Work Plan. Draft September Naval Base Coronado, California San Clemente Island. Wildland Fire Management Plan Revision

Transcription

1 Work Plan Draft September 2012 Naval Base Coronado, California San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Revision

2 Prepared for: Naval Base Coronado 3 Wright Avenue, Building 3 San Diego, CA Point of Contact: Mr. Bryan Munson, Botanist Under contract with: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest Coastal IPT 2730 McKean Street, Bldg. 291 San Diego, California Point of Contact: Mr. Chris Gillespie Contract No: N D-2402 Prepared by: Tierra Data, Inc W. Lilac Road Escondido, CA Point of Contact: Elizabeth M. Kellogg, Project Manager

3 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan September 2012 Table of Contents Table of Contents... i Introduction... 1 Purpose for the Revision... 2 Project Setting... 3 Proposed Methodology for the Revision... 3 Points of Contact... 5 Tentative Schedule... 7 Appendix A Tentative Fire Plan Template Outline... 1 i

4 September 2012 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan This page intentionally left blank ii

5 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan September 2012 Introduction This Work Plan describes the scope and sequence of work to revise the 2009 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan (Fire Plan). The Fire Plan is intended to shape fire policy, management, and decisions on the island. Its primary purpose is to provide for a full and complete range of training opportunities for military users while complying with environmental laws and achieving sustainable ecosystem management. The Fire Plan addresses all aspects of wildland fire management consistent with federal fire policy (USDI/USDA 1995, updated in 2001 [Interagency Federal Wildland Fire Policy Review Working Group]) and environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Act. Federal wildland fire policy mandates that all federal lands with burnable vegetation have a fire plan and resources to safely mitigate losses. This Fire Plan will be consistent with the Department of Defense (DoD) fire policy Instruction (INST) (DoD Instruction , (Fire and Emergency Services Program, December 21, DoDINST provides policy and criteria for the allocation, assignment, operations, and administration of the DoD Fire and Emergency Services and Emergency Medical Service programs. The following also guides fire management of the island: DoDINST Natural Resources Conservation Program. States that all DoD Components shall manage fuel loads, provide adequate planning for wildland fire management and implement prescribed burn programs where appropriate. Responses to wildfire shall be conducted in a manner that preserves health, safety, and air quality; protects facilities; and facilitates the health and maintenance of natural systems. This management shall reduce the potential for wildfires, function as an ecosystem-based management tool, integrate applicable State and local permit and reporting requirements integrate applicable State and local permit and reporting requirements, and be consistent with DoDI and the current Environmental Protection Agency Memorandum. Environmental Protection Agency Memorandum, Interim Air Quality Policy on Wildland and Prescribed Fires, April 23, DoDINST M, DoD Firefighting Certification Program December 1995, National Fire Protection Association National Fire Codes. Naval Operations Instruction (OPNAVINST) F Fire Bill establishes policies, standards, guidance, and responsibilities for administering the Navy-wide Shore Activities Fire Protection and Emergency Services Program, focusing on structural fire protection and other emergency response. Intraservice Support Agreement between Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island (SCI) and Commander, Naval Base San Diego to provide a Federal Fire Department at SCI, Naval Air Station North Island, Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape School, Warner Springs. Letter of Agreement between the Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station North Island, and Commander, Helicopter Wing Reserve regarding scheduling and procedures to support airborne firefighting requirements of SCI. 1

