- Reclamation
- Dam Safety & Infrastructure
- Asset Management
- Wildland Fire
Bureau of Reclamation's Wildland Fire Management Program
East Troublesome Fire on the slopes above Lake Estes, Colorado-Big Thompson Project, 2020
Background
Wildfire has been growing in intensity and size throughout the western United States, impacting air quality, water quality, destroying fish and wildland habitat, and causing billions of dollars in damage to homes and infrastructure. The Department of Interior (DOI) works in partnership with other federal agencies, stakeholders, and state, local, and Tribal governments to reduce wildfire risk, rehabilitate burned landscapes, support firefighters, and address other needs from wildfire impacts. The Department of Interior’s bureaus (including the Bureau of Reclamation) and offices manage wildland fire on over 535 million acres of land to protect communities and ecosystems from wildfire threats and other devastating impacts of drought. The DOI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have worked collaboratively for many years to manage Federal lands together as one landscape to address catastrophic wildfire risks that recognize no agency boundaries. The agencies and bureaus continue to work together on wildland fire preparedness, mitigation, and resilience along with the numerous Federal and non-Federal partners to reduce wildfire risk.
Reclamation WFM Policies Directives and Standards
The Bureau of Reclamation Manual describes the mandatory actions that outline the basic strategies for managing Reclamation-wide programs. The Reclamation Manual consists of both policy statements and directives and standards. The following references are specific to the Reclamation-wide WFM program.
- Policy LND P14 established criteria for management of WFM activities on lands under Reclamation jurisdiction.
- Reclamation Manual LND 14-01 establishes Reclamation's approach to implementin WFM activities.
Additional DOI Guidance
- Guidance for Implementation of Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy (2009) used to provide consistent implementation of federal wildland fire policy.
- The Department of Interior's policy on wildland fire management can be found in the Departmental Manual Part 620 for Wildland Fire Management establishes Reclamation's approach to implementing WFM activities.
- Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad
- Secretarial Order 3374: Implementation of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act (2019).
- Secretarial Order 3372: Reducing Wildfire Risks on Department of Interior Land Through Active Management (2019).
National Wildland Fire References
- National Wildfire Coordinating Group Formed in 1970, the NWCG's mission is to provide national leadership to enable interoperable wildland fire operations among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners. Links to national interagency wildland fire operations standards, wildland fire position standards/qualifications, establish information technology capability requirements for wildland fire, and other coordinated national interagency wildland fire activities.
- National Interagency Fire Center is the nation's suppport center for wildland firefighting. It is home to the national fire management programs for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, United States Fish and Wildland Service, United States Forest Service, and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Fire Administration, Department of Defense, and the National Association of State Foresters.
- Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) WUI fires are increasing in the United States. U.S. Fire Administration links include a variety of resources including, but not limited to, fire-adapted community, outreach materials, and research.
- Defensible Space A Reclamation partner, CAL Fire, website that provides ideas and recommendations concerning protecting homes and personal property from wildland fire.
- Fire Research and Management Exchange System provides a one stop shop for information on national wildland fire research.
Clear Creek Community Services District's Water Treatment Plant at Whiskeytown Dam, California-Great Basin Region
