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The Howling Prescribed Natural Fire - long-term effects on the modernization of planning and implementation of wildland fire management

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Wildland fire management policy and practices have long been driven by the occurrence of significant events. The Howling Prescribed Natural Fire in Glacier National Park in 1994 is a prime example of a significant historical fire event that provided the impetus for program changes and modifications that modernized wildland fire management at the local, regional, and national levels. During the management of this fire in the midst of numerous wildfire suppression complexes, factors such as resource availability, internal and external concerns, and long-term situational awareness became increasingly important. Glacier National Park and National Park Service (NPS) fire management leaders were forced to develop and apply innovative methods to assess the long-term situation, ensure adequate resources were available to manage the tire, put ground-breaking planning and operational activities into practice, and confirm with both internal and external audiences that desired objectives would be achieved. This paper chronicles how the Howling Prescribed Natural Fire framed the development of wildland fire use as a strategic direction, influenced the development of planning and implementation procedures, demonstrated the value of tire presence in vegetation and landscapescale land management, shaped long-term public opinion, and yielded lasting effects on wildland ftre management policy.

Keywords

fire policy, wildland fare use, Glacier National Park, fire history

Citation

Zimmerman, Thomas; Kurth, Laurie; Burgard, Mitchell. 2011. The Howling Prescribed Natural Fire - long-term effects on the modernization of planning and implementation of wildland fire management. In: Proceedings of 3rd Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference; 25-29 October 2010; Spokane, WA. Birmingham, AL: International Association of Wildland Fire. 14 p.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/39276