National Park Service policy requires that each park with vegetation capable of burning prepare a plan to guide a fire management program that is responsive to natural and cultural resource objectives, reduces risks to developed facilities and adjacent communities, and provides for public and staff safety. Before 2004, Point Reyes National Seashore had been operating under a Fire Management Plan that was written in 1993. The 1993 plan addressed various fire management techniques, including fire suppression, prescribed fire, and limited use of mechanical treatments to reduce forest fuels. In 2004, the National Park Service proposed to revise Point Reyes National Seashore's Fire Management Plan to expand the use of prescribed fire and mechanical treatment for all lands under its management. In 2006, the Operational Strategy for the Fire Management Plan was published. The purpose of the Fire Management Plan is to provide a framework for all fire management activities for the Seashore and the North District of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, including suppression of unplanned ignitions, prescribed fire, and mechanical fuels treatments. It is intended to guide the fire management program for approximately the next 10–15 years. This final environmental impact statement (EIS) analyzes three alternative approaches to managing fire in the park. The alternative that is selected would be adopted as the new Fire Management Plan to guide the fire management program. Record of Decision on the Point Reyes Fire Management Plan - October 29, 2004 (147 KB PDF) The Draft Fire Management Plan & Environmental Impact Statement - January 2004 (6,969 KB PDF) described and analyzed a preferred alternative and two alternatives for future management of the fire program at Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Operational Strategy - August 2006The Operational Strategy (47,027 KB PDF) for the Fire Management Plan (FMP) for the Point Reyes National Seashore is an operational manual containing the standards, practices and guidelines in use by the Fire Management Division when conducting actions within their jurisdictional area. The jurisdictional area is comprised of the 70,046 acres of Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) and the 19,265 acres in the northern district of Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) that is managed by PRNS through an agreement with GGNRA. For the purposes of this FMP, the use of the acronym PRNS in reference to a geographic area will encompass the 90,311 acres managed by Point Reyes National Seashore including the northern lands of GGNRA. The FMP provides a framework for the Fire Management Division’s fire prevention and fuels reduction programs and governs actions and strategies for the Division’s response to wildland fires in the jurisdictional area. The FMP is organized to present the current strategies and tactics for the range of actions assigned to the PRNS Fire Management Division. Program operations addressed include preparedness, prevention, suppression, fuels management, rehabilitation, fire education and information, monitoring and fire and fuels research. The FMP is written to be understood and implemented by PRNS staff as they plan and implement fuel reduction and resource protection and rehabilitation projects and conduct suppression actions.
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Last updated: February 5, 2024