Bitterroot Valley Wildfire Response Guide

Wildfire Management Response on the Bitterroot National Forest

It is important to have some knowledge of Forest Service direction and policy in understanding the response that fire managers take when dealing with fires in the Bitterroot National Forest (BRF).  Please click here for a glossary of terms.

Policy, Direction and Guidelines –

Since the inception of the Forest Service, there have been considerable policies and guidance developed over the years at local, regional and national levels. Probably the single most important source of direction is the Bitterroot National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (LMP) which was completed in 1987. Appendix M – Fire Management Direction of the LMP lists some basic concepts that are to be used when considering fire management options.

Many ecosystems found in the BRF are fire-dependent – that is, they require wildfire as one of several natural processes to maintain and sustain them. Looking at tree rings and fire scars, researchers determined that historically wildfires burned as often as every 7 years in the lower elevation ponderosa pine sites in the Bitterroot Valley; every 35-100 years in the mid-elevation pine-mixed conifer sites; and every 100-200 years or more in the higher elevation spruce-lodgepole pine sites. Considering these different fire frequencies and the amounts of low, middle, and higher elevation area that exist across the forest, it is likely that as many as 30,000 to 40,000 acres burned each year, historically on the Bitterroot National Forest.

Wildfire is a natural process, just like rainfall, wind, erosion, and sunshine. To remove or hinder any of these processes has unwanted consequences either sooner or later. When wildfire is not allowed to play its natural ecological role, hazardous fuels increase, large fire potential increases, habitat conditions are impacted, and watersheds are put at risk leading to dysfunctional forests and rangelands and unsustainable landscape conditions.

Too often wildfire is portrayed as dangerous, destructive, devastating, leading many to see only the negative aspects of fire.  What is true is that in, almost every case, wildfire is doing what it has always done in shaping the ecosystem. As a natural process that maintains, sustains, and nurtures the ecosystem, it’s a tool that helps managers meet many of the objectives in the land management plan that are geared to healthy forests and rangelands. This occurs whether the fire is a prescribed fire (planned ignition) or a human-caused or lightning-caused wildfire (unplanned ignition).

Given the context provided above, more specific fire management direction is laid out in Appendix M of the LMP. The more pertinent ones for this discussion are:

• Prescribe fire to maintain healthy, dynamic ecosystems that meet land management objectives.
• Emphasize the use of prescribed fire in range and wildlife habitat improvement projects.
• Unplanned ignitions will be managed as prescribed fires in predetermined areas under conditions that meet established prescriptions.
• Fire will be permitted in wilderness to the extent possible within prescriptions that provide for protection of life, property and adjacent resources.
• Suppression options other than control will be considered in some areas under established conditions.

There is also an update on how we implement Interagency Fire Policy across the nation. That information is described in the recently revised 2009 Guidance for Implementation of Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy:

“Fire, as a critical natural process, will be integrated into land and resource management plans and activities on a landscape scale, and across agency boundaries.  Response to wildland fire is based on ecological, social, and legal consequences of fire. The circumstances under which a fire occurs, and the likely consequences on firefighter and public safety and welfare, natural and cultural resources, and values to be protected dictate the appropriate management response to fire.”

It also directs that:

• A wildland fire may be concurrently managed for one or more objectives and objectives can change as the fire spreads across the landscape.  Objectives are affected by changes in fuels, weather, topography; varying social understanding and tolerance; and involvement of other governmental jurisdictions having different missions and objectives.
• Management response to a wildland fire in federal land is based on objectives established in the applicable Land/Resource Management Plan and/or the Fire Management Plan.
• Initial action on human-caused wildfire will be to suppress the fire at the lowest cost with the fewest negative consequences with respect to firefighter and public safety.
• Managers will use a decision support process to guide and document wildfire management decisions.  The process will provide situational assessment, analyze hazards and risk, define implementation actions, and document decisions and rationale for those decisions.

How Response Decisions are Actually Made – To put these concepts, direction and policy into action, fire managers have divided the forest up into 4 areas called Fire Management Units (FMUs) based on some key differences between FMUs in order to simplify decision-making. Incorporating forest plan direction and interagency fire policy and direction, fire management objectives have been developed for each FMU. A description of each FMU and its fire management objectives are summarized below (see map, also). Fire managers use these objectives to help them determine the appropriate fire response to wildfires.

For all FMU’s, firefighter and public safety is the first consideration and is always the priority during every response. All human-caused wildfires will be suppressed at the lowest cost with the fewest negative consequences with respect to firefighter and public safety.

FMU 1 – Urban Interface – This interface FMU includes areas (190,900 acres) where: (1) the threat to life and private property are extremely high; (2) adverse public reaction and pre-existing controversies/relationships are anticipated; and (3) resource values are extremely high.  This FMU also includes private lands where the Forest Service has protection responsibilities.  The risk of loss continues to escalate as settlement patterns increase along the interface. Much of the area within this FMU allows for timber management but being the lower elevations of the valley, big game winter range management and visuals are also important resources that are emphasized.

FMU 1 Objectives: Because of the high resource values (timber) in this FMU and the high threat to life and private property, the majority of wildfires will be suppressed. Under conditions where the objective of protecting timber and property values can be met, fire responses that will meet other resource objectives such as reducing hazardous fuels in the interface, maintaining and improving big game winter range, etc. can be considered.  During multiple fire incidents, initial attack resources will be prioritized to this FMU before all others in most cases.  There may be instances when potential threats to safety or values at risk will be greater from fires in other FMUs. Plan and accomplish fuel reduction activities to alter fire behavior from that characterized by high-intensity and/or crown fire behavior to that characterized by low/moderate intensity surface fire behavior.

