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Showing 43 results for FY2012 ...

Fire From Above: South Florida Enhances Prescribed Fire Management with Uncrewed Aircraft Systems

Type: Article

In FY'24, uncrewed aircraft (UAS) were used in Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve to provide an aerial view of the landscape before and after prescribed fires helping to learn how the burn affected vegetation. Getting this view from above has been helpful for mapping and gaining imagery for prescribed fire units and making firefighting a little easier.

In a Time of Change: The Art of Fire Exhibit

Type: Article

In 2011 the Alaska Fire Science Consortium, Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Station, and Fairbanks Art Association partnered to bring artists, fire managers, and scientists together to generate dialogue and mutual understanding of the science behind fire and fire management in Alaska’s changing ecosystems. Nine Alaskan artists unveiled works of art inspired by wildfire, fire management, and fire science at an exhibit in Fairbanks in August 2012.

Unusual Partnerships on the Southern United States Border

Type: Article

In FY20, partnerships around Everglades National Park contributed to reducing hazardous fuel loads, reduced exotic species spread, improved understanding role fire plays within the ecosystem, and created a more efficient and effective fire management strategy.

Point Reyes National Seashore

Wildland Fire: Pine Thinning Extends Fuel Break at Point Reyes

Type: Article

Dense thickets of young Bishop pine were removed along Limantour Road in Point Reyes National Seashore. The trees were cleared and thinned for 30 feet on either side of the road under a cooperative agreement with a local conservation corps. The recent roadside thinning treatments extend a fuel break into the next section where the vegetation has transitioned to Bishop pine. Thinning will improve emergency access and egress during a wildfire along this major park corridor.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Structure Assessments Conducted at Bryce Canyon National Park

Type: Article

Wildland Fire Modules from Saguaro NP, Bandelier NM, and Zion NP participated in the annual Wildland Fire Module Conference in May 2012 at Bryce Canyon National Park. The modules coordinated on performing structure assessments. The information they collected will be available on an internal agency mapping website called “InsideMaps,” so fire personnel can look up hazard assessment information when responding to a fire in the area.

Big Thicket National Preserve

ProRanger San Antonio Cadets Prepare for Wildland Fire

Type: Article

Big Thicket National Preserve hosted ProRanger San Antonio on March 12-14, 2012 for wildland firefighter training in the Piney Woods forests of East Texas. The ProRanger second-year cadets participated in an eight-hour classroom refresher focused on risk management and fire preparedness. ProRanger is a career development program focused on creating new pathways for students into the National Park Service (NPS).

Cape Cod National Seashore

Partnership Training Builds Community Wildland Fire Preparedness

Type: Article

In spring 2012, Cape Cod National Seashore partnered with the local volunteer fire department in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, AmeriCorps, an Explorer Scout group, and the Town of Barnstable Conservation Division to offer basic wildland firefighter S-130/S-190 training. A prescribed burn field exercise provided training opportunities and fuel reduction near private homes.

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Crew Performing Structure Assessments Responds to Wildfire

Type: Article

Hot, dry conditions in July 2012 pushed Bighorn Canyon NRA into extreme fire danger and fire restrictions, as well as prompting a severity request and stepped up staffing. Bandelier Wildland Fire Module was sent to mop up a fire near Bighorn Canyon’s boundary. While they were there, the crew conducted thorough assessments on all four historic ranches in the NRA and helped suppress a wildland fire. Their work helps create fire–adapted human communities.

Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve Firefighters Develop Successful Plan for Prioritizing and Treating Hazardous Fuels

Type: Article

Prioritizing fuels treatments that benefit the park and community can be difficult, because these goals may conflict in Big Cypress NP. Areas were defined as high priority if they have not burned for more than 5 years, lie less than 0.5 mile to the nearest structure or road, and are located within or adjacent to pinelands or prairies. Areas meeting these criteria were identified as requiring immediate treatment. In early 2012, approximately 45,000 acres had been treated.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Fern Lake Fire Offers Challenges and Opportunities in Rocky Mountain NP

Type: Article

The Fern Lake fire in Rocky Mountain NP began in steep terrain with beetle-killed timber. Direct attack would put firefighters at unnecessary risk, so managers indirectly attacked the fire when the time was right, where success was likely. They scouted existing firelines away from beetle-killed trees and established action points that would trigger pre-evacuation. By mid-December, the Fern Lake fire was 3,498 acres. The fire destroyed one private cabin in the park.

