Conservation Activity Plan

(112) Prescribed Burning Plan

  1. Definition

A prescribed burningconservation activity plan is asitespecificplan developed fora client which addresses oneormore resourceconcernson land through the use of fire for any of the following purposes:

  • Control vegetation on rangeland, pastureland, forest land, hayland, and wildlife land.
  • Prepare sites for harvesting, planting or seeding.
  • Control plant disease.
  • Reduce wildfire hazards.
  • Improve wildlife habitat.
  • Improve plant production quantity and/or quality.
  • Remove slash and debris.
  • Enhance seed and seedling production.
  • Facilitate distribution of grazing and browsing animals.
  • Restore and maintain ecological sites

ThePrescribed Burning Plan will:

  1. Meet NRCSqualitycriteria for, rangeland/pasture/grazedwoodland health and productivity, and otheridentified resource concerns.
  2. Complywith federal, state, tribal, and local laws, regulations, and permit requirements regarding outdoor burning, fire control, smoke management, and air quality.
  3. Follow any additional criteria established in NRCS State specific standards and specifications for CP 338 Prescribed Burning for the State in which the CAP 112 is planned.
  4. Meet theclient’s resource objectives.
  1. Prescribed BurningManagement Plan Technical Criteria

Thissectionestablishesthe minimumcriteriato beaddressedinthedevelopmentofPrescribed Burning Plan.

  1. GeneralCriteria: APrescribed Burning Plan shallbedevelopedbycertifiedTechnicalServiceProviders (TSPs).In accordancewithSection 1240 (A), theEnvironmentalQualityIncentiveProgram (EQIP)programprovides fundingsupportthrough contractswith eligibleproducersto obtain servicesofcertifiedTSPsfordevelopmentof (112)Prescribed Burning Plan.ThespecificTSP criteriarequiredfor Prescribed Burning Plan development islocated on theTSP registry (TechReg)websiteat:

B. Background and siteinformation

  1. Landownerinformation– name, address, operation, size
  2. Approved Signature and date of the Client, TSP, and NRCS concurrence
  3. Location, plan map and description ofthe burn area

C. IdentifyResource Management Objectives

D. ExistingConditions

  1. Identify the ecological siteor forage suitability group for referenceconditions where ESDs or FSGs are available
  2. Pre-burn vegetation cover: vegetativespecies, diversity,and condition byland use, ecological siteand/or foragesuitabilitygroup.
  3. Existing fence locations, watering sources, location of utilities such as electric power lines and natural gas pipelines, existing barriers such as lakes, streams, wetlands, roads and constructed firebreaks
  4. All resource concerns(not meetingQualityCriteria)

E. DesiredFutureConditions

  1. Post burn vegetative cover
  2. Plant species composition

F. Prescribed BurnPlan Documentation

  1. Conservation plan map –
  1. scale
  2. north arrow,
  3. planned and existingboundaries, fields, paddocks,
  4. locations of physical resources such as wateringsystems, fences and gates,
  5. land use
  6. appropriatemap symbols,
  7. identification of foragesuitabilitygroupsand/orecological sites byfield
  8. Soils– legend
  1. Burn plan map
  1. Burn ignition point delineated
  2. Burn prescription- wind direction with firing sequence delineated
  3. Location of crews, equipment
  4. Safety zones
  1. Resourceconcerns addressed by the prescribed burn plan
  2. Required weather and environmental conditions for burn prescription, including but not limited to temperature, relative humidity wind speed, wind direction, and soil moisture.
  3. Description of the burning method to be used.
  4. Pre-burn preparation.
  5. Ignition methodand firing sequence.
  6. Notification check list of adjoining neighbors, local fire departments and public safety officials as appropriate.
  7. Equipment and materials checklist/personnel assignments and needs/safety requirements.
  8. Smoke management plan.
  9. Post –burn evaluation criteria
  10. Post- fire vegetative monitoringplan with methods and frequency defined.
  11. Operation and Maintenance Planfor all practices
  12. Copy of a current certificate or license by the designated agency in States where certification or licensing is required for prescribed burning activity.
  13. Approval signatures
  14. Conservation plan(recordofdecisions)(MsWord Document)to addresstheresourceneeds for the“Prescribed Burning Plan”.The record ofdecisionsshall include theplanned practice, scheduleforimplementation, and site-specificspecificationsto applythe conservation practice.Thesite-specificspecificationscan beon an NRCSJobsheet availablefortheconservationpracticeorin anarrativeform. Theplanmay include,butarenotlimitedtothe conservationpractices listed below:

* Practices requiring site-specific specifications:

Code / Practice Name
394 / Fire Break
383 / Fuel Break
384 / Woody Residue Treatment (when fire is used)

8. Additional facilitating or accelerating practices to assist in meeting the resource objective(s)forplanning consideration but notrequiring site-specific specifications include:

Code / Practice name
528 / Prescribed Grazing
314 / Brush Management
315 / Herbaceous Weed Control
550 / Range Planting
644 / Wetland WildlifeHabitat Management
645 / Upland WildlifeHabitat Management
659 / Wetland Enhancement
342 / Critical Area Planting
647 / Early Successional Habitat Development
460 / Land Clearing
643 / Restoration & Management of Rare and Declining Habitats
666 / Forest Stand Improvement
595 / Integrated Pest Management

3. DeliverablesfortheClient– a hardcopy of theplanthatincludes:

  • Coverpage– name, address, phoneofclientandTSP;TotalAcresof thePlan, signatureblocks fortheTSP,producer, andasignatureblockfortheNRCS acceptance.
  • All the items listed in F. 1 thru 15 of this document.
  • Soilsmap and appropriate soildescriptions
  • Ecological Site description map where available
  • Resourceassessment resultsif applicable (wind and watererosion, and othersthatmaybeneeded)
  • Forthe practices 338, 383, 384, and 394require site-specific specifications be prepared and document thesite-specificspecificationson how each practicewillbeapplied;whenthepracticewillbeapplied,andtheextent(acresor number) thatwillbeapplied.
  • For all other planned practices identify in the plan whenthe practice willbeapplied, the extent, the practice location, and for structural practices locatethe practice ontheconservationplan map.

3. DeliverablesforNRCSFieldOffice:

  • CompleteHardcopyand Electroniccopyof theclient’splan(MsWord copy) and other appropriate digital supporting documents.
  • DigitalConservation PlanMap withfields, features, and structuralpractices located.
  • DigitalSoilsMap.
  • Digital Ecological Site Description mapif ESDs are available.

NRCS

August 2017

Page 1 of 4