Wildland fire management plan Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

A range of alternatives on how wildland fire could be managed in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore were considered: 1) no action (suppress all wildland fire and exclude prescribed fire); 2) suppress all wildland fires but permit prescribed fire (lakeshore’s preferred alternative); and 3) suppress all wildland fires and exclude prescribed fire, but update the plan to be in compliance with National Park Service directives. The final plan reflects the lakeshore’s preferred alternative which proposes the following: make firefighter and public safety the highest priority of every fire management activity; all wildfires, regardless of ignition source, will be suppressed to protect the public, private property, and natural and cultural resources of the lakeshore; use minimum impact suppression tactics to minimize impact upon natural resources during fire suppression; reduce wildland fire hazard around developed areas and areas adjacent to cultural and historic sites; facilitate reciprocal fire management activities through the development and maintenance of cooperative agreements and working relationships with pertinent fire management entities; and use prescribed fire as a method of restoring and maintaining the natural landscape to meet resource objectives of the lakeshore.