FMU 2 – Active Roaded Area – This FMU (400,600 acres)includes: (1) high value, roaded forest lands; (2) improved recreation sites and facilities; and (3) other roaded active areas within the fire protection zone.  As with FMU 1, timber management is emphasized.

FMU 2 Objectives – For the majority of fires in FMU2, use a suppression strategy for those wildfires that have the potential to damage timber and/or property under current or predicted fire behavior and intensities. Under conditions where the objective of protecting timber and property values can be met, consider fire management options that can meet other objectives such as reducing fuels or improving habitat. During multiple fire incidents, initial attack resources will be prioritized based on proximity to values at risk.  Continue to plan and accomplish fuel reduction activities to alter fire behavior from that characterized by high-intensity and/or crown fire behavior to that characterized by low/moderate intensity surface fire behavior.

FMU 3 – Roadless and Unroaded Areas (outside wilderness) – This FMU (324,200 acres) includes:  (1) all the non-wilderness roadless areas; and (2) the higher elevation areas with old, overmature timber stands which can support high intensity stand replacement fires during times of drought. These areas, for the most part, have no planned timber harvest.

FMU 3 Objectives – Routinely consider managing unplanned ignitions in their natural role to maintain and sustain healthy, dynamic ecosystems while protecting infrastructure such as foot bridges, outfitter camps, remote cabin sites, etc. During multiple fire incidents, initial attack resources will be prioritized based on proximity to values at risk. There may be instances when potential threats to safety and values at risk will alter this prioritization.

FMU 4 – Wilderness Areas – This FMU (719,000 acres) includes the wilderness areas of the BRF.

FMU 4 Objectives – Unplanned ignitions in these areas will routinely be managed to meet resource objectives and protect human values. Wildfire will be allowed to play its natural role under close monitoring to maintain healthy, dynamic ecosystems while protecting foot bridges, outfitter camps, remote cabin sites, etc. Use approved wildland fire use guides as needed. For all ignitions, fire responses will use tactics and strategies compatible with wilderness values. During multiple fire incidents, initial attack resources will be prioritized in FMU 4 as the last priority, after all other FMUs, in most cases. There may be instances when potential threats to safety and values at risk will alter this prioritization.

Initial Attack protocols – Every fire discovered on the BRF receives an initial response of some kind depending on the particular wildfire situation as noted in the FMU. It is possible in each of the FMU’s to allow all or part of a wildfire under the right conditions to burn as it would historically under close monitoring to help land managers meet objectives of restoration and forest health. The challenge for fire managers during the initial attack phase of the fire is to make that decision quickly so that firefighting resources being sent to the fire can engage it using the appropriate tactics, which can range from aggressive suppression to establishing monitoring schedules with an aircraft or from a staffed lookout.

When a fire breaks, a pre-identified duty officer at each ranger district is responsible for making the initial decision on fires on that district, usually in consultation with the District Ranger. Once a fire is detected, information on its location is reported to the Hamilton Dispatch Center. The dispatcher uses maps to determine which FMU the fire is located in. From preplanned single incident initial attack dispatching guidelines, the dispatcher sends the appropriate resources to the fire, including an Incident Commander (IC) who will be in charge of all actions taken at the fire. These guidelines used take into account the time of the year, fire severity, and FMU objectives to determine the amount and kind of resources to send. Below is a sample of what the guidelines look like.

The fire information is entered into a dispatch tracking system that is used to record all actions taken on the fire from its beginning to when it is declared out. The fire information is also entered into a computer program known as the Wildland Fire Decisions Support System  (WFDSS), a recently developed decision support process used to guide and document wildfire management decisions.  This process provides situational assessment, analyzes hazards and risk, defines implementation actions, and documents decisions and rationale for those decisions during the life of the fire.

For human-caused fires, the initial response will be to suppress the fire at the lowest cost with the fewest negative consequences with respect to firefighters and public safety.

For lightning-caused fires, the Duty Officer, the District Ranger and IC discuss the situation, considering the fire’s relative threat to life and property, and public/firefighter safety; the potential impacts the fire may have to cultural and natural resources; relative risk indicators and/or relative risk assessment results; and other nearby fire activity. The risk assessment takes into consideration natural/cultural resource concerns, social/economic concerns, fuel conditions and potential fire behavior, potential fire size, time of season and seasonal severity, and any barriers to fire spread. From these considerations and assessments:

If it is determined that the fire needs to be suppressed, this decision is articulated to the IC and resources at the fire as well as to Dispatch. The IC develops and implements appropriate tactics to safely put the fire out. If the fire is successfully suppressed, Dispatch will complete the initial information in the WFDSS and no further information is entered into the system.

If the fire is not successfully suppressed and develops into an Extended Response or Large Fire Response, the WFDSS is used to further document the situation; a new course of action is determined and clearly articulated to the IC and resources at the fire as well as to Dispatch and then is implemented. The WFDSS continues to be used to validate the decision or decisions related to the fire during the course of its life.

If it is determined that all or parts of the fire will be allowed to burn as it would historically to meet some kind of improvement in the landscape, the Duty Officer and District Ranger will continue to utilize the WFDSS to further document the situation, determine a course of action that is clearly articulated to the IC and resources at the fire as well as to Dispatch, and validate the decision or decisions related to the fire during the course of its life. For fires that likely will last more than a week, a long term plan is often developed and used to manage the fire over the long term.

As complicated as this process may seem, it can easily become even more complicated when a fire is burning at the same time on two or more jurisdictions that have differing objectives, policies, standards, communications systems, etc. That is a major reason why we are developing the Stevensville West Wildfire Response Plan; to iron out these differences beforehand so that when the next interface wildfire occurs, it will be a well coordinated incident rather than a potentially confusing and mixed set of responses.