6 September 2012 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan Interagency Fire Agreement (IA ) and Operating Plan between Commander, Naval Base San Diego for the Federal Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service Cleveland National Forest for mutual aid. Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island INST3502.1A (19 November 1991) Brush/Grass Firefighter Training for SCI Personnel. This Instruction established a program for training personnel to be placed on a roster to augment Fire Department capability to fight grass and brush fires on SCI. Draft of Commander, NSWG-1 INST (5 January 2001) for Littoral Warfare Training Facility Fire Management Plan. Purpose for the Revision The current Fire Plan is in need of a revision due to the following: 1) Changing military uses on the island. In December 2008, the Navy finalized the Southern California (SOCAL) Range Complex Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS identifies current, emerging, and future military training and research occurring within the SOCAL Range, including SCI. The Biological Opinion was completed in November 2008 and includes elements that could potentially change fire management on SCI. 2) Currently, the island is out of compliance due to the restriction on using helicopter suppression to fight fires in some areas on SCI. Aerial suppression is prohibited in Restricted Access Areas (RAAs) (those locations requiring an escort for unexploded ordinance) or Impact Areas, such as Impact Areas I and II. The potential to use a fixedwing aircraft on standby on the mainland is an option currently being discussed. 3) Not all roads meet the standards described in the current WFMP to function for access for firefighting, such as staging for backburning, or as a component of a fuelbreak system. A fuelbreak includes a drivable road with fuel (vegetation) treated along road margins for a certain distance to provide firefighter safety. A reevaluation of NEPA avoidance and minimization measures, regarding road standards and maintenance, is needed. 4) Vegetation communities on SCI are recovering from decades of over-grazing from nonnative herbivores. As recovery occurs, the acreages of certain habitats important to listed species may fluctuate greatly and species may expand into previously unused habitats. The updated WFMP should quantify habitat take in terms of a percentage of habitat instead of a fixed number of acres. Fixed habitat acreage targets are in the current WFMP. 5) Based on seasonal difference in weather patterns, the ideal time to install fuel retardant is difficult to predict. The installation requires months of preparation, so installing under ideal circumstances is difficult. Based on conditions of previous years, installation is preferred between 5/1-5/21. Precautions are necessary because the retardant becomes ineffective after about one inch of rain. Therefore, the retardant cannot be laid down too early in the fire season or its effectiveness could be lost. Fuelbreak installation should be able to occur before or after fire season is declared, as long as conditions at the time of installation are acceptable. 2

7 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan September ) Communication protocols need to be revisited. Annual review and adaptive management have been hampered by inadequate post-fire reporting. 7) The revised WFMP should prioritize buildings to be saved in case of a fire. The Arizone cages used to house the San Clemente loggerhead shrikes will be one high priority location. 8) Fire management needs to be improved. a. In the current WFMP, canyon woodlands are identified as one area that cannot be burned. However, there has been an increase in canyon fires since the WFMP was written. b. The Fire Danger Rating should be updated to include multiple factors, such as moisture and wind. c. The Blow-In-Place method of removing UXO has been known to spark fires and should be re-evaluated. 9) The placement of Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) needs to be reviewed. SCORE and NRO may have overlapping weather stations. This should be addressed with a site visit. A Fire Danger Rating System for the north, central, and southern island regions may be beneficial to improve fire weather prediction accuracy; the RAWS locations should be reviewed with this in mind. Project Setting SCI, the southernmost of the California Channel Islands, is approximately 57 miles to the nearest point on the mainland (Palos Verdes) and approximately 68 miles to San Diego. The island is 21 miles long, varying in width from one and a half to four miles, and encompasses about 36,480 acres. SCI is the emergent portion of a submarine ridge that uplifted from a fault located adjacent to the eastern shoreline. The island is dissected by a number of deep, geologically young canyons. The canyons running to the west are up to two miles long and often attain depths of more than 200 feet. The canyons along the eastern escarpment are shorter but quite precipitous. The northern end of the island is low and relatively flat, rising gradually to Mount Thirst (1,965 feet), which is located on the eastern escarpment approximately at mid-island. The southern end of the island is higher in elevation than the northern end and is dominated by widely separated marine terraces that drop rapidly. Much of the island is extremely rugged, rocky, or densely vegetated with one or more cactus species, especially on south facing slopes, the eastern escarpment, and gradients between marine terraces. Proposed Methodology for the Revision Using the 2009 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan provided by the Navy, this Fire Plan Revision will focus on early and continual coordination with the major stakeholders to 3

