PRESCRIBED FIRE

The Smoke Management Plan requires the registration of all prescribed fires over 20 acres. Depending on location, acres to be burned, emission released and proximity to specific receptors, additional information may be required to ascertain the burn’s impact.

Every management ignited fire 20 acres or larger, or which will produce more than 1000 pounds of particulate emissions, will require a written prescribed fire plan. Prescribed fire plans will document conditions under which the burn can be executed and meet guidelines/ criteria of Utah’s Smoke Management Plan. To calculate the amount of particulate emissions produced refer to the Daily Emissions Report (SMP Form 5).

PRESCRIBED FIRE

PRESCRIBED FIRE REQUESTS Fire Wardens will attempt to satisfy requests for assistance with prescribed fires on private and state lands. A burning permit may be sufficient for many of these types of burns if during the closed fire season. When the size and/or complexity of the burn necessitates the development of a burn plan, the plan will be developed as required by Division policy. (FFL-04-B-11)

In the event requests for advice or assistance become too numerous to satisfy, a priority of requests will be established as follows: • Prescribed burns which are included or planned as part of a hazardous fuels mitigation plan, resource-management plan, ranch or farm plan will receive highest priority. Such a plan will be documented. • Burns which are planned for a specific purpose or with an objective of continued management treatment are of the next highest priority. Such burns include site preparation for seeding and vegetation eradication to convert wildlands to agriculture or grazing lands. • The lowest priority will be assigned to burns for which no post-burn treatment is anticipated. Post-burn treatment might include seeding or grazing deferment.

If a situation occurs where several requests for assistance on private land have the same priority, local Soil Conservation Districts will be consulted to establish a priority for handling of requests. Division personnel will resolve requests with the same priority on state lands, based on resource management needs.

When conducting prescribed fire on behalf of private land owners, liability should be addressed in the burn plan. Landowner permission and liability release forms have been developed by the AG for this purpose. Burn Plans that have private land involvement must have liability forms signed before requesting State Office approval.

The fire warden should attempt to meet requests for assistance on fires which are small in size (10 acres or less), have low to moderate volumes of fuel present, and do not entail

hazardous conditions. Prescribed burns which exceed these conditions will be deferred to their supervisor.

The use of fire as a management tool is allowed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the DAQ. This MOU recognizes our expertise and authority on state and private lands. The agreement requires the Division to produce a written plan for any prescribed burn larger than twenty (20) acres. The plan should include date, size, location, type of burn, fuel load and the purpose of the burn. The plan should detail smoke management techniques, such as avoidance strategy, dilution and emission reduction procedures. No prescribed burns will be allowed during air pollution episodes declared by the Utah Air Quality Board.

The landowner or agency requesting assistance on a prescribed burn will supply personnel and equipment specified by the burn plan.

Federal Excess Personal Property equipment located in any county for fire protection purposes cannot be required to attend a prescribed burn. The decision to commit equipment must be left to the agency or fire department to which the equipment is assigned.

Assistance provided by qualified Division personnel may include attending the fire to provide supervision and control assistance, and to ensure the burn is conducted according to prescription and in a safe manner.

For large complex burns a plan will be written by a National Wildfire Coordinating Group qualified burn boss. The plan will follow the format outlined by Division policy (FFL04-B-11).

Qualified Division personnel will take the lead in planning and supervision for prescribed fires planned on lands administered by the Division. Prescribed burns planned on Division lands will be completed in cooperation with other state and federal agencies, and lessees. All necessary cultural resource clearances will be obtained. Input from other agencies will be incorporated into burn plans to the extent practicable.

PRESCRIBED FIRE REQUIREMENTS ANNUAL BURN SCHEDULE (SMP Form 2) Land managers who burn more than 50 acres per year are required to submit to the Smoke Program Coordinator a schedule of prescribed fires that are to be completed that calendar year.

