Treatments in Wilderness
Use with Caution:
Downed logs or wattles
Hazard warning
Trail drainage improvement
Protective fences or barriers
Seeding of sterile species or local source
Weed-free mulch
Treatment of invasive species
Treatments to Avoid:
Hay/straw mulch
Seeding non-natives or non-local natives
Contour felling
Instream structures
Pre-fab erosion control structures
Wattles
Seeding: The Great Debate

Ask why you are seeding/planting?
– See Rocky Mtn National Park Example
Can it be done before it is too late?
 Is it feasible to do with local genotypes?
 What is the risk of using non-local seed?

Critical Thinking!
Watershed treatments are difficult to decide!

Always….
– treatments should be commensurate with values at
risk
– Treatments should be site specific and designed by a
professional with local knowledge
Great Info Source: Forest Service BAER Catalog
http://fire.r9.fws.gov/ifcc/Esr/baercat
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Other Assessments and Treatments
Wildlife – focus on listed species and
compliance for treatments that may affect
listed species
 Vegetation – focus on post-fire weeds and
potential for post-fire regeneration
 Cultural Resources – focus on protection
of known critical heritage sites and
compliance for treatments that may affect
cultural resources
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Timeframes
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Start ES as early as possible during suppression
incident
ES Plan done 7 days from date of containment
Implementation starts immediately and
watershed stabilization needs to be done before
rains start
Treatments must be installed within 1 year and
must be reported via NFPORS and a written
accomplishment report
Can monitor, maintain, or remove treatments for
up to 3 years
ES Approval Process
ES Plan signed by Agency Administrator
 Submitted to either Regional BAER Coordinator
or National BAER Coordinator for agency, cut off
varies by agency and from year to year
 Once approved, enter treatments and activities
in National Fire Plan Operations and Reporting
System (NFPORS)
 Budget operates in deficit, can be amended
frequently
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Challenges of ES in Wilderness
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Speed: assessment and
installation of treatments
are urgent – motorized
transport is faster
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Location, location, location:
Wilderness is often upslope
of communities – Where do
treatments need to go to
protect life? To protect
property?
Burned Area Rehabilitation
READ Responsibilities for
Burned Area Rehabilitation

Recommend to agency administrator the need for
BAR
– Planning usually done in house, or by contractor, or by
ad hoc team
– Discuss with your regional office or state office BAER
Coordinator
May be tasked with leading or participating in
local BAR planning effort
 If on home unit, may have responsibility for BAR
implementation

Burned Area Rehab Priorities
Dept of the Interior:
Forest Service:
1) Repair or improve lands
damaged directly by a fire
a. Repair or improve firedamaged lands unlikely
to recover to
management-approved
conditions
b. Repair or replace minor
facilities damaged by fire
2) Rehabilitate or establish
healthy, stable ecosystems
in the burned area
That’s it –
all BAR actions must address one of these priorities!
Approved Actions for BAR
Dept of the Interior
Consistent with approved land mgmt plans…
 Repair or improve lands by emulating historical or prefire ecosystem structure, function, diversity, and
dynamics
 Chemical, manual, and mechanical removal of invasive
species
 Tree planting to reestablish burned habitat, reestablish
native trees, prevent establishment of invasive plants,
regenerate Indian trust commercial timber
 Repair or replace fire damage to minor operating
facilities
That’s it for DOI!
Dept of the Interior BAR Plans
must include
Discussion of how specs are consistent
with approved land use plans
 Provisions for monitoring and evaluation of
treatment effectiveness
 Clear delineation of funding and
responsibilities for implementation

BAR in
Forest Service
Not addressed in FS 2523
Common BAR Treatment
Facility Replacement
Common BAR Treatment
Weed Control
Timeframes
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Start BAR anytime during three years, but the
sooner the better
No specific due date or implementation schedule
required but funds are competitive.
Funds must be obligated within same fiscal year
Treatments and activities must be reported via
NFPORS and a written accomplishment report
Can install, monitor, maintain, or remove
treatments for up to 3 years
BAR Approval Process
BAR Plan signed by Agency Administrator
 Submitted to National BAER Coordinator
for agency, cut off varies by agency and
from year to year
 Once approved, enter treatments and
activities in National Fire Plan Operations
and Reporting System (NFPORS)
 Funded account – cannot be operated in
deficit
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Closing
Plan Ahead and Prepare
Know who your first
level BAER contact is
 Review your Fire
Management Plan
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– Know how BAER is/isn’t
addressed
– Know how Wilderness
is/isn’t addressed

Work with local ICs
regarding fire
management in
wilderness
…Even if you don’t think it is
likely to happen!
Summary
BAER in Wilderness
Natural processes predominate
 BAER implemented only when threats
exist
 Do only the minimum necessary
 Use native, local materials
 Non-motorized equipment and methods

Information Resources
Department of the Interior and links
 http://fire.r9.fws.gov/ifcc/Esr/home.htm
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Forest Service
 http://www.fs.fed.us/biology/watershed/
burnareas
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Questions?
Sandee Dingman
Lake Mead NRA
[email protected]
702-298-1070