Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

Land Management Plan Part 2
Los Padres National Forest Strategy
SD 1 - Wilderness
September 2005
Protect and manage wilderness to improve the capability to sustain a desired range of benefits
and values, and so that changes in ecosystems are primarily a consequence of natural forces.
Protect and manage areas recommended for wilderness designation to maintain their wilderness
values:
• Within the life of the forest plan manage all wilderness areas
to standard, including areas
designated as new wildernessess when they are established.
• Upon designation
of new wilderness areas and wilderness additions, implement legislative
direction as specified by law.
• Ensure that historic, current and future issues and management needs, including adequate
biophysical and social monitoring, are addressed in all wilderness planning. Identify all use
that results in adverse impacts and develop measures to alleviate those impacts to an
appropriate level using current processes, such as limits of acceptable change.
• Prescribed fire may be used in wilderness to retain wilderness values
and meet wilderness
fire management objectives or where community protection needs exist due to development
on private lands near the wilderness.
• Emphasize Minimum Impact Suppression Tactics in all wilderness wildand fire responses
(see Appendix B in Part 3). All wildland fire suppression strategies (control, contain and
confine) may be utilized in the 10 wilderness areas and in any subsequent wilderness
additions within the Los Padres National Forest.
• Wilderness resource advisors will be assigned as necessary to all wilderness fires.
• Due to the large size and remote locations of wilderness areas on the Los Padres National
Forest, helispots may be maintained for non-emergency T&E species recovery efforts.
• Implement "minimum tool" requirements as necessary to accomplish management activities.
A minimum tool is defined as "a tool or method that should be used to complete the project
that results in the least impact to the wilderness values or physical resource."
• When new wilderness is recommended, include legislative wording that identifies "where a
wilderness area is adjacent to or is in close proximity to inhabited areas, the Secretary may
take appropriate measures to control or prevent wildland fire through federal, state, and/or
local agencies and jurisdictions."
Linked to National Strategic Plan
Goal 6 - Mission related work in addition to that which supports the agency goals,
objective 3.
Page 124