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pression activities should be guided bv the "minimum tool" principal, 

 making use ot the least damaging equipment and methods consistent 

 with the sat'ety ot the public and firefighters. Hand-built fireline and 

 backfires are preferred, with minimum use of chain saws and axes. 

 Where aircratt are used, water drops are tar preferable to chemical fire 

 retardants; such retardants should be confined to areas outside the 

 wilderness boundary. To the maximum extent possible, the use of 

 motorized earthmovmg equipment such as bulldozers and fireplows 

 should also be confined to areas outside wilderness. 



Any type ot fire suppression activity is bound to leave marks on the 

 wilderness that will be evident for years. An important way for wilder- 

 ness managers to avoid these impacts is to take early "pre-suppression" 

 measures to prevent wilderness fires from becoming a threat to out- 

 side areas. Natural fuel breaks where fires can be suppressed with 

 little or no evidence, such as rivers, streams, rocky ridges or other 

 unvegetated areas, can be identified in advance. Artificial firebreaks 

 can be constructed outside wilderness boundaries to impede the 

 spread ot tire. And, as mentioned above, planned ignition fires within 

 wilderness and consistent with overall management objectives can 

 reduce a tire's intensity and facilitate its containment within wilder- 

 ness. 



Fire management policies should be made flexible so that individual 

 wilderness management plans can respond to areas of high fire risks. 

 These would include areas characterized by intensely fire prone vege- 

 tation (e.g., chaparral areas in southern California) and areas close by 

 homes or other developed areas. 



Many of these same principles apply to the control of insect and 

 disease outbreaks in wilderness and they are addressed together in the 

 applicable laws. 



Wilderness act 

 {P.L. 88-577; 1964) 



Section 4 (d)(1); 



. . . such measures may be taken as mav be necessary in the con- 

 trol of fire, insects, and diseases, subject to such conditions as the 

 Secretary deems desirable. 



Endangered American Wilderness act 

 (P.L 95-237; 1978) 



House Report 95-540: 



rFirej. Insects and Disease. — Section 4(d)( 1 ) of the Wilderness Ac 

 permits any measures necessarv to control fire, insect outbreak 

 or disease in wilderness areas. This includes the use of mecha 



q)f 



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