8 September 2012 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan aid in meeting the military mission while adhering to regulatory obligations. The synthesis and incorporation of the issues described above (Purpose for the Revision) will be used to address issues and concerns. A comprehensive integration of all known facts, regulatory mandates, and summaries of recently collected data will be included in this revision. The revision will build consensus and develop goals, strategies, and specific actions that will benefit natural resources management and preserve the military mission on San Clemente Island. The general sequence of events in development of the Fire Plan will be as follows: 1. Tierra Data, Inc. (TDI) will coordinate structured meetings with stakeholders to obtain for information for the revision. TDI will identify information gaps and prepare agenda. As per the Scope of Work, there can be as many as five site visits and 10 meetings. Site visits and meetings will be scheduled as needed. 2. TDI will fill data gaps needed for a comprehensive and accurate revision. TDI will: a. Update the fuel assessment on the island. b. Include new incendiary information. c. Research new technologies in fire management and suppression. d. Identify new locations of natural resources that may cause ignitions. e. Update Geographic Information Systems data with fires since the current Fire Plan was completed including details of each fire, such as conditions in which the fire occurred and response time. f. Update risk assessment for natural resources on the island. g. Determine ideal placement for RAWS. h. Assess effectiveness of retardant, helicopter, and standby aircraft. 4

9 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan September 2012 Points of Contact Contacting Officer s Representative Primary Station Contact: Operations Manager for the CNRSW Natural Resources Office: Tierra Data, Inc.: Mr. Chris Gillespie Environmental Dept., N-45 Naval Base Coronado, Bldg 3, 2 nd Floor P.O. Box San Diego, CA Telephone: (619) chris.gillespie@navy.mil Mr. Bryan Munson Environmental Dept., N-45 Naval Base Coronado, Bldg 3, 2 nd Floor P.O. Box San Diego, CA Telephone: (619) bryan.munson@navy.mil Mr. James Coler Operations Manager Naval Base Coronado Environmental Compliance P.O. Box NASNI, Building 3, 2 nd Floor San Diego, CA Telephone: (619) Fax: (619) annmarie.graham@navy.mil Elizabeth M. Kellogg, Project Manager Tierra Data, Inc W. Lilac Road Escondido, CA Telephone: (760) Fax: (760) liz@tierradata.com 5

10 September 2012 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan Tierra Data, Inc. Project Personnel Personnel Role Contact Information Elizabeth M. Kellogg Project Manager Lauren Busey Project Coordinator/Conservation Biologist Wendy Pearson Staff Biologist/GIS Specialist Joseph Kean Botanist Richard Montague Wildland Fire Specialist Derek Lerma Safety Officer Rob Wolf Environmental Biologist Cynthia Booth Contract Manager/Editor Tina Ortiz Billings and Logistics Manager Chelsea Snover Technical Editor 6

11 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan September 2012 Tentative Schedule Schedule of deliverables and meetings for the San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Revision. (Will need to be revised) Deliverable Due Date Comments Kickoff Meeting August 9, 2012 Introduce key personne and discuss issues for the need of the revision. Fire Plan Kickoff Meeting Minutes August 29, 2012 Submitted via . Work Plan TBD Work Plan submitted to the Navy. Meeting with Chief Uribe September 20, 2012 Progress Report #1 September 24, 2012 Conduct final meeting with Chief Uribe on wildland fire issues on San Clemente Island. Submit first progress report to the Navy. Site Visit October 30, 2012 Conduct a site visit to present update of Fire Plan and visit RAWS. Progress Report #2 November 5, 2012 Submit second progress report to the Navy. Pre-Draft Fire Plan February 4, 2013 Submit Pre-Draft to the Navy. Government review period of Pre-Draft is 45 days. Pre-Draft Fire Plan Review Comments March 18, 2013 Government comments on Pre-Draft INRMP due. Pre-Draft Fire Plan Review Meeting TBD Discuss comments to the Pre-Draft and work on project development. Draft Fire Plan June 17, 2013 Draft with completed comment matrix to government comments on Pre-Draft. Draft copy of all GIS data. Government review period of Pre-Draft is 45 days. Draft Fire Plan Review Comments July 29, 2013 Government comments on Draft due. Submit Final within 60 days of receipt of government comments on Draft. Draft Fire Plan Document Review Meeting TBD Meeting to discuss government review and approval/non-approval of the Draft submittal. Draft Fire Plan Document Review Meeting Minutes 7 days after meeting Final Fire Plan September 30, 2013 Government comments on minutes. Final with completed comment matrix on Draft. 7

