POUDRE FIRE AUTHORITY COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN November 2006 Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 PFA District Profile 2.0 Summary 2.1 WUI General Description 2.2 Local Fire Regimes 2.2.1 Ponderosa Pine and Ponderosa Pine Douglas-fir Communities 2.2.2 Mountain Mahogany Shrublands Communities 2.2.3 Grassland Communities 3 Hazard / Risk Assessment 3.0 Summary 3.1 Fuels 3.1.1 Timber 3.1.2 Brush 3.1.3 Grass 3.2 Potential Fire Behavior 3.2.1 Grass Fire 3.2.2 Brush Fire 3.2.3 Timber Fire 3.3 Fire Behavior Hazard Rating 3.4 Ignitions 3.4.1 Seasonal Distribution 3.4.2 Geographic Distribution 3.4.3 Fire Occurrence Indices 3.5 Values at Risk 3.5.1 Structures 3.5.2 Other Values at Risk 3.6 PFA Wildfire Preparedness and Capabilities 4 PFA Hazard Reduction Priorities and Action Plan 4.1 Hazard Reduction Priorities 4.2 Proposed Action Plan 4.3 Hazard Reduction Methods 4.3.1 Defensible Space 4.3.2 Fire Resistant Construction Features 4.3.3 Fuel Breaks and Area Fuel Treatments 4.3.4 Infrastructural Changes 5 Areas of Special Concern 5.1 City of Fort Collins Natural Areas 5.2 Lory State Park / Horsetooth Mountain Park and Reservoir 5.2.1 Lory State Park Mitigation Efforts 5.2.2 Horsetooth Mountain Park Mitigation Efforts 5.2.3 Bureau of Reclamation Land 5.3 Whale Rock – Saddle Ridge Area 5.4 Redstone Canyon Area 5.5 North Horsetooth Area 5.6 South Horsetooth Area 6 Conclusion Appendix A Supporting Documents and Works Cited Appendix B Community Meeting Minutes Process for Revision and Updates This CWPP is a living document that should be reviewed annually and updated as needed. The core groups for designated Areas of Special Concern are encouraged to track projects and record needed revisions in an addendum section of their copy of the CWPP. It is requested that these revisions be submitted to the PFA WUI coordinator once a year for inclusion in the PFA master CWPP. PFA will maintain a single master CWPP in which all revisions and updates will be tracked. The revised CWPP will be submitted for approval to the PFA WUI team, Operations Division, Fire Prevention Bureau, and the Colorado State Forest Service during each PFA strategic planning process (approximately every five years) or more frequently if needed. Poudre Fire Authority Community Wildfire Protection Plan ii Acknowledgements This planning effort was supported by a matching grant through Larimer County Emergency Services. The support and assistance of numerous individuals was essential to the completion of this Community Wildfire Protection Plan, including: Mr. Tony Simons Larimer County Emergency Services Ms. Wendy McCartney Colorado State Forest Service Mr. Mike Gress Operations Chief, Poudre Fire Authority Mr. Kevin Wilson Fire Marshal, Poudre Fire Authority Mr. Gary Nuckols Special Operations Chief, Poudre Fire Authority Mr. Holger Durre Assistant Fire Marshall, Poudre Fire Authority The Whale Rock / Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department Core Team: Mr. Jeff Elsner Lieutenant, Rist Canyon VFD Ms. Rosemary Fry Board Member, Rist Canyon VFD Mr. Ron Fry Medical Officer, Rist Canyon VFD Mr. Mike Haynie Assistant Chief Rist Canyon VFD Ms. Barbara Monesson Board Member, Rist Canyon VFD Mr. Larry Monesson Firefighter, Rist Canyon VFD Mr. John Snyder Ms. Tam Snyder Firefighter, Rist Canyon VFD The Redstone Canyon Core Team: Mr. Phil Kessler Captain, Poudre Fire Authority Mr. Ron Anthony Firefighter, Poudre Fire Authority The Poudre Fire Authority Core Team: Mr. Geoff Butler Fire Inspection Coordinator, Poudre Fire Authority Mr. Sean Jones WUI Team Coordinator, Poudre Fire Authority Mr. Kelly Close Captain, Poudre Fire Authority Mr. Ron Lindroth Captain, Poudre Fire Authority Poudre Fire Authority Community Wildfire Protection Plan iii Executive Summary This Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was developed by the Poudre Fire Authority (PFA) with guidance and support from Larimer County, the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), and the United States Forest Service (USFS). The objectives of this report are to: - Identify and describe PFA’s areas of wildland-urban interface - Determine community risks associated with the wildland-urban interface - Provide recommendations for mitigating those risks - Provide an Action Plan for implementing recommendations While many CWPPs concentrate on fuels management activities, much of this CWPP focuses on preparedness and prevention activities that are within the purview of