Task B Findings and Recommendations
B6 Finding
Recommendation Evaluate fire management tactics by interagency Incident Management teams and improve mechanisms for inserting the cost-plus-loss of various tactics to Indian Country. ■ Allow for input that dictates when and how back-burning might dually support suppression efforts and tribal goals without high levels of timber loss, and how cultural resources can be protected or even enhanced through collaboration on fire management. ■ Train tribal staff to ensure they can serve in leadership positions within the Incident Management Teams once the delegation of authority has been passed off. ■ Provide special training for personnel assigned as IMT leaders on tribal land to ensure consideration of tribal values and input when implementing wildfire suppression strategies. Recommendation Continue the proactive identification of sustainable forest structures and species mixes in anticipation of climate change and associated future biotic and abiotic stressors. ■ Collaborate with other federal agencies, universities, and other research groups to better identify management techniques that will lead to successful, resilient forests. For example, in higher elevation western forests, evaluate increasing the proportion of western larch in planting mixes and harvest operations. ■ Work with forestry professionals to identify seed sources that will best fit with changing climate zones. ■ Ensure tribes have a voice at the table of all federal climate change and wildfire management programs.
Suppression activities during large wildfire incidents are increasingly inconsistent with tribal goals. Given that tribes view their forest resources differently than most neighboring landowners and Incident Management Teams, and that sustained timber revenue is often an important goal for tribes, devaluing green trees during large wildfire incidents is not without significant short- and long-term cost to tribes. Specifically: ■ Aggressive back-burning for indirect attack and wildfire containment has often increased the area/number of fire-killed trees; ■ Forested acres with high cultural value receive lower priority for protection than human infrastructure; and ■ Local interests and knowledge are often disregarded by non-local Incident Management personnel. Tribes are developing new approaches for increasing future resistance and resilience to stresses such as climate change and wildfire. ■ Tribes are emphasizing the shift to climate and fire-resistant species, resilient stand structures, and lowering of hazardous fuel levels. ■ Tribes are using current approaches to the identification of ideal fuel reduction projects that will protect acres beyond the original treatment. For example, tribes have identified that survival of western larch and ponderosa pine has been higher than Douglas-fir and true fir species following wildfires in the West, leading to changes in timber management prescriptions.
B7 Finding
Task Findings and Recommendations 97
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