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• This document is contained within the Fire
  Management Toolbox on Wilderness.net. Since other
  related resources found in this toolbox may be of
  interest, you can visit this toolbox by visiting
  the following URL http//www.wilderness.net/index
  .cfm?fusetoolboxessecfire. All toolboxes are
  products of the Arthur Carhart National
  Wilderness Training Center.

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Minimum Impact Suppression Strategies Tactics
Wilderness Resource Fire Advisor
February 28, 2008
Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Objectives

• Understand the difference between a strategy,
  tactic, method
  
• How to effectively assist in the development and
  implementation

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Strategy
Limit Fire Spread to the North
General Objective
Protection or Benefits
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Tactic
Construct Line
Appropriate Management Response
or
Protect Arch Sites
Fire Use
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Methods
Cold Trail Fire Perimeter
Construct Handline
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Tool Kit for AMR Decisions

• Fire history maps
• Weather forecasts
• Forest fire behavior characteristics
• Minimum Requirement Decision Guide

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Selecting the AMR

• Surveillance / Monitoring.
• Lining to halt fire spread.
• Use of aerial support.
• Use of burn-out associated with natural barriers,
  trails, etc.
  
• Wet line.
• Dry line.
• Minimal or extensive mop-up.

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MIST Tactics

• Without compromising firefighter safety, minimum
  impact tactics should be used for all fire
  activities, including
  
• Line construction
• Mop-up
• Helispot construction
• Spike and coyote camps
• Rehab work
• Introduction of invasive species

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Minimum Requirement Decision Guide

• Consider basic analysis in each incident, at
  least informally.
  
• Are there other less intrusive actions that
  should be tried first?
  
• Develop alternatives, using motorized equipment
  and mechanized transport, not using these, or
  some combination.
  
• Assess biophysical, social, political, health and
  safety effects of each.

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Hand Line
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As the Fuel Situation Increases

• A decision to stop growth at fire edge or to use
  natural barriers.
  
• Use of more intensive fireline.
• Use of more intensive burn-out tactics.

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• Locate line in minimal fuels.
• Use only the width and depth necessary to halt
  fire spread.
  
• Widen minimal line by burning fuels between the
  line and the fire.
  
• Limb or fall only when necessary for safety and
  to prevent fire spread.

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• Minimize clearing fuels next to the fire edge.
• Roll logs rather than buck, or reroute around.
• Scrape fuels from the base of snags.
• Consider explosives.

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Burn-outTactics
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• When applied from natural barriers, burn-out may
  reduce the need to build handline.
  
• However, mass ignition from aerial applications
  may be
  
• More extensive.
• Higher intensity.
• More expensive.

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• Fire Behavior Considerations depend on the time
  of day minimum management tactics may be more
  successful at night or in the morning than during
  the heat of the day.

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Mop-up
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Considerations

• Mop-up standards are a decision negotiated
  between the forest, the team and the line
  overhead.
  
• Strive for the minimum necessary to secure the
  line from escape, based on anticipated weather.
  
• The standard is a balance between resource values
  and our ability to mitigate for safety.
  
• Minimizing mop-up impacts requires longer
  patrolling.

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• Use cold trail techniques.
• Use water rather than tools.
• Minimize soil disturbance.
• Cool, remove or burn fuels.
• Allow fuels to burn out.
• Fire line around problems rather than fall.

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Tree Cutting

• There is no question safety is paramount, but why
  do firefighters need to be there?
  
• Snags are important to a functioning ecosystem.
• Stumps are not natural in appearance.

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• When building line, locate away from snags where
  possible.
  
• During mop-up
• Identify hazard trees with flagging or glow
  sticks.
  
• Extinguish burning trees with water or dirt.
• Consider blasting.

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Precautions Around Water

• Avoid use of retardants, foams and surfactants
  near live streams.
  
• If chemicals are used, pump from fold-a-tank 200
  from water.
  
• Provide spill prevention and containment measures
  for pump operations.
  

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Helicopter Operations
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• During planning consider the objectives.
• If primarily as crew support, longline.
• If primarily for crew shuttles
• Use natural openings.
• Avoid construction in high use areas.
• Are there others within reasonable walking
  distance?
  
• Provide specific instruction for construction.

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• During construction
• Flush cut stumps.
• Limit bucking and limbing.
• Use directional falling so trees will be
  crisscrossed in a naturally appearing arrangement.

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Spike Camp Management
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• Use existing and impact resistant sites.
• Avoid clearing and trenching and NO bough
  beds.
  
• Change location, if impacts are unacceptable.
• Locate latrines 200 from water and 8 deep.
• Evaluate coyote camp impacts vs. travel.
• Avoid wildlife (bear) attractants.

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• Be involved in selecting sites.
• Be there with the spike camp manager before the
  crews get there.
  
• Define expectations for camp.

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Human Waste
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Rehabilitation
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• The objective is to mitigate or eliminate
  resource damage to as natural a condition as
  possible. The standards applied can significantly
  affect the cost of a fire.

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• Rehab of fire line.
• Fill in berms and provide drainage, if
  necessary.
  
• Scatter bone piles.
• Slant cut large logs at 45-60 degrees on bottom
  side.
  
• Naturalize.

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• Helispots
• Consider burning piles at later date.
• Spike Camps
• Cover latrine.
• Pick up all litter and naturalize.
• IC, Staging Areas and Drop Points
• Rehab commensurate with resource values.

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Before Leaving

• Walk through to once again eliminate any
  remaining evidence of human presence.

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Review

• MIST applies in outside of the wilderness
• Work smarter, not harder

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Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized
people are beginning to find out that going to
the mountains is going home that wilderness is a
necessity that mountain parks and reservations
are useful not only as fountains of timber and
irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.
John Muir