National Fire Plan Implementation Notes, USDA Forest Service

Managing the Impacts of Wildfire on Communities and the Environment: A Report to the President In Response to the Wildfires of 2000 (a.k.a., The National Fire Plan)

Implementation Note No. 1, September 20, 2000 (revision 1.2): The followingis included in this implementation note:

National Fire Plan Key Points.

Operating Principles (from Chief’s 9/14/00 letter to employees), plus one.

Management Structure (Program Coordinators named in this document are tentative at this time)

Plan of Work Framework (includes all actions from the 9/13/00 Fire Planning Meeting with the Chief Operating Officer)

Fuels Management Projects (partial listing for Region 3).

Preliminary FY 2001 funding allocations for Fuels Management.

Management Structure graphic (see page 5).

Nation Fire Plan Key Points. As a reminder, the following are the five Key Points (KP) of the National Fire Plan:

KP No. 1. Firefighting. Continue to fight the fires for the rest of this fire season and be adequately prepared for next year.

KP No. 2. Rehabilitation and Restoration. Restore landscapes and rebuild communities damaged by the wildfires of 2000.

KP No. 3. Hazardous Fuel Reduction. Invest in projects to reduce fire risk.

KP No. 4. Community Assistance. Work directly with communities to ensure adequate protection.

KP No. 5. Accountablity. Be accountable and establish adequate oversight, coordination, program development, and monitoring for performance.

Operating Principles. The following are the eight Operating Principles (OP) to guide our work as we implement the National Fire Plan:

OP No. 1. Firefighting Readiness. Increase firefighting capability and capacity for initial attack, extended attack, and large fire support that will reduce the number of small fires becoming large, to better protect natural resources, to reduce the threat to adjacent communities, and reduce the cost of large fire suppression.

OP No. 2. Prevention Through Education. Assist state and local partners to take actions to reduce fire risk to homes and private property through programs such as FIREWISE.

OP No. 3. Rehabilitation. Focus rehabilitation efforts on restoring watershed function including, protection of basic soil, water resources, biological communities, and prevention of invasive species.

OP No. 4. Hazardous Fuel Reduction. Assign highest priority for hazardous fuels reduction to communities at risk, readily accessible municipal watersheds, threatened and endangered species habitat, and other important local features, where conditions favor uncharacteristically intense fires.

OP No. 5. Restoration. Restore healthy, diverse, and resilient ecological systems to minimize uncharacteristically intense fires on a priority watershed basis. Methods will include removal of excessive vegetation and dead fuels through thinning, prescribed fire, and other treatment methods.

OP No. 6. Collaborative Stewardship. Focus on achieving the desired future condition on the land in collaboration with communities, interest groups, and state and federal agencies. Streamline process, maximize effectiveness, use an ecologically conservative approach, and minimize controversy in accomplishing restoration projects.

OP No. 7. Monitoring. Monitor to evaluate the effectiveness of various treatments to reduce unnaturally intense fires while restoring forest ecosystem health and watershed function.

OP No. 8. Jobs. Encourage new stewardship industries and collaborate with local people, volunteers, Youth Conservation Corps members, service organizations, and Forest Service work crews, as appropriate.

OP No. 9. Applied Research and Technology Transfer. Focus research on the long-term effectiveness of different restoration and rehabilitation methods to determine those methods most effective in protecting and restoring watershed function and forest health. Seek new uses and markets for byproducts of restoration.

For More Information: Please contact:

Michael T. Rains, Interim National Fire Plan Implementation Coordinator @ (610) 557-4103;

(610) 557-4177 (Fax);e-mail:; or, Denny Truesdale @ (202) 205-1588; (202) 205-1174 (Fax); e-mail:

Management Structure. The following is the Management Structure at the national level for the USDA Forest Service to help coordinate the goals and objectives of the National Fire Plan. Michael T. Rains will serve as interim National Fire Plan Coordinator until a full-time coordinator can be named. Denny Truesdale will serve as the Deputy National Fire Plan Coordinator at the national level. The Regional Foresters and Station Directors, with assistance from other partners, will develop Regional or multi-Regional teams to implement the National Fire Plan. The composition and specific functions of these teams will be decided at the local level. Each Region or multi-Regional team will need to name a Point of Contact and provide this name to the Interim Fire Plan Coordinator by September 25, 2000. The Management Structure at the national level is as follows (see page 5 for a graphic illustration of the Management Structure for the National Fire Plan):

