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Fire Management Plan - - 2024/2025
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park » Fire Management Plan - - 2024/2025 » Document List
The National Park Service (NPS) Wildland Fire Program manages wildland fire to protect the public, park communities, and infrastructure; conserve natural and cultural resources; and maintain and restore natural ecosystem processes, as highlighted in the NPS Wildland Fire Strategic Plan.
Fire management plans (FMPs) implement strategies for managing fire and fuels within and adjacent to the parks, as determined cooperatively by various federal, state, local land managers, private landowners, and public stakeholders, in service of protecting park resources and values. An FMP should both protect resources and, to the most practicable extent, reintroduce fire as an ecological process on the landscape. The fire management planning process evaluates the current fire management situation and develops a cooperative and collaborative plan to benefit and adapt to the changing needs and conditions of the parks and adjacent lands. Auditing of the Fire Managment Program at a Service-wide level identified the age and format of the parks' 2003 FMP as being outdated and a corrective action plan has identified the BLCA/CURE plans as needing to be completed prior to the parks being eligible for any key fire treatment measures (e.g. prescribed burns, defensible space, etc.) or their related funding.
The Fire Management Plan for Black Canyon of the Gunnison (BLCA) and Curecanti National Recreation Area (CURE) was last updated in 2006 (see DataStore - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area Fire Management Plan and NEPA Documents (nps.gov) for the 2006 Fire Management Plan, associated Environmental Assessment, and current Fire Management Unit map). The 2006 NPS Management Policies require all park units with burnable vegetation have an approved Fire Management Plan (FMP). An FMP is a programmatic planning document that describes policy, goals, and objectives, and establishes strategies and tactics for managing wildland fire and non-fire fuel treatments, such as manual and mechanical thinning.
The NPS has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Black Canyon of the BLCA and CURE FMP EA. The EA was publicly scoped in September 2024 and released for public comment in January 2025.
The National Park Service is required by policy to have fire management plans for all units with burnable vegetation. The parks needed to update the 2006 FMP to conform to current federal policy and to reduce hazardous wildland fuels, ensuring protection of life, property, cultural values, and natural resources. The FMP EA considers wildland fire management practices, techniques, and tools including ground and aviation operations, suppression, and fire fuels management such as manual, mechanical, and prescribed fire treatments.
The NPS divides BLCA and CURE into three fire management units (FMUs): a Habitat FMU with wildfire suppression except some low severity fires, a Wilderness FMU with wildfire permissible, and a Conditional FMU where high value resources and assets are protected, then ecological benefits and goals are pursued.
The EA provides programmatic support for any proposed fuel treatment projects that are described in the FMP. The FMP supports and streamlines implementation of fuel treatment projects.
Fire management plans (FMPs) implement strategies for managing fire and fuels within and adjacent to the parks, as determined cooperatively by various federal, state, local land managers, private landowners, and public stakeholders, in service of protecting park resources and values. An FMP should both protect resources and, to the most practicable extent, reintroduce fire as an ecological process on the landscape. The fire management planning process evaluates the current fire management situation and develops a cooperative and collaborative plan to benefit and adapt to the changing needs and conditions of the parks and adjacent lands. Auditing of the Fire Managment Program at a Service-wide level identified the age and format of the parks' 2003 FMP as being outdated and a corrective action plan has identified the BLCA/CURE plans as needing to be completed prior to the parks being eligible for any key fire treatment measures (e.g. prescribed burns, defensible space, etc.) or their related funding.
The Fire Management Plan for Black Canyon of the Gunnison (BLCA) and Curecanti National Recreation Area (CURE) was last updated in 2006 (see DataStore - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area Fire Management Plan and NEPA Documents (nps.gov) for the 2006 Fire Management Plan, associated Environmental Assessment, and current Fire Management Unit map). The 2006 NPS Management Policies require all park units with burnable vegetation have an approved Fire Management Plan (FMP). An FMP is a programmatic planning document that describes policy, goals, and objectives, and establishes strategies and tactics for managing wildland fire and non-fire fuel treatments, such as manual and mechanical thinning.
The NPS has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Black Canyon of the BLCA and CURE FMP EA. The EA was publicly scoped in September 2024 and released for public comment in January 2025.
The National Park Service is required by policy to have fire management plans for all units with burnable vegetation. The parks needed to update the 2006 FMP to conform to current federal policy and to reduce hazardous wildland fuels, ensuring protection of life, property, cultural values, and natural resources. The FMP EA considers wildland fire management practices, techniques, and tools including ground and aviation operations, suppression, and fire fuels management such as manual, mechanical, and prescribed fire treatments.
The NPS divides BLCA and CURE into three fire management units (FMUs): a Habitat FMU with wildfire suppression except some low severity fires, a Wilderness FMU with wildfire permissible, and a Conditional FMU where high value resources and assets are protected, then ecological benefits and goals are pursued.
The EA provides programmatic support for any proposed fuel treatment projects that are described in the FMP. The FMP supports and streamlines implementation of fuel treatment projects.