Table 3 Planning focus and decision processes as they compare between the National Forest System (NFS) and Fire and Aviation Management Program (FAM)
From: Forest Service fire management and the elusiveness of change
Dynamic | Land management (NFS) | Fire response (FAM) |
|---|---|---|
Focus of planning | Consistent with land management plan (i.e., forest plan) goals and requirements | Through spatial fire planning and consistent with forest plan direction to provide information to assist operational response strategies and tactics |
Generation and evaluation of alternatives | Required by the NEPA and includes assessment of proposed alternatives compared to ‘no action’ | No reporting requirement, although the Red Book calls for units to “pre-determine” a range of response strategies |
Decision timing | Decision processes unfold over years, except in cases of emergency response | Decision processes unfold over hours to days |
Decision authority | Local manager responsible for decisions | Local manager responsible for expressing strategic direction through delegation of authority; however, incident commanders who may be external to the unit often responsible for tactical and operational decisions |
Basis of decisions | Line officer priorities, based on staff input, budget allocations, stakeholder preferences, targets, and other factors, and often refined through a multi-year NEPA process | Expert judgment, based on perceived risk and value tradeoffs, suppression resource availability, and other factors |