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Monitoring the effects of Prescribed Fires

Monitoring and evaluation of prescribed fires is an essential management activity. Without monitoring, managers cannot properly evaluate the effects of fire or fire suppression. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) fire management policies are outlined in FWS Manual 621, and are expanded in the FWS Prescribed Fire Management Handbook.

These fire management polices direct fire managers to monitor and evaluate prescribed fires. The FWS Prescribed Fire Management Handbook directs that pre and post burn monitoring be conducted to document the results of a prescribed burn. It also directs refuges to develop a plan for monitoring the long-term effects of burning. In addition, there are monitoring provisions in the National Environmental Policy Act (42 ISC 4321-4347). Establishing a consistent method to evaluate the effects of prescribed fire helps to determine if management goals/objectives are being met, to provide a basis for improving economic efficiency, to validate fire behavior outputs, to refine future prescribed burns, and to improve information sharing between land managers.