Grand Canyon National Park Wildland and Prescribed Fire Monitoring and Research Plan

Bunn, Windy

One of the central goals of the Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA) Fire Management Program is to promote a science-based program that relies on current and best-available information and incorporates adaptive management practices. The GRCA Fire Ecology Program is responsible for providing short- and long-term data on vegetation and fuel change and for generating burn severity mapping data. The GRCA Fire Ecology Program also provides support for fire observation monitoring in the park. The environmental monitoring and additional short- and long-term resource monitoring that contribute to fire management decisions are the responsibility of the individuals or groups outlined in sections F.5.1 and F.5.5 of this plan. Since 1990 GRCA has maintained an active fire effects monitoring program that allows fire managers to evaluate the effectiveness of the prescribed fire program and adapt future practices to better meet management objectives. The first formal GRCA fire effects monitoring plan (NPS 2000) outlined procedures for monitoring active fires in the park and monitoring long-term vegetation and fuel load changes as a result of prescribed burning. In the time since the first monitoring plan was formalized, the GRCA Fire Management Program has revised its program goals and objectives in the form of a new Fire Management Plan (FMP) based on current Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy and National Park Service (NPS) Wildland Fire Management policy. Other changes that have occurred since the previous monitoring plan was finalized include (1) 36 fires totaling over 90,000 acres have burned in the park, (2) the park has participated in nine years of burn severity mapping through the Joint NPS-USGS National Burn Severity Mapping Project, (3) over 20 research papers specific to the park have been published relating to reference conditions, fire regimes, vegetation, and fuel, (4) Mexican spotted owl critical habitat has been designated within the park, (5) a sentry milk-vetch recovery plan has been finalized, (6) new desired conditions have been formulated for the major vegetation types in the park, and (7) a Fire Ecologist position has been established to manage the Fire Ecology Program. As an appendix to the 2010 GRCA FMP, this monitoring plan describes the current and planned framework for collecting, managing, evaluating and integrating fire monitoring information. Fire monitoring is a critical component of fire management and is aimed at providing information on the effectiveness of the Fire Management Program. The primary focus of the GRCA fire monitoring program is the assessment of vegetation and fuel conditions and the determination of how these conditions are affected by fire management activities. However, the program also monitors fire and weather conditions during prescribed and unplanned fires, conducts burn severity assessments under the National Burn Severity Mapping Program, and facilitates the collection of site-specific information used for compliance and consultation requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Historic Preservation Act. Monitoring programs are intended to continuously inform fire managers about the effects of management activities so that fire management programs can adapt to changing conditions using the best available information. As new information and research results are obtained, relevant changes to the monitoring and/or fire management programs are made. These changes may include new or alternative monitoring techniques, changes in treatment prescriptions, or refinement of management objectives. Integration of fire monitoring data is a shared responsibility between the park's fire management and natural and cultural resource management staff. Changes to the GRCA Fire Ecology Program will be reflected in annual updates to this monitoring plan.

Grand Canyon National Park Wildland and Prescribed Fire Monitoring and Research Plan

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