Northeastern Area

Fire & Aviation Management

Annually, more than 11,000 fires, many human caused, burn a 100,000 or more acres in the northeast.

It is the goal of the Northeastern Area Fire Program to protect people, property and resources while encouraging the establishment of a well balanced fire management program within each state. Our work is dedicated to providing the aesthetic and environmental values needed to assure the compatible existence of our society and environment today and for future generations.

The Aviation Management Program is vital to the Cooperative Fire Management Program and provides aeronautical leadership and direction concerning the safe and efficient use of aircraft in control of forest fires. The Northeastern Area aviation program works closely with state fire project managers, cooperators, federal partners, and private industry contractors that use single and multi-engine, fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft in various fire-related missions and assignments. Aircraft are commonly used for aerial fire reconnaissance, initial-attack and extended-attack fire suppression. Safety and security of project personnel, equipment, facilities, and materials, related to fire assignments and missions, are also elements in the Aviation Management program.

Local fire agencies are a major part of any state’s fire program. Many of these fire departments are small, located in rural areas, and in need of equipment and training. Through the Volunteer Fire Assistance program, the Northeastern Area provides funding to the states to purchase equipment and to provide needed training to local fire agencies.

Protecting people, communities, and the natural resources of the northeast go far beyond suppressing forest fires . The Northeastern Area works closely with states by providing funds and leadership under the National Fire Plan to help restore fire adapted ecosystems, conduct hazardous fuel reduction projects with communities at risk of wildfire, and to conduct prescribed burns that maintain watersheds from the Chesapeake Bay to the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers . Much of this work is accomplished in cooperation with organizations such as Ducks Unlimited and the Nature's Conservancy.

Living with Fire: Making Wise Choices

The intent of this Living with Fire poster and website is to compare and contrast the Native American use of fire as a tool with the wildland fire situation today. Can fire still be an effective land management tool today? If so how do we make wise choices concerning it?

Cumulative Watershed Effects

This is a synthesis of the current state-of-knowledge on the effects of fuel management activities on watershed processes and health.