Useful Definitions for Cultural Resource Management and Fire
NPS Archeology Program Cultural Resources and Fire Guidance
Aboriginal lands / Federal land that is recognized by a final judgment of the Indian Claims Commission or the United States Court of Claims as the aboriginal land of an Indian tribe. [43 CFR 10.6 (a)(2)(iii)]ACHP / Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Adverse effect / An action that diminishes the integrity of cultural resources (36 CFR 800.5)
Agency official / Federal official who has been delegated legal responsibility for compliance with NHPA section 106. The agency official has approval authority for the undertaking and can commit the Federal agency to take appropriate action for a specific undertaking. The agency official ensures that the undertaking is carried out in accordance with the memorandum of agreement.
AHJ / Authority Having Jurisdiction
Ancestral lands / Lands that were formerly inhabited by Native Americans
Anchor Point / An advantageous location, usually a barrier to fire spread, from which to start constructing a fireline. The anchor point is used to minimize the chance of being flanked by the fire while the line is being constructed.
APE / Area of Potential Effect. The geographic area or areas within which an undertaking may directly or indirectly cause alterations in the character or use of historic properties, if any such properties exist. The area of potential effects is influenced by the scale and nature of an undertaking and may be different for different kinds of effects caused by the undertaking.
ARPA / Archaeological Resources Protection Act
Backburn / Used in some localities to specify fire set to spread against the wind in prescribed burning.
Backfire / A fire set along the inner edge of a fireline to consume the fuel in the path of a wildfire or change the direction of force of the fire's convection column.
Consultation / The process of seeking, discussing, and considering the views of other participants, and, where feasible, seeking agreement with them regarding matters arising in the section 106 process.
Consulting party / Consultation for NHPA Section 106 compliance includes, but may not be limited to, the State or Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Native American groups whose aboriginal lands are involved, parties with an association with the park, and the public.
CRM team / Cultural Resource Management team
Cultural Resource / Building, site, structure, object, or district evaluated as having significance in prehistory or history, or ongoing significance to a tribe or affiliated group.
Determination of eligibility / An action through which the eligibility of a property for the National Register of Historic Places listing has been decided affirmatively, but the property is not actually listed on the register.
Direct Attack / Any treatment applied directly to burning fuel such as wetting, smothering, or chemically quenching the fire or by physically separating the burning from unburned fuel.
Dozer Line / Fireline constructed by the front blade of a dozer.
Effects / Alterations to the characteristics of the historic property that qualified it for inclusion or eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places
Emergency Stabilization / Planned actions to stabilize and prevent unacceptable degradation to natural and cultural resource, to minimize threats to life or property resulting from the effects of a fire, or to repair/replace/construct physical improvements necessary to prevent degradation of land or resources.
Evaluation / Process by which the significance and integrity of a historic property are judged and eligibility for National Register of Historic Places is determined.
Federal Lands / Any land other than tribal lands which are controlled or owned by the United States, including lands selected by but not yet conveyed to Alaska Native Corporations and groups organized pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. [25 USC 3001 (5)]
Federal undertaking / Undertaking means a project, activity, or program funded in whole or in part under the direct or indirect jurisdiction of a Federal agency, including those carried out by or on behalf of a Federal agency; those carried out with Federal financial assistance; and those requiring a Federal permit, license or approval.
Fine Fuels / Fast-drying dead or live fuels, generally characterized by a comparatively high surface area-to-volume ratio, which are less than 1/4-inch in diameter and have a timelag of one hour or less. These fuels (grass, leaves, needles, etc.) ignite readily and are consumed rapidly by fire when dry.
Fire Behavior / The manner in which a fire reacts to the influences of fuel, weather, and topography.
Firebreak / A natural or constructed barrier used to stop or check fires that may occur, or to provide a control line from which to work.
Fireline / The part of a containment or control line that is scraped or dug to mineral soil.
Flanking Fire Suppression / Attacking a fire by working along the flanks either simultaneously or successively from a less active or anchor point and endeavoring to connect two lines at the head.
Foam / The aerated solution created by forcing air into, or entraining air in water containing a foam concentrate by means of suitably designed equipment or by cascading it through the air at a high velocity. Foam reduces combustion by cooling, moistening and excluding oxygen.
Fuel loading / The amount of fuel present expressed quantitatively in terms of weight of fuel per unit area. This may be available fuel (consumable fuel) or total fuel and is usually dry weight.
Helispot / A natural or improved takeoff and landing area intended for temporary or occasional helicopter use.
Historic property / Any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
Hot-spotting / Checking the spread of fire at points of more rapid spread or special threat. Is usually the initial step in prompt control, with emphasis on first priorities.
Incident Command General Staff / The group of incident management personnel reporting to the Incident Commander. They may each have a deputy, as needed. The General Staff consists of: Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, and Finance/Administration Section Chief.
Incident Command System (ICS) / A standardized on-scene emergency management concept specifically designed to allow its user(s) to adopt an integrated organizational structure equal to the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents, without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries.
Mean Fire Return Interval / Arithmetic average of all fire intervals in a given area over a given time.
Memorandum of Agreement / Document that evidences the agency official’s compliance with NHPA section 106 and regulations, and shall govern the undertaking and all of is parts.