Saguaro National Park

Assessing Wildfire Hazard at Saguaro National Park

Type: Article

Saguaro NP is supporting development of a community wildfire protection plan (CWPP) for Pima County, AZ. The county is slightly larger than New Jersey and has nearly 1 million inhabitants, including a sizeable number who live in unincorporated areas. Initially, communities were developing separate CWPPs to identify and mitigate hazardous fuels and protect structures, but leaders felt that a unified effort would be more effective in addressing wildland fire potential.

Saguaro National Park

Wildland Fire Science in the Classroom

Type: Article

On May 1, 2012, an NPS fire communication and education specialist presented six 50-minute programs for 8th-grade science classes, about 155 students total, at a junior high school in Tucson, Arizona. Topics included fire science and ecology, wildland fire management, prescribed fire, and fire careers. The program taught students about the need to restore and maintain resilient landscapes, create fire-adapted communities, and effectively respond to wildfire.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Local Relationships Limit Woodland Heights Fire Damage

Type: Article

Rocky Mountain National Park’s excellent relationship with the Estes Park Fire Department allowed for rapid response, and collaboration limited damage during the Woodland Heights fire. One exact drop from a helitanker stopped a run up a saddle that had a high potential to continue into downtown Estes Park. NPS employees saved numerous homes by building direct line and extinguishing hot spots with the engine. The fire destroyed 22 homes and two outbuildings.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Efficient Response to El Capitan Fire

Type: Article

The lightning-ignited El Capitan fire was detected in Guadalupe Mountains National Park on May 26, 2012. The fire was located approximately one mile east of historic Williams Ranch and approximately three miles southwest of Pine Springs, Texas. Red flag conditions, terrain, and desert fuels added to the potential for rapid wildfire spread. Interagency and international cooperation was essential to controlling the fire in just three days.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Community Wildfire Protection Plan Developed Collaboratively in Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Type: Article

The fire management staff from the Missouri Area Park Group, located at Ozark National Scenic Riverways, worked with partners to help Shannon County develop a community wildfire protection plan that was finalized in 2012. Community outreach was also conducted. The county and its communities can now tap into national funding sources to help with community fire planning, hazardous fuel reduction, and wildfire prevention.

Acadia National Park

State of Maine, National Park Service, and Local Partnerships Provide Community Wildland Fire Protection

Type: Article

The highly collaborative fuels reduction work on Bakers Island, Acadia National Park, restored defensible space for the historic lighthouse and keeper’s house and created an aesthetically pleasing, historically accurate landscape. The successful outcome and excellent safety record of the project was a direct result of the planning that went into it.

Wildland Fire: NPS Communicates Cohesive Strategy to Stakeholders

Type: Article

The NPS Division of Fire and Aviation Management (DFAM) works daily with interagency counterparts and stakeholders to facilitate implementation of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. Effective implementation of the Cohesive Strategy (CS) will occur only if the NPS has successfully communicated CS tenets to the NPS community. The NPS DFAM community has disseminated key messages of the CS in an efficient and effective manner.

Canaveral National Seashore

Using Prescribed Fire to Restore Habitat for Threatened Florida Scrub Jay

Type: Article

Fire-adapted coastal scrub vegetation provides habitat for several federally listed species, including the Florida scrub jay. Canaveral National Seashore, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and Kennedy Space Center support this rare habitat. In July 2012, the 3 agencies collaborated to complete a prescribed burn of coastal scrub and marsh. Objectives were to improve habitat for the scrub jay and other species, and to reduce dangerous fuel loads.

Lake Meredith National Recreation Area

Lake Meredith NRA and Borger City Firefighters Assist in Hurricane Sandy Recovery Efforts

Type: Article

Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (NRA) has invested many hours training firefighters in local communities to assist the National Park Service in times of need. In November 2012, six Borger City firefighters and two crew leaders from Lake Meredith NRA were part of a 20-person saw team removing hazardous trees from damaged NPS sites during Hurricane Sandy response.

Saratoga National Historical Park

Wildland Fire: Hazardous Fuel Loading Reduced through Mechanical Operations

Type: Article

In August 2012, the NPS Northeast Region Arborist Incident Response team undertook mechanical fuels reduction at Saratoga NHP to remove hazardous fuels on 15 acres of land surrounding park structures. The goal was to reduce threats to park structures from future wildfires. The buildup of fuels dated back to a severe ice storm in 2008. The AIR team completed the work because of their experience removing large-diameter, standing dead and damaged trees close to structures.

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