Intro to Wildland Fire Leadership Council

Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC) was formed in 2002 in order to “provide an intergovernmental committee to support the implementation and coordination of Federal Fire Management Policy,” (Forests and Rangelands).  Created by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior the council meets regularly to apply and coordinate the Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy. 

The WFLC consists of agency and governmental representation including Federal, state, tribal, county, and municipal officials.  Their oversight provides oversight to coordinate policy implementation, accountability, and effective implementation for success of the long-term strategies.  The National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy brings together stakeholders throughout the country to apply current science to meet the main objectives:

1.  Resilient Landscapes
2.  Fire Adapted Communities
3.  Safe and Effective Wildfire Response

The council is broken into regions to maintain a variety of representation at different levels. Recent public and governmental support has highlighted the importance of making progress on implementing effective strategies.  The National Strategy focuses on these broad challenges:

1.              Vegetation and fuels management;

2.              Protecting homes, communities, and other values at risk;

3.              Managing human-caused ignitions; and

4.              Effectively and efficiently responding to wildfire.

More details can be seen in this brochure.

Management options are nicely summarized in the following Table.  

The management options are specific ways to gain momentum towards the national goals. The extensive landscape encompasses so much diversity though the potential risk for damage is a large majority of it.    

The powerful team of representatives tasked with the opportunity to implement the Wildland Fire Cohesive Strategy. The importance of actively managing for wildfires at a large landscape scale is critical to the health and resilience of American forests. Through regular meetings, field tours, and organizational and agency contributions private and public lands can see more effective ways to collaborate towards healthier forests and communities.

Works Cited

Wildland Fire. Forests and Rangelands. 8 July 2015. Retrieved on 27 July 2015 from http://www.forestsandrangelands.gov/leadership/