Fire Management Units

Fire Management Units (FMU) provide the framework for development of a wildland fire program. As directed by NPS Reference Manual-18: Wildland Fire (RM-18) (NPS 1999a), each FMU should be unique as evidenced by management strategies, objectives, and attributes; should be consistent with management goals and objectives found in land and resource management planning documents; and should avoid redundancy. In addition, the number of units should be kept to a minimum.

Unit 1, Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)
This FMU includes those lands that border developed or "interface" zones. The basic WUI zone was defined as any land within 1,200 feet of an urban/developed area. Where it made practical sense, the WUI FMU boundary was extended to fire roads, trails, and jurisdictional boundaries. Lands within this FMU are characterized by a close proximity to values at risk (i.e., houses, infrastructure, etc.); have high hazard fuels/slopes and dry, easterly wind exposure; and receive high visitation (increased chance of ignitions).

Unit 2, Park Interior
This FMU is the largest and is characterized by a lower probability of fire threatening structures and the potential to use prescribed fires to achieve some resource management goals. The park interior lands include larger expanses of natural areas and cultural landscapes, inclusive of ranching and farming lands, and contain relatively intact native plant communities and contiguous areas and corridors of wildlife habitat.

Unit 3, Muir Woods National Monument
The designation of Muir Woods National Monument as an FMU is based on the area's unique values at risk (first-growth redwoods), the area's high visitation (ignition potential), and an ongoing fire management program for this area.

Map of FMUs in Marin County (202 KB PDF)
Maps of FMUs in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties (164 KB PDF)

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