Overview: National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy
Elements of a National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy.
In response to requirements of the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement (FLAME) Act of 2009, the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC) directed the development of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy). The Cohesive Strategy is a collaborative process with active involvement of all levels of government and non-governmental organizations, as well as the public, to seek national, all-lands solutions to wildland fire management issues. The Cohesive Strategy will address the nation’s wildfire problems by focusing on three key areas: Restore and Maintain Landscapes, Fire Adapted Communities and Response to Fire.
The Cohesive Strategy is being implemented in three phases, allowing stakeholders to sysÂtematically develop a dynamic approach to planning for, responding to, and recovering from wildland fire incidents. This phased approach is designed to promote dialogue between national, regional and local leadership.
Phase I: National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy
Phase I involved the development of two documents: A National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (PDF, 1.7 MB) and the The Federal Land Assistance, Management And Enhancement Act Of 2009 Report to Congress (PDF, 1.3 MB). These documents provide the foundation of the Cohesive Strategy.
To develop these documents, 15 forums were held across the country from April through June 2010 with representatives from all levels of fire-fighting organizations, state and local governments and non-profit organizations to engage stakeholders and gather input regarding critical issues, values, timelines, concerns, priorities, and planning. Forums were held in locations throughout the country from Alaska to Virginia and drew more than 450 attendees and garnered 375 comments.
The draft documents received rigorous review the WFLC, agency leadership and stakeholders. The final drafts were approved and released to the public in March, 2011.
Phase II: Develop Regional Goals, Objectives and Portfolios of Actions and Activities
Phase 2 involves developing regional goals, objectives and portfolios of actions and activities. This will be achieved by implementing a collaborative planning and analysis process nationally. Phase II will rely heavily on local and regional knowledge and insights.
To accomplish this work proposed for Phases II and III, three regions were designated nationally: the Northeast, Southeast and West. The idea behind dividing the country into regions is to promote dialogue among stakeholders and managers with similar management strengths and challenges.
In Phase II, three regions have been identified by WFLC: Northeast, Southeast, and West.
A Regional Strategy Committee has been identified for each of the three regions. These Committees provide the executive leadership and oversight to the Phase II process and include one representative from each organization (i.e. the membership reflects that of the WFLC membership). The planning and analysis process is designed to be collaborative, rigorous, and transparent.
Phase III: National Risk Trade-off Analysis
Phase III will involve taking the qualitative information gathered in Phase II and translating it into quantitative models that can help inform management actions on the ground.
Once the strategy is finalized, it will be implemented across the country and overseen by the WFEC, which will establish a five-year review cycle to provide updates to Congress.