# Presentation: 169427

- Fire Program Analysis
- Fire Ecology Assessment Tools
- Providing Decision Support
- 	for Fire and Land Management

- Tim Sexton, Fire Ecologist
- Ed Delaney, Data Manager

## Preparedness 

- 	 area of fire management composed of
- 	personnel and equipment
- 	trained and available for fire suppression
- 	local, regional and national level.
- 	Resources consist of
- 		engines
- 		dozers
- 		handcrews, lookouts
- 		helicopters, airtankers
- 		management personnel.

## Early 20th century USFS used “cost plus” loss formula.  
1970s USFS NFMAS 
(National Fire Management Analysis System) 
BLM and BIA have adopted NFMAS 

- 1970s USFS NFMAS
- (National Fire Management Analysis System)
- BLM and BIA have adopted NFMAS

## NFMAS
	most cost efficient level (MEL) for fire management staffing 
likelihood of fires (based upon historical records
current system analyzes preparedness efficiency by single agency units (National Forest or BLM Field Unit) 
then aggregates upward (within the agency) to the regional and then national level.  
partners and cooperators often not considered in the analysis, despite high utilization of other agencies in actual suppression actions.

- 	most cost efficient level (MEL) for fire management staffing
- likelihood of fires (based upon historical records
- current system analyzes preparedness efficiency by single agency units (National Forest or BLM Field Unit)
- then aggregates upward (within the agency) to the regional and then national level.
- partners and cooperators often not considered in the analysis, despite high utilization of other agencies in actual suppression actions.

## NPS and USF&W 
developed alternate system 
did not rely on commodity values for evaluating economic efficiency
utilized constraints rather than economic efficiency

- developed alternate system
- did not rely on commodity values for evaluating economic efficiency
- utilized constraints rather than economic efficiency

## Monitoring
All federal agencies required to monitor the effects of their actions 
NPS is the only agency that has developed and funded a system to quantitatively monitor the effects of fire management activities 

- All federal agencies required to monitor the effects of their actions
- NPS is the only agency that has developed and funded a system to *quantitatively* monitor the effects of fire management activities

- Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon
- 	pioneered monitoring and analysis of the effects of prescribed fire
- 	In 1992, the Western region of NPS published FMH (Fire Monitoring Handbook)
- This handbook and the accompanying software (database and analysis) served NPS and many units of other agencies for ten years

## FMH protocols and associated software

	All NPS regions’ monitoring follows FMH

	1992 handbook recently updated
		more flexibility 
		address needs of new monitoring programs

	 software developed, and managed “in-house” by an NPS employee  

Limitations in software 
		(i.e., incompatibility with COTS and DOS-based 
led to the user requests for a system overhaul

- 	All NPS regions’ monitoring follows FMH
- 	1992 handbook recently updated
- 		more flexibility
- 		address needs of new monitoring programs
- 	 software developed, and managed “in-house” by an NPS employee
- Limitations in software
- 		(i.e., incompatibility with COTS and DOS-based
- led to the user requests for a system overhaul

## Other Federal Agencies 
Rely on qualitative monitoring to meet federal monitoring requirements.  
Results:  litigation, adaptive management needs, disagreement on potential effects of treatments and non-treatments 
Need to utilize quantitative monitoring in all agencies.  
Many individual units in other agencies have been using FMH to monitor fire effects

- Rely on *qualitative* monitoring to meet federal monitoring requirements.
- Results:  litigation, adaptive management needs, disagreement on potential effects of treatments and non-treatments
- Need to utilize *quantitative* monitoring in all agencies.
- Many individual units in other agencies have been using FMH to monitor fire effects

## Multi-agency fire management economic analysis systems 
 NPS fire effects monitoring systems 
currently undergoing major overhauls  
The Fire Management Analysis systems are being revised by an interagency group under the acronym FPA (for Fire Program Analysis).  
Two systems NFMAS and FIREPRO 
being consolidated 	 
single system for all federal wildland fire agencies  
Fire effects monitoring system is being revised by the National Park Service under the acronym FEAT (Fire Effects Analysis Tools). 

-  NPS fire effects monitoring systems
- currently undergoing major overhauls
- The Fire Management Analysis systems are being revised by an interagency group under the acronym FPA (for Fire Program Analysis).
- Two systems NFMAS and FIREPRO
- being consolidated
- single system for all federal wildland fire agencies
- Fire effects monitoring system is being revised by the National Park Service under the acronym FEAT (Fire Effects Analysis Tools).

- 	Considers preparedness needs of all agencies within a geographic area
- 	Utilizes economic analyses that
- 	go beyond market value of natural resources

**System Features of FEAT **
**                             ****(Fire Effects Analysis Tools)**
**Spatial analysis capability to evaluate **
**landscape-scale effects**
**condition classes**
**departure from desired condition**** **
**Capability**** ****of short term analysis of effects where adaptive management timeframes require information within one to two years**

## September 1983

- September 1986

## Pre-Thin

- Post-Thin

- FEAT is to be a comprehensive tool to:
-   acquire and disseminate fire-related scientific knowledge
-   Facilitate the coordination between wildland fire and other RM programs.

- Business
- Process
- Flow

- External Information Flows

- Internal Info Flows

- External Information Flows

- External Info Flows

## Why is this important to I&M?  
Ability to interact with and [potentially] satisfy I&M program  needs...
fire effects monitoring crews may collect needed information 
store it in readily accessible database  
local, regional (eco-regional), national databases
Up-to-date program structure for compatibility with NPS standard databases and analysis tools. 

- Ability to interact with and [potentially] satisfy I&M program  needs...
- fire effects monitoring crews may collect needed information
- store it in readily accessible database
- local, regional (eco-regional), national databases
- Up-to-date program structure for compatibility with NPS standard databases and analysis tools.

## System Interactions/Importance 
	FEAT and FPA 

Two interrelated systems address National Fire Plan needs for:
assessing fire hazard
desired conditions
treatment effectiveness
cost effective fire management staffing and funding levels 

- 	FEAT and FPA
- Two interrelated systems address National Fire Plan needs for:
- assessing fire hazard
- desired conditions
- treatment effectiveness
- cost effective fire management staffing and funding levels

## System Development Plans/Timelines 
	FPA
Sept 2001-National Fire Plan coordinators seek recommendations for common wildland fire program analysis system
Interagency team working led by Jim Hubbard completed report on November 30, 2001 

- 	FPA
- Sept 2001-National Fire Plan coordinators seek recommendations for common wildland fire program analysis system
- Interagency team working led by Jim Hubbard completed report on November 30, 2001

**System Development Plans/Timelines**
**	****FEAT**
- 	Prototype by Early Fall 2002
- 	Regional rollouts Feb to May 2003
- 	Phase 3 (final additions...nice-to-have features), October 2003

## Two-program overhauls will significantly improve the ability of fire management to respond to user needs (including I&M) by:
Increased accessibility to information
Landscape scale assessments 
Increased ability to assess land condition and treatment effects across agency boundaries
Increased ability to evaluate multiple program effectiveness (preparedness, fuel treatment, ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration, etc.) 

- Increased accessibility to information
- Landscape scale assessments
- Increased ability to assess land condition and treatment effects across agency boundaries
- Increased ability to evaluate multiple program effectiveness (preparedness, fuel treatment, ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration, etc.)

## Slide 25