H-1742-1 -
EMERGENCY FIRE REHABILITATION
II. PROCESS TO
PREPARE AND IMPLEMENT EFRPs OR NFRP SUPPLEMENTS
- A.
Assemble Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Team
- B.
Funding to Evaluate Wildland Fires for Rehabilitation
- C.
Review of Available Resource and Wildland Fire Data
- D.
Evaluate Wildland Fire Effects
- E.
IRT Recommendation(s)
- F.
Preparation of EFRP or NFRP Supplement
- G.
EFR Plan Approval
- H.
EFR Plan Implementation
- I.
EFR Plan Completion
- J.
Project Monitoring and Evaluation
II. PROCESS
TO PREPARE AND IMPLEMENT EFRPs OR NFRP SUPPLEMENTS
Once a NFRP has been approved or a wildland fire occurs in
an area without a NFRP, necessitating the preparation of a EFRP, the following actions
will be taken.
- A. Assemble Interdisciplinary
Rehabilitation Team
The appropriate responsible/designated line manager assembles
an Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Team (IRT), including a team leader, to begin the
evaluation procedure to determine if and what kind of rehabilitation treatments, weed
detection and monitoring, and potential weed controls are needed. The IRT should be
assembled and ready to work within three days of wildland fire control or earlier if the
wildland fire is large and partially controlled.
The disciplines represented by the IRT will vary according to the complexity of
the fire and availability of personnel with different skills and backgrounds. Generally
the team should include two to four resource specialists (resource advisor, wildlife,
ecology, range, watershed, weeds, etc.), a member knowledgeable about soils and a
representative from Operations familiar with seeding equipment and contracting. A team
member may represent several skills. Including expertise from cooperating agencies or
offices in the team effort is encouraged, especially when the
needed skills are not available within the BLM. As indicated earlier, when an interagency
team is needed on a complex wildland fire that crosses agency boundaries, a Burned Area
Emergency Rehabilitation Team (BAER) may be requested. See Section I-3. of this handbook.
- B. Funding to Evaluate
Wildland Fires for Rehabilitation
District or Field Office Managers may request up to 2 work
months of immediate funding in subactivity 2822 from the State Office Budget Officer to
finance fire evaluations and EFRP plan or NFRP supplement preparation. In all cases, the
project number to be used is the same as the wildland fire incident number assigned during
the fire management effort. All operational costs (aerial photography, GPS work, etc.),
travel, and work months for District or non-District IRT members, may be charged to the
appropriate EFR funding/project code.
- C. Review of Available Resource
and Wildland Fire Data
-
Prior to field inspection of the burned area, the IRT should
review the existing NFRP, or relevant Land Use Plan decisions if an NFRP is not in place.
Resource data important in the review process include monitoring studies and inventories
(vegetation, cultural, and Threatened and Endangered, including Sensitive Species).
Monitoring studies and vegetation inventories provide valuable information on pre-burn
weed populations and perennial plant composition that may be useful in deciding what
actions may be necessary before seeding, or whether perennial plant recovery may preclude
the need for reseeding burned areas.
Information on the fire history, fire ecology and effects, fire
management planning, and especially the past fire rehabilitation treatments is essential
in developing proposed rehabilitation treatments, including seed mixtures. Soil surveys
contain important information on characteristics of soils relative to the success of
seedings and the operation of seeding equipment (rockiness, steep slopes, shallow soil
profiles, etc.). This basic background information could also be instrumental in planning
the seeding techniques, including the use of seed drills, aerial application or the
necessity for chaining the seed into the soil surface. Additionally, potential vegetation
types can be derived from the ecological site information in the soil survey to assist in
the selection of appropriate native species for seeding.
Areas of cultural concern, wilderness and wilderness study areas, areas of
critical environmental concern, erosion hazards, threatened and endangered species
habitats, etc., should also be identified from office records prior to field inspection.
Aerial photographs and maps are essential tools for the IRT to include on
initial fire inspections. Range improvements and other BLM structures within the wildland
fire perimeter should be plotted on maps/photos to assist the IRT in identifying burned
structures for reconstruction or replacement consideration (although not funded through
the use of EFR funding).
- D. Evaluate Wildland Fire
Effects
-
After the preliminary information has been reviewed and
assembled, the IRT will conduct one or more field inspections of the burned area. This
should be planned and undertaken in an expeditious manner to insure the completion of any
necessary plan within the appropriate time period. The burned area must be
evaluated to determine if (related to the EFR program):
1. Life or private property will be threatened if rehabilitation practices are
not implemented.
