Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument - Fire Regime

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (FLFO) is a 5,998-acre unit of the National Park Service surrounded entirely by private land and clearly demonstrates the complexity of fire management issues in the rapidly expanding wildland urban interface (WUI). The WUI area, where homes and commercial development are adjacent to undeveloped lands, has been a topic of much recent attention nationwide. Immediately following the intense fire season of 2000, Congress funded, and the Western Governors Association, supported the National Fire Plan with a strong emphasis on community protection.

The Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership was organized in 2003 as a landscape level response to this increasing problem. The superintendents of Rocky Mountain National Park and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, the Colorado State Forester, and the forest supervisors of the Pike, San Isabel, Arapaho, Roosevelt National Forests and the Rocky Mountain Research Station are signatories to the partnership. The goal of the partnership is to formulate strategies to reduce wildland fire risks through sustained fuels treatments within a 10 county corridor along the Colorado Front Range.

The largest fire in recorded Colorado history (137,000 acres) occurred during the summer of 2002 in close proximity to FLFO. The Hayman Fire provided a recent real life illustration of current forest conditions and wildfire ramifications for many local residents and focused increased public attention on wildland fire management issues.

The FLFO Fire Management Plan was implemented in 2002. The purpose of the fire management plan is to protect human life and property within and adjacent to National Park Service lands. The fire management plan is also intended to protect and preserve the natural and cultural resources. Values to be protected include the paleontological and geologic resources, vegetation and wildlife and the historic and prehistoric resources.

To help achieve these goals, a comprehensive fire management program including wildland fire suppression, fuels reduction activities and prescribed fire has been implemented. Rocky Mountain National Park fire management staff provides fire management planning and operations support through an interpark agreement. In addition, the National Park Service in conjunction with the Colorado State Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service, participates in planning and outreach opportunities in local communities to reduce wildland fire risks on federal, state, and private lands.

Current Status:

· FLFO as a member of the Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership will work in close collaboration with Colorado State Forest Service, Pike & San Isabel National Forests, Rocky Mountain National Park, Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests, Rocky Mountain Research Station and local agencies in planning and implementation of fuels reduction projects which may lessen wildland fire risks to communities.

· FLFO continues to implement fuel reduction activities in the face of significant funding cuts of 20% and reduced support due to a 25% cut in the permanent fire management staff. While the cuts have forced the postponement of a planned prescribed burn, projects scheduled during FY04 still include 50 acres of vegetation thinning and 30 acres of slash pile burning. Since FY02, 175 acres have been thinned and 95 acres of slash piles have been burned. Much of the thinning and stacking work is accomplished utilizing contract labor sources.

· Rural Fire Assistance (RFA) funding obtained through a Department of the Interior program designed to increase firefighter safety and enhance the fire protection capabilities of rural fire departments, has been granted to the Florissant Fire Protection District to acquire equipment, including outfitting the Fire-V (Fast Initial Response Emergency Vehicle) and to Teller County for supporting a county-wide wildland firefighting crew. The National Park Service is also working with Teller County for a grant to support development of a county-wide fireplan.