The Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC), at their March 16-17 meeting in Washington DC, agreed to establish a blueprint for a “Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy.” This new strategy (which is not a policy) has three components:
- Landscape Restoration,
- Fire-Adapted Communities, and
- Fire Response
The new Strategy is not to be confused with the “10-Year Comprehensive Strategy Implementation Plan” developed in 2002. After all, this new plan is “cohesive”, rather than “comprehensive”.
I have to admit it is difficult to get a handle on what the new Strategy is all about. A lot of documents have been floating around but I have not seen any that provide a paragraph that clearly summarize this new initiative. The WFLC’s web site has a little information, including a record of decisions that were made at their March meeting.
The WFLC plans to conduct six to twelve forums in April and May at which the new Strategy will be presented and discussed. Dates and locations are tentative, but they may be held at the following cities: Anchorage, AK; Ruidoso, NM; Barnaget, NJ; San Antonio, TX; Boise, ID; Washington, DC; Casper, WY; Phoenix, AZ; Billings, MT; Sacramento, CA; Seattle, WA; Reno, NV; and Madison, WI.
The WFLC has been rather lethargic for the last year or two. Before their March meeting, the last one was held in November, 2008. The Council was “re-established by a Memorandum of Understanding” on April 12, 2010.
Below is the text of a news release from the DOI, USDA, and DHS about the new strategy.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced the formation of a federal partnership with state, regional, local and tribal leaders to develop a strategy to more effectively address America’s wildland fire challenges.
At a meeting of the Wildland Fire Leadership Council in Washington, D.C., local officials joined governors, representatives of tribal governments and the departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Homeland Security to establish a blueprint for a “Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy.”
“The Council provides the right framework for a strong national strategy to address the growing threats of wildfire,” said Secretary Salazar. “The Council’s partnerships are key to the establishment of a national, intergovernmental wildfire policy that will ensure the safety of our firefighters and the citizens they protect as we confront longer and more intense fire seasons in more regions of the country.”
“There are no easy solutions to the challenges of wildland fire,” said Secretary Vilsack. “But a cohesive wildfire management strategy will provide the best blueprint to ensure community safety and the restoration of ecosystems that will, in the long run, benefit all Americans, especially those who live in rural areas.”
“Developing a comprehensive national strategy to prepare for and protect against wildfires that threaten the safety of Americans is an important part of our efforts to build a culture of resiliency in communities across the country,” said Secretary Napolitano.
At the Council meeting, federal, state, local and tribal government representatives agreed to develop a comprehensive landscape-scale analysis of all wildlands, based on the best available science, and a strategic blueprint of policy and program alternatives for the wildland fire community. The strategy will analyze three key components: landscape restoration, fire-adapted communities, and response to wildfire.
The Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy will address America’s increasing wildland fire challenges. Currently, millions of acres of public lands across the country are at risk of large wildfires due to overcrowded stands of trees, insect infestations, and invasions of non-native species. The group targets the completion of the strategy by this fall.
The Wildland Fire Leadership Council, re-established by a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Secretary Salazar, Secretary Vilsack and Secretary Napolitano on April 12 consists of federal, state, tribal, county and municipal government officials dedicated to the consistent implementation of wildland fire policies, goals and management activities.
I wonder if this is what Tom Harbour was talking about two weeks ago when he mentioned a future ‘National Wildland Fire Framework’ patterned after the National Response Framework?