2. The vegetation that will reestablish is unacceptable, e.g., exotic annual
grasses or noxious weeds, or will not meet Land Use Plan objectives.
3. Adequate desirable vegetation will recover to stabilize soil and prevent
on-or off-site soil erosion problems.
The impacts of wildfire on rangeland health, cultural resources, Threatened and
Endangered Species, Native American or other cultural values, etc. should also be
evaluated for appropriate action from other benefitting activity sources. The action may
take the form of funding to mitigate impacts of the fire or needed coordination with other
entities or offices.
The IRT evaluates wildland fire severity and determines the potential for
recovery of the burned vegetation throughout the burned area. One of the most important
determinations made by the IRT during the inspections is, "Will the burned area
naturally recover or will seeding be required? "Reseeding burned areas that would
recover naturally is not cost-effective and can lead to dominance of non-native plants
that inhibit recovery of native plants.
The IRT should review and become familiar with the information contained in the
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) computerized database, the Fire Effects Guide, and
other relevant literature, documentation, and expertise. The FEIS, sponsored by the
National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), is described in "Fire Effects
Information System: User's Guide, USDA Forest Service General Technical Report
INT-GTR-327. It contains information on about 900 plant species, 90 animal species, and 25
plant communities. Summaries are updated periodically as new fire ecology information
becomes available.
The FEIS is available via several routes on the Internet including http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/welcome.htm;
contact fire science personnel in the State Office or National Interagency Fire Center
(NIFC) for additional information. It can easily be accessed through the Forest Service
website. The Fire Effects Guide, also sponsored by the NWCG, is available from the
Publications Management System manager at the NIFC warehouse as NFES 2394. Numerous other
technical references should also be consulted and are available via the Internet (the NRCS
websites) and other locations to insure that the appropriate techniques and plant species
are utilized in planned projects.
- E. IRT Recommendation(s)
Upon completion of the field inspection(s) of the burned
area, the IRT or the team leader reports the findings and recommendations to the
authorized officer. Options for rehabilitation, potential costs, consultation and
cooperation needs, and potential controversies associated with the proposed EFR treatments
are presented at this time. The line manager accepts, modifies or rejects the IRT’s
recommendations and gives direction to the team whether to proceed with the EFR plan, or
possible alternatives.
F. Preparation of EFRP or
NFRP Supplement
The IRT begins preparation of the appropriate EFR plan based
upon the authorized officer’s input. The treatments are finalized and the required
documents prepared. See Illustration 1 for a sample format for an EFRP and Illustration 2
for an NFRP supplement format.
In addition to preparing the EFR plan, the IRT team takes the following actions:
1. Determines the availability and cost of the seed proposed for planting.
2. Begins making arrangements for the cultural and Threatened & Endangered
species clearances, including coordinating with BLM contracting specialists.
3. Determines the availability and makes preliminary arrangements for seeding
equipment.
4. Prepares a cost/risk analysis (Appendix 2) which includes the proposed
action, no action and alternatives for all proposed rehabilitation projects on the burned
area.
5.Coordinates with the authorized officer and with affected or interested
parties (including livestock permittees) regarding proposed rehabilitation practices.
6. Coordinates with the State Office on complex or controversial EFR issues or
technical questions.
- G. EFR Plan Approval
The IRT completes the EFR plan and obtains appropriate review
from the necessary policy, technical, or other interested parties, prior to the submission
of the plan for approval. If, for some reason problems are defined, they should be worked
out before the plan is submitted for approval. All EFR plans will be signed by the
authorized officer within 21 calendar days from wildland fire control. Plans costing less
than $100,000 will be reviewed at either the District or State Office level prior to
approval by the authorized officer. Plans costing more than $100,000 to implement are
reviewed at the State Office level for technical and policy consistency but must be
approved at the Washington Office level.
The IRT or authorized officer may request review and input from the District,
State Office and Washington Office level on any EFR plan. The use of electronic means of
transmitting EFR plans is encouraged.
Any office conducting an EFR plan review is required to complete the review
within 7 calendar days of receiving the document. Approval of EFR plans may be as simple
as a phone call, followed by hard-copy documentation.
After the plan is approved, or earlier if funding to conduct wildland fire
evaluations (including aerial photography of the burned area) or plan preparation is
authorized by the State Office Budget Officer (see Section II.-B.), a completed
"Construction and Acquisition Job Number Assignment Form 1310-12" (Illustration
4) must be submitted to the Accounting Group, BC-610 (Business Center, Denver). This step
is necessary to set up an account to begin funding EFR actions.