MANAGERS WILL PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION • Project number • Project name • Air quality basin • County • Location • De minimis category

• Total project acres • Project elevation • Fuel model • Type of burn • Earliest burn date • Burn duration • Ignition method

PRE-BURN INFORMATION (SMP Form 3) Land managers are required to submit the pre-burn information in addition to the agency burn plan to the Smoke Management Coordinator two weeks before the beginning of the ignition window. The pre-burn information covers the following information. • The three-letter ID • Project number • Date submitted • Name of person submitting the form • Burn Manager and phone numbers • Summary of burn objectives • Class I or Nonattainment Area within 15 miles • Sensitive receptors and distance/degrees from project site • Planned mitigation methods (avoidance, dilution, emission reduction) • Smoke dispersion model used • Estimated range of total particulate matter anticipated • Optional information on loading and fuel moisture available

BURN REQUEST (SMP Form 4) Land managers are required to submit A Burn Request to the Smoke Management Coordinator for approval by 1000 hours two business days before the beginning of the planned ignition. Burn requests will include the following information. • An ID number • The date submitted and by whom • The burn manager conducting the burn and phone numbers The Smoke Management

Coordinator will issue a decision (approving, conditionally approving, or denying burning) by 1600 hours two business days prior to the beginning of the planned ignition. Burn approval can be rescinded at any time.

EMISSION REDUCTION & DISPERSION TECHNIQUES Each land manager conducting prescribed fires will implement as many emission reduction and dispersion techniques as feasible for individual prescribed fires. The following emission reduction and dispersion techniques may be considered best smoke management practices. • Reducing biomass by use of techniques such as yarding or consolidation of un-merchantable material, multi-product timber sales or public firewood access, when economically or practically feasible, and providing information to the public on the adverse impacts of using green or wet wood as fuel.

• Burning in seasons characterized by meteorological conditions that allow for good smoke dispersion. • Using mass ignition techniques such as aerial ignition by helicopter to produce high intensity fires with short duration impacts. • Igniting burns under good-to-excellent ventilation conditions and suspending operations under poor smoke dispersion conditions. • Considering smoke impacts and residual smoke on activities conducted by local communities and land users. • Burning only those wildland fuels essential to meet management objectives. • Minimizing duff consumption, smoldering, and large wildland fuel consumption through wildland fuel moisture considerations. • Minimizing dirt content when slash piles are constructed by using brush blades on material-moving equipment and by constructing piles under dry soil conditions or by using hand piling methods. • Burning piles when other burns are not feasible, such as when snow or rain is present. • Using opportunities that meet the burn prescription at all burn locations to spread smoke impacts over a broader time period and geographic area to minimize smoke impacts to protect public health, public safety and visibility. • Burning during optimum periods to prevent trapping smoke in inversions or diurnal wind flow patterns. • Consolidating burning material to enhance wildland fuel consumption and to minimize smoke production. • Implementing maintenance burning in a periodic rotation mimicking natural fire cycles to reduce excessive wildland fuel accumulations and subsequent excessive smoke production through smoldering or wildfire. • Managing smoke impacts by: » minimizing smoke impacts to roads, highways, and airports to the amounts, frequencies, and durations consistent with any guidance provided by highway and airport personnel; and » minimizing smoke impacts to Class I Airsheds, areas that are non-attainment for particulate, carbon monoxide nonattainment areas, or other smoke sensitive receptors.

DAILY EMISSION REPORT (SMP Form 5) Land managers are required to submit a daily emission report by 0800 hours each day of significant prescribed fire activity. The report will cover the following information. • The three-letter ID and project number consistent with SMP Form 2 • Date submitted and by whom • Burn start date and end date with time • Emission information (black acres, tons fuel consumed per acre, tons particulate matter produced) • Public interest regarding smoke • Daytime ventilation • Nighttime smoke behavior • Smoke management prescription or WFIP/Resource Benefit Fire Plan met

• Emission reduction techniques applied • Optional – dead and live fuel moisture information with average depth of fuels

SURVEILLANCE/ENFORCEMENT Land managers conducting a prescribed fire will permit DAQ staff to enter and inspect burn sites before, during and after burns, to verify the accuracy of the permit or burn plan information and compliance with the burn plan, if appropriate.

MONITORING Land managers will monitor effects of the prescribed fire on smoke sensitive receptors, and visibility in Class I Areas. Visual monitoring and documentation of the direction of the smoke plume may be performed using the Hourly Plume Observation Record (SMP Form 6). • Copies of Prescribed Fire Plans will be provided to the private landowners, other agencies with involved lands, Smoke Plan Coordinator, Division of Air Quality, local interagency fire centers, and the Division’s Fire Management Officer.

DE MINIMIS BURNING The Division has established a protocol for de minimis burning when a formal burn plan is not required. Each de minimis burn event will have a completed checklist prior to the initiation of any ignition. The form includes briefing, forecasts, indices, smoke management forms, notifications and is completed with a signature. The Checklist can be found in the Reference Section on page 241 or on the FFSL Enterprise Forms page (https://ffsl.link/ EnterpriseForms) - for QR code see 6.19 on page 169.