Fire Plan Key Point / KP No. 1: Firefighting / KP No. 2: Rehabilitation and Restoration / KP No. 3: Hazardous Fuel Reduction / KP No. 4:
Community Assistance / KP No. 5:
Accountability
Program Name / Firefighting / Rehabilitation and Restoration / Hazardous Fuel Reduction / Community Assistance / Planning and Analysis
Program Coordinator / Harry Croft / Sally Collins / Mike Dudley / Janet Anderson-Tyler / Hank Kashdan
Program Components /
  • Preparedness
  • Suppression
  • Emergency Contingency
/
  • Rehabilitation and Restoration
  • Invasive Species Management
/
  • Fuels Management
/
  • State Fire Assistance
  • Cost-share Incentives
  • Volunteer Fire Assistance
  • Economic Action Programs
/ All, with a specific focus on Information Management and Budget and Program Development
Important Roles and Other Tactical Components to Consider /
  • Workforce Development and Maintenance
  • New Technology Development
/
  • Economic Impact Analysis
  • Priority with Key Watersheds
/
  • Analysis, monitoring, and planning for NEPA
  • Applied research and development
  • Joint Fire Science Program
/
  • Firewise
  • Other fire prevention education programs
  • Fuels Management
  • Defensible space
/
  • Required information
  • Database management
  • Communication products
  • Status reports
  • Planning
  • Allocations, including criteria
  • Out year program integration

The Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator is responsible for the overall coordination of the program and its components in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the National Fire Plan. In addition, the Program Coordinator will:

Coordinate the development of a Program of Work for the assigned program (see following framework).

Have input into budget planning and execution.

Provide required information, including accomplishments, to the Information Management Coordinator as needed.

Ensure Operating Principles are followed.

Plan of Work Framework. A national level Plan of Work for the National Fire Plan will be developed. Regional or multi-Regional work plans will also be required at a level of detail required by local conditions. The national level Plan of Work framework is as follows, with selected detail shown for illustration purposes. This framework with need to be completed by each Program Coordinator and submitted to the Interim Fire Plan Coordinator for compilation no later than September 28, 2000:

Program: Firefighting

Program Coordinator: Harry Croft

Planned Actions:

Task / Who / When / Product or Outcome

Brief the US DOI on Management Structure and Plan of Work

/ Rains / September 20, 2000

Develop criteria and allocations for funding by Program and Program Component

/ Harry Croft / October 1, 2000 / Criteria and allocation

Develop a short and long-term workforce strategy to support the National Fire Plan

/ Gloria Manning / October 25, 2000 / Workforce strategy/hiring plan
Etc.

Program: Rehabilitation and Restoration

Program Coordinator: Sally Collins

Planned Actions:

Task / Who / When / Product or Outcome
Develop criteria and allocations for funding by Program and Program Component. / Sally Collins / October 1, 2000 / Criteria and allocation
Etc.

Program: Hazardous Fuel Reduction

Program Coordinator: Mike Dudley

Planned Actions:

Task / Who / When / Product or Outcome
Provide a list of NEPA ready projects by region, costs, and acreage (see partial listing for Region 3, below). / Joe Cruz; Mike Dudley / September 15, 2000 / Listing
Finalize the “Cohesive Strategy” and provide to the Department. / Janice McDougle; Phil Janik / September 18, 2000 / Final report
Develop criteria and allocations for funding by Program and Program Component. / Mike Dudley / October 1, 2000 / Criteria and allocation
Etc.

Program: Community Assistance

Program Coordinator: Janet Anderson-Tyler

Planned Actions:

Task / Who / When / Product or Outcome
Develop criteria and allocations for funding by Program and Program Component. / Janet Anderson-Tyler / October 1, 2000 / Criteria and allocation
Review the high priority market opportunities for use of small diameter wood as value added opportunities for removed fuel / John Sebelius / November 1, 2000 / Program Assessment
Etc.

Program: Planning and Analysis

Program Coordinator: Hank Kashdan

Planned Actions:

