Fire Research
The primary object of fire research in the NPS as it relates to cultural resources is to ensure that wildland fire management activities are informed and supported by the best available scientific information. Research plays a critical role in wildland fire management by providing information on the historic role of fire in maintaining landscapes, assessing the effects of excluding fire from landscapes, defining acceptable ranges of conditions for cultural resources subjected to fire, documenting and analyzing fire effects on cultural resources, and assessing treatment effectiveness, among other topics. This information is critical for formulating and implementing fire management plans and actions that minimize effects on cultural resources.
Wildland fire program managers and cultural resource managers in parks, regions, and centers work together to ensure that wildland fire research needs for cultural resources are clearly identified and included in park resource management and wildland fire management plans. Research identified in cultural resource management plans that are needed to implement, improve, or refine the wildland fire management program should also be included in the fire management plan. NPS cultural research managers should be pro-active in ensuring that the research needs are identified in all relevant plans.
Resources
Rocky Mountain Research Station – Moscow, Idaho (http://forest.moscowfsl.wsu.edu/)
Modeling software available through the website addresses potential impacts, such as erosion slope stability, on the integrity of archeological sites.
Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center
www.wildfirelesson.net
www.myfirecommunity.net
www.imtcenter.net
The Joint Fire Science Program
www.firescience.gov
The program is a partnership of the USFS, BIA, BLM, NPS, USFWS, and USGS. The purpose of the program is to provide credible research, including research on cultural resources, tailored to the needs of fire and fuel managers. From 1998 through 2006, the Program funded 380 research proposals, including archeology resources.A competitive, peer-review process consisting of land managers, technical specialists, and scientists ensures that the very best projects are accepted for funding.On average, about 20 percent of the submitted proposals are selected.
FIRE ARCHAEOLOGY website
http://firearchaeology.com/firearchaeology/Home.html