Project Links
Implement Prescribed Fire Plan
Arkansas Post National Memorial » Implement Prescribed Fire Plan » Document List
This Fire Management Plan (FMP) outlines actions that will be taken by Arkansas Post National Memorial (Post) in meeting the fire management goals for the park. The Post was established in 1960 to preserve and commemorate the Quapaw, French, Spanish, English, and American history of this location in southeastern Arkansas. It consists of two distinct and physically separated units, the Memorial Unit and the Osotouy Unit. The Memorial Unit (Memorial) contains 389.18 acres, 100 acres of which are water, leaving a land-based portion of approximately 289 acres (117 ha). The newly acquired Osotouy Unit consists of 360 acres of land that includes American Indian mounds and surrounding burial sites.
National Park Service Director's Order #18 requires that: "All NPS units with vegetation that can sustain fire must have a Fire Management Plan." This FMP serves as a detailed program of action by providing specific guidance and procedures for accomplishing wildland fire management objectives stated in the previously mentioned directive. It addresses wildland fire suppression, where protection of structures, cultural resources, and neighboring properties is paramount. The plan allows the Post to manage natural resources in the most effective and efficient manner, which includes the use of prescribed fire and mechanical fuel treatments.
The FMP was developed in 2004 through a collaborative process involving Post staff, Midwest Regional Office (MWRO) staff, and NPS Fire Program (FIREPRO) staff. The Post sought input from the Quapaw tribal leaders. The Army Corps of Engineers, participated in the park scoping of alternatives. The Nature Conservancy, Arkansas Chapter, provided significant input on fire management in the Arkansas River Valley. Incorporating the assistance and expertise of federal and non-federal organizations resulted in a thorough treatment of fire management at the
Post.
Implementation of the FMP will further formal and informal ties with the cities of Gillett and Tichnor Arkansas, which provide fire protection to the Post and Osotouy Units. A formal agreement has been developed with the volunteer fire department for response to wildland fire.
The Post plans to implement a prescribed fire at the Memorial Unit in the fall of 2017 within the established fire management units (see map).
National Park Service Director's Order #18 requires that: "All NPS units with vegetation that can sustain fire must have a Fire Management Plan." This FMP serves as a detailed program of action by providing specific guidance and procedures for accomplishing wildland fire management objectives stated in the previously mentioned directive. It addresses wildland fire suppression, where protection of structures, cultural resources, and neighboring properties is paramount. The plan allows the Post to manage natural resources in the most effective and efficient manner, which includes the use of prescribed fire and mechanical fuel treatments.
The FMP was developed in 2004 through a collaborative process involving Post staff, Midwest Regional Office (MWRO) staff, and NPS Fire Program (FIREPRO) staff. The Post sought input from the Quapaw tribal leaders. The Army Corps of Engineers, participated in the park scoping of alternatives. The Nature Conservancy, Arkansas Chapter, provided significant input on fire management in the Arkansas River Valley. Incorporating the assistance and expertise of federal and non-federal organizations resulted in a thorough treatment of fire management at the
Post.
Implementation of the FMP will further formal and informal ties with the cities of Gillett and Tichnor Arkansas, which provide fire protection to the Post and Osotouy Units. A formal agreement has been developed with the volunteer fire department for response to wildland fire.
The Post plans to implement a prescribed fire at the Memorial Unit in the fall of 2017 within the established fire management units (see map).