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Hazard Tree and Tree Felling Subcommittee

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Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The Hazard Tree and Tree Felling Subcommittee (HTTFS) provides and promotes the application of an effective risk management process when working in hazard tree environments and conducting chain saw operations.

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Primary Objectives

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  • Provide products to assist in the identification and mitigation of risk factors and decision-making ability in the hazard tree environment.
  • Provide analysis and guidance to the interagency wildland fire community concerning tree hazard identification and mitigation, chain saw and cross-cut saw operations, and tree felling operations in wildland fire.
  • Produce various hazard tree training products and reference materials designed to reduce hazard tree related accidents and maintain consistency and standardization among the NWCG partners.

Assessment Toolbox

Individual Tree Risk Assessment Tools

Tree Felling Toolbox

Historical Documents

*This document is historical and is not currently accessible; please contact NWCG if you need assistance having the documents read.

Lessons Learned

OSHA Logging Toolbox

Fuel Geyser Awareness

Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations, Chapter 13 Firefighter Training and Qualifications

Region 1: Northern Region

  • No resources

Region 2: Rocky Mountain Region

Region 3: Southwestern Region

  • No resources

Region 4: Intermountain Region

  • No resources

Region 5: Pacific Southwest Region

Region 6: Pacific Northwest Region

Region 8: Southern Region

  • No resources

Region 9: Eastern Region

  • No resources

Region 10: Alaska Region

Canada, British Columbia

West Wide

Miscellaneous

Contacts

6 Minutes For Safety Topics Related to HTTFS 

Chair: Michael Guarino

NWCG Coordinator: Katy O'Hara

Parent Committee: Risk Management Committee

Meeting Schedule: Monthly on the Second Tuesday

Page Last Modified or Reviewed:

NWCG Latest Announcements

NWCG Equipment Technology Committee Releases Safety Warning: 25-001 Non-specification fire shelters

Date: January 15, 2025
Contact: Equipment Technology Committee

The Equipment Technology Committee (ETC) has released Safety Warning: 25-001 Non-specification fire shelters. Non-specification fire shelters claiming to meet Forest Service (FS) fire shelter specification 5100-606 were first found in February of 2023. As of September 2024, non-specification shelters are again being advertised and sold on the open market.

This Safety Warning outlines details and recommended procedures to purchase FS specification shelters made with materials and components that meet performance criteria and toxicity testing requirements outlined in FS Specification 5100-606. 

For additional information on identifying non-specification shelters, please view ETC Safety Warning 23-01.

References:

ETC Safety Warning 25-001: Non-specification fire shelters

NWCG Equipment Technology Committee

ETC Safety Warning 23-01

Paul Gleason Lead by Example Awards

Date: January 14, 2025
Contact: Leadership Committee

The NWCG Leadership Committee has awarded the 2023 Paul Gleason “Lead By Example” awards to individuals in the categories of Initiative and Innovation, Mentoring and Teamwork, and Motivation and Vision, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Congratulations to the awardees:

  • Sam Bowen, Superintendent of the Mark Twain Veteran Crew with the U.S. Forest Service.
  • Greg Titus, Zone Fire Management Officer for the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  • Renae Crippen, Manager of the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center with the U.S. Forest Service.
  • Eric Carlson, Instructor with OMNA International.

References:

Paul Gleason Lead by Example Award

Wildland Fire Leadership Development Program

Interview with Paul Gleason

Updated NWCG Standards for Water Scooping Operations, PMS 518

Date: December 19, 2024
Contact: Water Scooper Operations Unit

The NWCG Standards for Water Scooping Operations, PMS 518 establishes the standards for dispatching, utilizing, and coordinating water scooping aircraft on interagency wildland fires. These standards should be used in conjunction with the NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision (SAS), PMS 505, and any local, state, or geographic/regional water scooping plans.

References:

NWCG Standards for Water Scooping Operations, PMS 518

Updated NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision, PMS 505

Date: December 19, 2024
Contact: Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee

The Interagency Aerial Supervision Subcommittee has updated the NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision, PMS 505. PMS 505 establishes standards for aerial supervision operations for national interagency wildland fire operations. 

References:

NWCG Standards for Aerial Supervision, PMS 505