Fire Policy

The National Park Service (NPS) mission is to protect and preserve the lands it manages for the enjoyment of future generations. Guided by this mandate, the fire management program focuses on restoring and maintaining natural processes associated with fire, while protecting human life and property. To help in achieving these long-term goals, the NPS has a comprehensive fire management program including hazardous fuels reduction, prescribed fire, wildland fire for resource benefit, and wildland fire suppression. The following policies guide the Zion National Park in their fire management activities.

Zion Fire Management Plan and Environmental Assessment 2004 (PDF)

Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Fire Management Plan

In 2004 Zion National Park completed its Fire Management Plan (FMP) and associated National Environmental Policy Act compliance. This plan was finalized with the signing of the FONSI (Finding of No Significant Impact) by agency officials. This plan provides strategies for the management of wildland and prescribed fires, and hazardous fuel reduction while putting its highest priority on protecting life and property. The plan is an update/revision of the park’s 1993 Fire Management Plan.

The FMP will continue to allow Zion to counter the effects caused by past fire exclusion, and perpetuate fire in fire-dependent ecosystems while protecting life, property and park resources from unwanted fire. The FMP will expand opportunities for using fire to meet resource objectives under a multi-year treatment schedule, and improve fuel reduction treatments to enhance defensibility around developments, private lands and other resources at risk. The FMP will improve the management of fire on an ecosystem level by further integrating park lands with adjacent areas, and incorporating the plans, resources and risks associated with other jurisdictions at the private, county, State, regional and federal levels.

The Zion FMP incorporates all relevant decisions from the Zion General Management Plan (2001) and the federal wildland fire policy document listed below.

NPS Reference Manual 18 - Wildland Fire Management 2014 (PDF)
The major guiding document for fire management in the NPS, RM-18 is a technical discussion of wildland fire management requirements and procedures that provides detailed definitions and expanded guidance of all information presented in DO-18. Among other subjects, contents of RM-18 include guidance for safety, planning, qualifications, wildland fire and prescribed fire management, monitoring, and incident evaluation and review.

 

Need information about whether you can build a campfire in Zion?

Campfires are only allowed in designated fire rings at Zion. If it is especially dry or windy, Zion may not allow campfires in these rings either. You can learn whether fires are allowed during your visit by reading about Current Conditions.