Task / Who / When / Product or Outcome
Brief the NLT on the National Fire Strategy (Done) / Rains / September 14, 2000 / Conference call briefing
Develop Operating Principles for the National Fire Plan and communicate to the employees (Done). / Chris Wood / September 15, 2000 / Letter with Operating Principles signed by the Chief
Participate in Congressional Hearing before the Forest and Public Lands Management subcommittee (Done). / Jim Lyons; Chief / September 15, 2000 / Hearing
Develop “talking points” and “Q&A’s”. / Joe Walsh / September 15, 2000 / Brief
Adjust the FY 2002 Agency Request to reflect to National Fire Plan and develop a new “Current Services” budget level. / Hank Kashdan / September 15, 2000 / Adjusted FY 2002 Agency Request
Develop a strategy for “sequential information notes” to communicate information and program direction. / Joe Walsh; Sally Collins / September 20, 2000 / Concept paper (very brief)
Finalize a national Management Structure to help coordinate the National Fire Plan. / Rains; Phil Janik / September 20, 2000 / Management Structure
Develop a procedure to secure budget and funding review by the Program Coordinator (s) and the National Fire plan Coordinator, and approvals by the Deputy Chiefs, Hilda Diaz-Soltero, and finally Phil Janik. / Hank Kashdan / September 21, 2000 / Procedure
Regions or multi-Regions provide a Point of Contact for plan implementation. / Regional Foresters / September 22, 2000 / Name
Name a National Fire Plan Coordinator. / Chief; Phil Janik / October 1, 2000 / Name
Develop a “Strategy for Engagement” with other Federal agencies, tribal governments, states, communities, partners, and other interest groups. / Joe Walsh / October 1, 2000 / Strategy
Task (Accountability continued) / Who / When / Product or Outcome
Begin developing appropriate requests to release the National Fire Plan Emergency Contingency funds. / Hank Kashdan / October 1, 2000; continuing as needed / Letter (s) of request to the Department
Provide a briefing at the NLC, New Haven, CT on status of National Fire Plan implementation. / Rains or National Coordinator / October 6, 2000 / Presentation
Finalize field allocations for each Program and Program Component (see example allocation for Fuels Management below). / Hank Kashdan / October 12, 2000 / Specific funding advice
Develop required information for long-term performance and outcomes, including fuels management practices by acres, projects, and funding by Region, forest, state, and Congressional District. Include final selected measures into SES performance elements. This includes the development of an “information system.” The long-term goal is to move this information to the National Information Center at St. Paul, MN. / Kathy Maloney; US DOI; Gina Childs / October 25, 2000 / Specific listing; information system; Corporate Information System at St. Paul, MN
Develop a ten-year strategy, including estimated funding levels, for a long-term National Fire Plan (see the Technical Support Document, page 30, for projected funding estimates for FY’s 2002-2004). Build on existing strategies like the “Cohesive Strategy” for fuels management. / Janice McDougle; Jim Hubbard; US DOI / February 1, 2000 / Long-term strategy
Etc.

Fuels Management Projects. A complete listing of Fuels Management projects for FY 2001, and the out years (2002 – 2005) will need to be developed. The following is a partial listing for Region 3 for the remainder of this year:

National Forest / Community / Planned Treatment / Acres / Costs
Arizona:
Apache-Sitgreaves / Forest Lakes / Thin and chip / 300 / $ 90,000
Coconino / Flagstaff / Thin and slash / 690 / 200,000
Coronodo / Summerhaven / Thin and pile / 300 / 53,700
Kaibab / Parks / Thinning / 190 / 36,100
Prescott / Prescott / Mechanical Chop / 1,780 / 142,450
Tonto / Rim Communities / Thin, pile and chip / 210 / 105,000
Subtotal / 3,470 / 627,250
New Mexico:
Carson / Red River / Thin, pile, and burn / 120 / 50,000
Cibola / East Mountains / Fuel wood, chip / 320 / 158,250
Gila / Little Walnut / Thin, chip / 110 / 64,500
Lincoln / Cloudcroft / Thinning / 190 / 100,000
Santa Fe / Chaparral / Thin, burn / 1,700 / 200,000
Subtotal / 2,440 / 572,750
Total / 5,910 / $1,200,000

Tentative Allocation for Fuels Management. The following is a tentative allocation for the fuels management for the National Fire Plan. It is fundamental that the appropriate Program Coordinator (s) and the National Fire Plan Coordinator review all allocations prior to approval by the Deputy Chiefs, Hilda Diaz-Soltero, and finally, Phil Janik.

Location / Funding / Acres
Region 1 / $ 21,000,000 / 119,000
Region 2 / 18,000,000 / 108,000
Region 3 / 29,000,000 / 175,000
Region 4 / 16,500,000 / 98,000
Region 5 / 26,000,000 / 142,800
Region 6 / 27,000,000 / 155,000
Region 8 / 23,000,000 / 970,000
Region 9 / 5,000,000 / 32,000
Region 10 / 150,000 / 200
National Projects / 4,350,000 / --
Total / $170,000,000 / 1,800,000

National Fire Plan Management Structure

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