Fire Management Plan Environmental Assessment / Assessment of Effect

The National Park Service is making available for public review and comment an environmental assessment (EA) for a fire management plan at Petrified Forest National Park. In preparing a new fire management plan, the NPS seeks to adjust management direction from the previous plan by accommodating new national and NPS policies and new scientific information. More specifically, the purpose of the proposed fire management plan at Petrified Forest National Park is to better ensure the health and safety of firefighters, NPS staff, and the public; protect cultural and natural resources; and enhance public education and expand training for NPS staff regarding fire management and safety. Two alternatives were analyzed for meeting the objectives of the plan:

Alternative A - No Action Alternative (Fire Suppression): Fire management activities would be conducted without a formal management plan in place. The National Park Service would conform with policy mandates that all wildland fires be treated using a full suppression approach and stipulations that fires cannot be used for resource management. No planned projects (fuel reduction, ecosystem restoration, or maintenance) are allowed under the no-action alternative.

Alternative B – Multiple Fire Management Strategies: Implementation of a new fire management plan for the park would include options for manual and mechanical fuel reduction, prescribed fire as a fuels reduction tool, targeted application of herbicides to treat nonnative plant species and reduce fuel loads, and suppression of all wildland fires.

The NPS encourages your review and comment on the EA. The EA will be on public review for 30 days. Please submit written comments by July 21, 2013.

Document Content:

Fire Management Plan Environmental Assessment / Assessment of Effect   (5.1 MB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.