- H. EFR Plan Implementation
Actions to implement EFR treatments may begin immediately
upon plan approval and submission of Form 1310-12 (Illustration 4). Implementation should
begin as soon as necessary to complete the treatment prior to the onset of winter or
weather shutdowns. However, periodic weed monitoring and control may extend well into the
next growing season. Clearances (cultural, sensitive species, etc.), equipment, and seed
availability may also delay implementing rehabilitation treatments in a timely manner.
Therefore, potential delays or issues should be addressed early in the implementation
process to facilitate completion of EFR treatments at the proper time, including out-year
treatments, to insure maximum probability of success. All protective fences should be
functional prior to livestock use of unburned adjacent rangeland.
Appeals of EFR plans are possible and may delay implementation. All EFR
decisions, except "full force and effect" decisions, require a 30-day
implementation delay (43 CFR 4.21(a)(1) and 2). Therefore, potential concerns should be
addressed early in the EFR process to avoid appeals and the subsequent delays in treatment
implementation.
Illustration 4
CONSTRUCTION AND ACQUISITION JOB NUMBER
ASSIGNMENT FORM
Temporary Form 1310-12
This ELECTRONIC FORMAT form will to be
added to the illustrations.
- I. EFR Plan Completion
Two reports are prepared upon completion of all EFR
treatments. A "Rangeland Improvement Project System" (RIPS) form (Worksheet
1744-1) is submitted via home office computer to the Service Center User Representative
(SC 212) , with a copy placed in the EFR Project File. Districts/programs that do not use
RIPS, e.g., Oregon & California Districts in Oregon, should use other appropriate
documentation.
An EFR Project Completion Report (Illustration 5) is prepared and filed in the
EFR Project File within 90 days of project completion. This report contains information on
actual seeding rates (based on Pure Live Seed), timing and conditions during seeding, and
information on other treatments (including a map of actual treatment application areas).
The information is essential to interpret results from monitoring studies on the treatment
areas.
ILLUSTRATION 5
FR PROJECT SUMMARY
DATA COLUMN
Fire Name:
Fire Number:
Fire Control Date:
Acres BLM Burned:
Start of Rehabilitation Project (Mo./Yr):
Completion of Rehabilitation Project (Mo./Yr):
Miles of New Fence:
Miles of Fence Rebuilt:
No. of Soil/Watershed Structures:
Acres Reforestation:
Acres of Revegetation1:
Acres of Burned Area Protected for Natural Regeneration2:
Total Acres Rehabilitated3:
Estimated Funding Current Year (FY ):
Estimated Funding Second Year (FY ):
Estimated Funding Third Year (FY ):
Total Cost Rehabilitation Project:
Acre of Revegetation1 refers to the acres of the
burn that is drilled, aerial seeded (with or without follow-up seed covering), seedlings
transplanted, etc. Do not double count acreage with multiple revegetation treatments. For
example, burned acreage that is drill seeded (100 acres) and aerial seeded (same 100
acres) is only counted as 100 acres of revegetation.
Acres of Burned Area Protected for Natural
Regeneration2 refers to burned areas that will recover to satisfactory vegetation by
grazing or human use exclusion. Protection measures include closures, fencing, herding,
etc. This designation does not refer to burned areas that will recover to unacceptable
vegetation, e.g., weeds or to revegetated areas already accounted for in Acres of
Revegetation1.
Total Acres Rehabilitated3 equals the acres of
revegetation plus acres of burned areas protected for natural regeneration.
- J. Project Monitoring and
Evaluation
-
Monitoring studies, including use supervision, can be
established and read for up to three growing seasons following fire control to determine
whether EFR objectives are being met. The IRT that developed and implemented the EFR plan
is encouraged to participate in project monitoring. After the end of the third growing
season, long-term monitoring is encouraged, but must be funded through a benefitting
activity. Monitoring studies are encouraged on all EFR projects.
The results from the monitoring studies should be analyzed, evaluated and shared
with others to improve the success of future EFR projects. This includes professional
societies, rehabilitation specialists, wildlife groups, resource advisory councils, and
when possible, the media, etc. Sharing the results of these studies can be in the form of
workshops, tours, and professional papers. Monitoring data and reports should be
permanently filed in the appropriate location such as allotment management plan, habitat
management plan, herd management plan, other files.
III.
STANDARDS FOR USE OF EMERGENCY FIRE REHABILITATION FUNDS BLM
Introduction
/ Fire Rehab Primer / Photo Story
/ Myths vs Facts / RAC Recommendations
Subgroup Report / State Director's
Policy / News Releases / Fire
Rehab Handbook
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