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13 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan September 2012 Appendix A Tentative Fire Plan Template Outline Title Page Signature Page (may also include documentation of annual reviews and coordination) Executive Summary Table of Contents: To include list of Tables and Figures Purpose and Background 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Planning Process 1.3 Key Issues 1.4 Current Fire Protection and Management Framework Legal Framework Fire Response Organization and Capability Current Firefighting Practice Record Keeping Fiscal Framework Designation of Land Management Units 1.5 Plan Organization and Development Ecosystem Management Plan Organization and Definitions Implementation Updating 2.0 Values at Risk A-1

14 September 2012 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan 2.1 Military Mission Training Requirements and Values Scheduling Military Value Analysis 2.2 Environmental Setting: Values at Risk Fire s Ecological Role and the Role of Management Soils and Physiography Water Resources and Jurisdictional Waters Air Quality Vegetation and Wildlife Habitat Plant and Wildlife Populations and Sensitive Species Plants Vegetation Condition and Trend Fire Effects on Plants Wildlife Cultural Resources Defining Resource Values at Risk Environmental Setting: Values at Risk Natural Resources Values Analysis by Land Management Unit 3.0 Fire History and Fuels 3.1 Past Fire History 3.2 Current Fire Pattern 3.3 Ignitions and Ignition Sources 3.4 Fuel Types A-2

15 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan September Fuel Types Fuel Model Descriptions Fire Behavior Interpretation for Fire Suppression 3.5 Fire Weather Air Temperature Relative Humidity Precipitation 4.0 Fire Management Guidelines 4.1 Overview 4.2. Defining Successful Fire Management Guiding Principles and Priorities Fire Management Success Targets (Design Criteria) for Natural Resources 4.3 Fire Management MDS-Boxthorn Fire Management Canyon Shrubland/Woodland Fire Management Boxthorn/Grassland Fire Management MDS Terrace Complex Fire Management MDS Pyramid Cove Fire Management Maritime Sage Scrub Fire Management Loamy Grasslands Fire Management Clay Grasslands Fire Management Coastal Habitats Fire Management A-3

16 September 2012 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan Preventing Ignitions Predicting Fire Severity Fuels Management Fire Suppression Post-suppression Rehabilitation 4.4 Wildland Fire Planning Firefighting Infrastructure Coordinating Improved Organizational Capacity Working with Resource Agency Partners Fire Reporting, Information Management, and Monitoring for Better Decisions 4.5 Implementation Fire Management Instructions Assignment of Responsibility for Elements of the Fire Plan Schedule for Funding Requirements Process for Plan Amendment Annual Review Three-Year Review 5.0 Strategies by Management Unit 7.0 References 8.0 Appendices Appendix 1. Fire Management Acronyms Appendix 2. Fire Management Glossary Appendix 3. Current Fire Management Agreements A-4

17 San Clemente Island Wildland Fire Management Plan Update Pre-Draft Work Plan September 2012 Appendix 4. Locations of Fires by Year Appendix 5. Fire Reporting Checklist Appendix 6. Wildland Fire Coordinator Qualifications A-5