Wilderness Fires and Heritage Wilderness Fires and Heritage Resources Resources

by Neil Weintraubby Neil WeintraubSouth Kaibab Zone ArchaeologistSouth Kaibab Zone Archaeologist

Kaibab National ForestKaibab National Forest

What are Heritage What are Heritage Resources?Resources?

Currently there are more than 60,000 heritage resources recorded in the Southwestern Region.

Many of these sites are of great importance to Southwestern Indian tribes including, Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Hualapai, Havasupai, Yavapai, Apache and Paiute whose ancestors once lived in the forests.

Heritage sites hold important cultural, educational and scientific values for many Americans, and contain clues for understanding how the landscapes and cultures of the Southwest came to be as they are today.

Rock ArtRock Art

Rock art, either petroglyphs (pecked) or pictographs (painted) are vulnerable to fire.

If there is time, clearing vegetation from these sites can minimize fire effects.

Artifact ScattersArtifact Scatters

Artifact scatters Artifact scatters are most are most vulnerable to vulnerable to impacts from impacts from direct fire direct fire fighting efforts, fighting efforts, especially especially bulldozer lines.bulldozer lines.

They also can be They also can be altered by high altered by high intensity fires.intensity fires.

Prehistoric StructuresPrehistoric Structures

Prehistoric pueblos and other surface features are most vulnerable to impacts from direct fire fighting efforts, such as bulldozer lines.

Rock SheltersRock Shelters

Rock shelters preserve perishable materials such as roof beams, arrows, corn cobs and sandals which are not normally preserved in open air sites.

Traditional Cultural Traditional Cultural ValuesValues

.

Sweat lodges, hogans and gathering areas for special plant resources are also vulnerable to wildfire.

Combustible Heritage Combustible Heritage ResourcesResources

For obvious reasons, cabins and railroad grades are vulnerable to fire.

If there is time, crews and archaeologists can dig fire lines to try to minimize fire effects.

Getting Heritage Help!Getting Heritage Help! Hopefully, Dispatch calls local red-

carded archaeologists. If no local archaeologists are available,

the resource advisor should request at least two to four (for small fires) and upto 6 to 8 for larger ones.

The Resource Advisor should be able to provide Off-forest archaeologists maps of site locations and survey coverages. The resource advisor should ensure coordination between the local archaeologists and fire archaeologists.

Wildland Fire UseWildland Fire Use

Prior to implementing wildland fire use under the standards in the 2005 guide, local units must have ensured compliance with NEPA, NHPA, and ESA requirements…

Therefore, to implement fire-use, a Forest must have a Programmatic Agreement in place with the State Historic Preservation Office. This will consist of the agreement and an approved strategy plan for the fire-use process

Wildland fire will be used to protect, maintain, and enhance resources and, as nearly as possible, be allowed to function in its natural ecological role…

Heritage Resource Heritage Resource Planning/ GISPlanning/ GIS

Archaeologists arriving will want survey and site location maps availbable as soon as possible.

They will want to know how sites are marked in the field.

They should identify a unique flagging scheme for heritage resource site protection.

Locating Archaeology Locating Archaeology SitesSites

Fire sensitive heritage layers

PrioritesPriorites

During the Pumpkin Fire 2000, crews wrapped the Historic Kendrick Lookout Cabin with Fire Shelter Material.

Tribal ConcernsTribal Concerns

Bar Fire - 2006 – crews found Navajo Sweatlodge in the Upper Basin during Stage I and took protection measures prior to archaeologists arrival

Fire CampsFire Camps

All Fire camps should be surveyed for heritage resources – Forest should identify potential fire camps and have them inventoried.

Camps become muddy and trucks can damage resources.

Morning BriefingMorning Briefing

Archaeologists should attend all morning briefings and identify sensitive areas.

The Resource Advisor should ensure that Heritage Resources are prioritized in the daily Incident Action Plan.

Communication with Communication with CrewsCrews

Archaeologists should brief crews in their division about the types of heritage resources that might be encountered.

Crews can be invaluable in helping protect heritage resources.

Dozer LinesDozer Lines

Bulldozer lines have the greatest impact on heritage resources.

It is essential that archaeologists and dozer operators work together to avoid heritage resources.

Safety ZonesSafety Zones

Safety Zones are areas of high impact. They should be inventoried for heritage resources ahead of time, if at all possible

Known sites can be marked ahead of time in some cases.

Hand LinesHand Lines

Depending on the Forest and the type of fire, hand lines may also need to be surveyed.

Hand lines can also be used to create fire breaks within heritage sites with minimal effects.

Other Protection Other Protection MeasuresMeasures

Other Protection Other Protection MeasuresMeasures

Not so desirable effectsNot so desirable effects

What We LearnedWhat We Learned Worth the time to

organize maps and plan of attack.

Attend all morning briefings.

Give heritage messages to crews while in camp.

Important to retain heritage marking so that sites can be avoided during rehabilitation phase.