Unit Strategic Fire Plan SISKIYOU UNIT 1 Updated: May 5, 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS AMENDMENTS .......................................................................................................................... 4 SIGNATURE PAGE ......................................................................................................................5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 6 SECTION I: UNIT OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................7 UNIT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................ 7 UNIT PREPAREDNESS AND FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITIES ............................................ 9 LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS ................................................................................................. 11 SECTION II: COLLABORATION.............................................................................................. 12 COMMUNITY / AGENCIES / FIRE SAFE COUNCILS ........................................................ 12 A: VALUES ......................................................................................................................... 13 B: COMMUNITIES .............................................................................................................. 14 FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY ZONES .......................................................................................... 15 SECTION IV: PRE-FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ......................................................... 16 A: FIRE PREVENTION ...................................................................................................... 16 ENGINEERING & STRUCTURE IGNITABILITY ....................................................................... 17 INFORMATION AND EDUCATION .......................................................................................... 20 B. VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................... 21 SECTION V: PRE- FIRE MANAGEMENT TACTICS ............................................................... 24 DIVISION / BATTALION / PROGRAM PLANS ......................................................................... 27 APPENDIX A: PRE- FIRE PROJECTS .................................................................................... 46 APPENDIX B: UNIT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ..................................................................... 53 APPENDIX C: EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION/ PRIORITY PROJECTS……………………….55 APPENDIEX D: PROPOSED/PLANNED FIRE SAFE COUNCIL FUELS PROJECTS ............. 57 APPENDICIES E-Z: RESERVED FOR FUTURE USE ................................................. 58 EXHIBITS: MAPS ..................................................................................................................... 59 ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND IGNITION ANALYSIS REPORTING (2015) .................. 65 2 Updated: May 5, 2020 ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND IGNITION ANALYSIS REPORTING (2016) .................. 76 ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND IGNITION ANALYSIS REPORTING (2017) ................. 87 ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND IGNITION ANALYSIS REPORTING (2018) ................102 IGNITION TOTALS/AVERAGE 2010-2019 (10 YEARS) ........................................................ 114 ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND IGNITION ANALYSIS REPORTING (2019) ............... 117 3 Updated: May 5, 2020 UNIT STRATEGIC FIRE PLAN AMENDMENTS Page Numbers Description Updated Date Section Updated Updated of Update By 5/5/2020 Signature Page 5 Updated Signatures Jake Burgess 5/5/2020 Scott Valley Battalion 31-33 Battalion Updates Jake Burgess 5/5/2020 Shasta Valley Battalion 34-37 Battalion Updates Jake Burgess 5/5/2020 Butte Valley/Weed Battalion 38-41 Battalion Updates Jake Burgess 5/5/2020 McCloud Battalion 42-45 Battalion Updates Jake Burgess 5/5/2020 Appendix A 46-52 Updated Projects Jake Burgess 5/5/2020 Appendix C 55,56 Updated Status Jake Burgess 5/5/2020 Appendix D 57 Updated List Jake Burgess 5/5/2020 10 Year Ignition Totals 114 Added 10 Year Stats Jake Burgess 5/5/2020 Supplement 117-135 2019 Ignition Analysis Jake Burgess 4 Updated: May 5, 2020 SIGNATURE PAGE Unit Strategic Fire Plan developed for Siskiyou Unit This Plan: • Was collaboratively developed. Interested parties, Federal, State, City, and County agencies within the Unit have been consulted and are listed in the plan. • Identifies and prioritizes pre-fire and post fire management strategies and tactics meant to reduce the loss of values at risk within the Unit. • Is intended for use as a planning and assessment tool only. It is the responsibility of those implementing the projects to ensure that all environmental compliance and permitting processes are met as necessary. Unit Chief Date: 5/5/2020 Phillip R. Anzo Fire Captain/ Pre-Fire Engineer Date: 5/5/2020 Jake Burgess 5 Updated: May 5, 2020 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 2019 Fire Plan reflects CAL FIRE Siskiyou Unit’s focus on fire prevention and suppression activities to protect lives, property, and natural resources. Through collaboration among local, state, federal, tribal, and private partners we will progress towards a more fire resilient wildland- urban interface and natural environment. This may include working together to implement a single fuel break and/or a large landscape level fuel reduction project and /or working together to develop a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Community protection includes promoting the safety of the public and emergency responders, as well as protection of property and other improvements. The Siskiyou Unit Fire Plan will be successful by meeting the following goals: 1. Identify and evaluate wildland fire hazards and recognize life, property and natural resource assets at risk, including watershed, habitat, social and other values of functioning ecosystems. 2. Facilitate the collaborative development and sharing of all analyses and data collection across all ownerships for consistency in type and kind. 3. Promote and support local land use planning processes as they relate to: (a) protection of life, property, and natural resources from risks associated with wildland fire, and (b) individual landowner objectives and responsibilities. 4. Support and participate in the collaborative development and implementation of local, county and regional plans that address fire protection and landowner objectives. 5. Increase fire prevention awareness, knowledge and actions implemented by individuals and communities to reduce human loss, property damage and impacts to natural resources from wildland fires. 6. Integrate fire and fuels management practices with landowner/land manager priorities across jurisdictions. 7. Determine the level of resources necessary to effectively identify, plan and implement fire prevention using adaptive management strategies. 8. Determine the level of fire suppression resources necessary to protect the values and assets at risk identified during planning processes. 9. Implement post-fire assessments and programs for the protection of life, property, and natural resource recovery. Through collaborative efforts and hard-work the Siskiyou Unit Fire Plan will guide us towards a more fire resilient future using pre-fire efforts. 6 Updated: May 5, 2020 SECTION I: UNIT OVERVIEW UNIT DESCRIPTION The Siskiyou Unit (SKU) is in Northern California along the Oregon border and is comprised of Siskiyou County. The Siskiyou Unit encompasses 1.3 million acres of ecologically diverse wildlands. Ecotypes range from high desert in the east, to the magnificent coniferous forests of the Klamath River drainage to the lush ranch lands carpeting the interior valleys. Magnificent Mt. Shasta serves as the Units geographical centerpiece rising abruptly to an astonishing 14,179 feet in elevation. The County is drained by the Sacramento River in the south, the Klamath River in the north and the Salmon River in the west. The weather patterns in Siskiyou County are as diverse as its ecology. Summer temperatures may climb into the 100’s, while winter temperatures may drop well below freezing with significant snowstorms common throughout the winter months. Fuel types in the Unit include timber, timber with a grass understory, grass, brush, oak woodland, desert sage and western juniper stands. Like most mountainous areas, Siskiyou County may experience a high occurrence of lightning activity during the summer months. Ranching, recreation and the timber industry fuel Siskiyou County’s economy. The summer months see a large influx of tourists who take advantage of the County’s wide-open spaces for outdoor recreation including, hunting, fishing, white-water rafting, mountain climbing and camping. Most of the large fires in the Siskiyou Unit over the past 50 years have been wind driven fires. Lightning, equipment-use and debris burning have historically been the determined lead ignition sources for these large fires. The Klamath National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management are the largest public land ownerships adjacent to the Unit. Other public lands include the Shasta Valley, Horseshoe Ranch, Butte Valley, Lower Klamath and Tulelake Wildlife Refuge Areas. In June of 2010, the Fire and Resource Assessment Program (FRAP) released California’s Forest and Rangelands: 2010 Assessment. As part of the assessment, states were required to identify key issues and define the status and trends throughout