Mitigation / Those activities implemented prior to, during, or after an incident which are designed to reduce or eliminate risks to persons or property that lessen the actual or potential effects or consequences of an incident. Mitigation measures can include efforts to educate governments, businesses, and the general public on measures they can take to reduce loss and injury and are often informed by lessons learned from prior incidents.
National Historic Landmark / (NHL) a historic property evaluated and found to have significance at the national level and designated as such by the Secretary of the Interior.
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) / 1966 legislation establishing the National Register of Historic Places and extending the national historic preservation programs to properties of state and local significance.
National Interagency Fire Center / A facility located at Boise, Idaho, jointly operated by several federal agencies, dedicated to coordination, logistical support, and improved weather services in support of fire management operations throughout the United States.
National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS) / An NWCG developed program consisting of five subsystems which collectively provide a total systems approach to all-risk incident management. The subsystems are: The Incident Command System, Training, Qualifications and Certification, Supporting Technologies, and Publications Management.
National Register of Historic Places / (National Register) Official Federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.
NCSHPO / National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers
Operational Period / The period of time scheduled for execution of a given set of tactical actions as specified in the Incident Action Plan. Operational Periods can be of various lengths, although usually not over 24 hours.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) / That equipment and clothing required to mitigate the risk of injury from or exposure to hazardous conditions encountered during the performance of duty. PPE includes but is not limited to: fire resistant clothing, hard hat, flight helmets, shroud, goggles, gloves, respirators, hearing protection, chainsaw chaps, and shelter.
Programmatic agreement / A document that records the terms and conditions agreed upon to resolve the potential adverse effects of a Federal agency program, complex undertaking, or other situations.
Repeater / A radio signal station that automatically relays a radio transmission, sometimes over a different frequency, thereby increasing the range of transmission. Repeaters are often named for the locations where they are installed.
Saddle / Depression or pass in a ridgeline.
Section 106 / National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106
Section 106 coordinator / NPS position in parks or regions to assist in ensuring that parks comply with NHPA Section 106
Soot / Carbon dust formed by incomplete combustion.
Sooting Indicator / The black, carbon based soot deposited on objects in the fire's path. Found on the side of objects towards the origin.
Spalling / Chipping or pitting of concrete, masonry, or stone surfaces.
Span of control / The supervisory ratio of from three-to-seven individuals, with five-to-one being established as optimum.
Spur ridge / A small ridge which extends finger-like from a main ridge.
Standard review process / Standard NHPA Section 106 review process.
SHPO / State Historic Preservation Officer. The official designated by a state Governor to administer the state’s historic preservation program under the National Historic Preservation Act.
Streamlined Activities / Activities listed in the 2008 Programmatic Agreement among the NPS, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the National Conference of Historic Preservation Officers for Compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act that qualify for an abbreviated Section 106 compliance process.
Streamlined review process / NHPA Section 106 compliance process that is outlined in the 2008 programmatic agreement that, provided initial conditions are met, is shorter than the standard process.
Structural Fire / A fire that involves the structural components of a building.
Traditional Cultural Property / A traditional cultural property is a cultural that is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with cultural practices or beliefs of a living community that are rooted in that community's history, and are important in maintaining the continuing cultural identity of the community.
THPO / Tribal Historic Preservation Officer The tribal official appointed by a federally-recognized tribe’s chief governing authority or designated by a tribal ordinance or preservation program who has assumed the responsibilities of the SHPO for the purposes of Section 106 compliance on tribal lands.
Tribal lands / Land within the exterior boundaries of a reservation.
Undertakings / A project, activity, or program funded in whole or in part under the direct or indirect jurisdiction of a Federal agency, including those carried out with Federal financial assistance, and those requiring a Federal permit, license, or approval.
Wildland Fire / Overarching term for non-structural fire. Wildfires are unplanned ignitions. Prescribed fires are planned ignitions.
Wildland Fire Management Plans / A plan which identifies and integrates all wildland fire management and related activities within the context of approved land/resource management plans. It defines a program to manage wildland fires (wildfire, prescribed fire, and wildland fire use). The plan is supplemented by operational plans, including but not limited to preparedness plans, preplanned dispatch plans, and prevention plans. Fire Management Plans assure that wildland fire management goals and components are coordinated.
Wildland Fire Management Unit / A land management area definable by objectives, management constraints, topographic features, access, values to be protected, political boundaries, fuel types, major fire regime groups, etc. that set it apart from the characteristics of an adjacent FMU. The FMU may have dominant management objectives and pre-selected strategies assigned to accomplish these objectives. Cultural resource management objectives contribute to the definition of FMUs. Every park is composed of at least one FMU and fire management practices are consistent throughout the FMU. It may be necessary to redefine the boundaries of specific FMUs to accommodate uneven levels of knowledge about cultural resources.
Wildland Fire Planning / Systematic technological and administrative management process of designing organization, facilities, and procedures, including fire use, to protect wildland from fire.
Wildland Fire Severity / Degree to which a site has been altered or disrupted by fire; loosely, a product of fire intensity and residence time.
Wildland Fire Suppression / All work and activities connected with control and fire-extinguishing operations, beginning with discovery and continuing until the fire is completely extinguished.