The U.S. Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service unit - Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests - issued the following press release:
The Forest Service is proposing to amend the current Forest Plan (the Plan) for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) to modify their fire management policies to include wildland fire use. The proposed amendment would give fire managers the option of managing certain lightning-caused fires to improve resources such as wildlife habitat, range, and overall forest health on Forest Service lands. The policies addressed in this proposed amendment are a relatively minor portion of the Plan, however, they must be amended before wildland fire use is allowed.
Fire managers feel there is a real need to be able to manage fires ignited by lightning on the GMUG, rather than being required by current Forest policies to extinguish every fire. On adjacent BLM and NPS lands within both the Montrose Interagency Fire Management Unit and the Upper Colorado River Fire Management Unit, fire managers already have the option to manage wildland fires under specified conditions and in designated locations identified in their fire management plans. Expanding this fire policy to include Forest Service lands would provide consistency across agency boundaries and support interagency management, increasing the potential for fire use across public lands in both Fire Management Units. In addition to improving consistency, the change in policy would also help reduce firefighting costs and improve forest and range health. Currently, some fires on the GMUG or bordering BLM and NPS lands which are actually beneficial to the landscape are being put out at considerable cost in terms of dollars and use of personnel. In some situations, these fires are being extinguished in locations where fire fighters might later ignite prescribed burns.
This change in GMUG fire policy reflects a national trend to reintroduce fire to the landscape. Fire is an essential process for initiating regeneration of many different types of vegetation, such as Ponderosa pine and aspen. Over the last decade, federal fire organizations have been changing their fire policies and plans to allow fire to play a more natural role in maintaining ecosystem health. Managed fires - both prescribed fires and fire use fires - have also been important mechanisms for regenerating vegetation communities. Managed fires have also played an import role in reducing the potential for large catastrophic fires by helping to return the landscape to more historic fuel types and conditions.
Under the new wildland fire use policy, any naturally ignited fire on the GMUG that occurred in an area designed for fire use would be evaluated to determine if it met the criteria for management. If the fire met the criteria, it would be monitored and managed on a daily basis to ensure it was in compliance with established parameters in the fire management plan. If any unacceptable negative impacts were to occur, if conditions changed, or if the fire moved into an area that was not designated for fire use, all, or portions of the fire, would be suppressed.
At this time, fire managers are developing the proposed amendment and an environmental assessment (EA), as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This amendment is being undertaken even though a complete Forest Plan revision is underway because we are uncertain when the Revised Forest Plan will take effect. Specific language in the Plan that is proposed for deletion and addition or modification will be circulated with the EA. The EA will disclose environmental consequences of implementing the new, proposed policies to incorporate Wildland Fire Use on the GMUG. The opportunity to comment for this scoping period will extend through March 1, 2006. While the USFS will accept and consider comments at any time during this analysis process, to be most helpful and to be fully considered in the analysis and decision process, comments should be received by that date. For additional information concerning this proposal, please contact Jeff Burch or Rick Oberheu, 2250 Highway 50, Delta, Colorado 81416, 970-874-6600. Please direct written comments to this address, to the attention of "Fire - Plan Amendment". Contact: Jeff Burch, 970/874-6600.
Jeff Burch, 970/874-6600.
GRAND MESA, UNCOMPAHGRE AND GUNNISON NATIONAL FORESTS PROPOSES TO AMEND PLAN TO ALLOW FIRE USEThe U.S. Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service unit - Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests - issued the following press release:
The Forest Service is proposing to amend the current Forest Plan (the Plan) for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) to modify their fire management policies to include wildland fire use. The proposed amendment would give fire managers the option of managing certain lightning-caused fires to improve resources such as wildlife habitat, range, and overall forest health on Forest Service lands. The policies addressed in this proposed amendment are a relatively minor portion of the Plan, however, they must be amended before wildland fire use is allowed.
Fire managers feel there is a real need to be able to manage fires ignited by lightning on the GMUG, rather than being required by current Forest policies to extinguish every fire. On adjacent BLM and NPS lands within both the Montrose Interagency Fire Management Unit and the Upper Colorado River Fire Management Unit, fire managers already have the option to manage wildland fires under specified conditions and in designated locations identified in their fire management plans. Expanding this fire policy to include Forest Service lands would provide consistency across agency boundaries and support interagency management, increasing the potential for fire use across public lands in both Fire Management Units. In addition to improving consistency, the change in policy would also help reduce firefighting costs and improve forest and range health. Currently, some fires on the GMUG or bordering BLM and NPS lands which are actually beneficial to the landscape are being put out at considerable cost in terms of dollars and use of personnel. In some situations, these fires are being extinguished in locations where fire fighters might later ignite prescribed burns.
This change in GMUG fire policy reflects a national trend to reintroduce fire to the landscape. Fire is an essential process for initiating regeneration of many different types of vegetation, such as Ponderosa pine and aspen. Over the last decade, federal fire organizations have been changing their fire policies and plans to allow fire to play a more natural role in maintaining ecosystem health. Managed fires - both prescribed fires and fire use fires - have also been important mechanisms for regenerating vegetation communities. Managed fires have also played an import role in reducing the potential for large catastrophic fires by helping to return the landscape to more historic fuel types and conditions.
Under the new wildland fire use policy, any naturally ignited fire on the GMUG that occurred in an area designed for fire use would be evaluated to determine if it met the criteria for management. If the fire met the criteria, it would be monitored and managed on a daily basis to ensure it was in compliance with established parameters in the fire management plan. If any unacceptable negative impacts were to occur, if conditions changed, or if the fire moved into an area that was not designated for fire use, all, or portions of the fire, would be suppressed.
At this time, fire managers are developing the proposed amendment and an environmental assessment (EA), as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This amendment is being undertaken even though a complete Forest Plan revision is underway because we are uncertain when the Revised Forest Plan will take effect. Specific language in the Plan that is proposed for deletion and addition or modification will be circulated with the EA. The EA will disclose environmental consequences of implementing the new, proposed policies to incorporate Wildland Fire Use on the GMUG. The opportunity to comment for this scoping period will extend through March 1, 2006. While the USFS will accept and consider comments at any time during this analysis process, to be most helpful and to be fully considered in the analysis and decision process, comments should be received by that date. For additional information concerning this proposal, please contact Jeff Burch or Rick Oberheu, 2250 Highway 50, Delta, Colorado 81416, 970-874-6600. Please direct written comments to this address, to the attention of "Fire - Plan Amendment". Contact: Jeff Burch, 970/874-6600.
Jeff Burch, 970/874-6600.