PFA. Fuels management projects are addressed as action items to be implemented by other agencies and homeowners within PFA’s jurisdiction. PFA may assist with these projects when appropriate. Within Poudre Fire Authority’s jurisdiction there are a substantial number of structures intermixed with fire adapted vegetation. Intense fires in these ecosystems can be natural or the result of fire exclusion and often exceed the suppression capabilities of handcrews. PFA has a vital role in local wildland fire suppression, which is likely to grow with increased development in the wildland-urban interface. Studying fire occurrence in terms of geographic location, climatic indices, and values at risk affords a situational understanding upon which pre-fire planning and mitigation efforts can be based. Several points are critical to an understanding of the interface situation in the district: 1.) Local wildland fuels can produce extreme fire behavior under historical conditions and as exacerbated by fire exclusion. 2.) Fire occurrence is grouped into two distinct seasons peaking in March and July. 3.) Fire occurrence is statistically correlated to 10 hour fuel moisture, while fire growth is most closely associated with 1000 hour fuel moisture. 4.) Geographic fire occurrence is heaviest in the occluded interface of PFA’s developed areas, but the potential for large fire growth and pronounced property loss forces attention to the west side of the district. 5.) Modeled and observed fire behavior illustrate the need for rapidly deployable engines, indirect line construction, and air resources during times of severe fire weather. Poudre Fire Authority Community Wildfire Protection Plan iv Public lands and four WUI areas of special concern (ASC) were evaluated in terms of hazard, risk, and future mitigation actions. With the input from land managers and community core teams, action items were defined and prioritized. Table ES1. Action items by WUI Areas of Special Concern. Area Community Hazard Current Mitigation Activities Planned Actions Rating Ft. Collins Natural Areas N/A 1) Thinning 1) Develop foothills fire restoration plan 2) Rx fire 2) Continue Bobcat Ridge fuels reduction 3) Mowing project 3) Develop Poudre River fire restoration plan 4) Develop Soapstone Prairie Rx fire program 5) Support above initiatives with continued training of personnel and acquisition of equipment Lory State Park N/A 1) Fuel breaks via mechanical 1) Continue implementing fuel breaks mastication 2) Hazardous fuels area treatments 3) 10 yr Rx fire program beginning yr 8 Horsetooth Mt. Park N/A 1) Hand thinning, pile burning 1) Complete forest health area treatments by 2007 2) Initiate Rx fire program Bureau of Reclamation N/A None None Whale Rock Severe / Extreme 1) Initial community action plan 1) Home assessments developed 2) Outreach and pub ed 2) Limited d-space activity 3) Develop pre-attack plan and maps 3) Extensive thinning by one 4) Clarify escape routes and procedures landowner 5) Thin along roadways, fuels treatments Redstone Canyon Severe 1) Initial community action plan 1) Home assessments 2) Outreach and pub ed 3) Develop pre-attack plan and maps 4) Establish water supplies 5) Fuel treatments North Horsetooth Area Moderate to Severe Undetermined 1) Community and home assessments 2) Contact community leaders to develop initial action plan 3) Outreach and pub ed 4) Develop pre-attack plan and maps South Horsetooth Area Moderate to Severe Undetermined 1) Community and home assessments 2) Contact community leaders to develop initial action plan 3) Outreach and pub ed 4) Develop pre-attack plan and maps Poudre Fire Authority Community Wildfire Protection Plan v Specific action items were developed for the Poudre Fire Authority by the WUI team. These are combined with the ASC action items from table ES1 in a master time line. Table ES2. Action item timeline Year Action Lead 2007 Detailed community and home assessments of Whale Rock PFA Detailed community and home assessments of Redstone PFA Firewise education and outreach in Redstone and Whale Rock Core Teams / CSFS Clarify escape routes and procedures for Whale Rock Core Team / RCVFD Develop incident public information plan Ft. Collins OEM / PFA Complete review of the IFC WUI code PFA Develop foothills fire restoration plan Ft. Collins Natural Areas 2008 Tactical maps and preplans for Whale Rock and Redstone PFA Detailed community and home assessments of North Horsetooth PFA Detailed community and home assessments of South Horsetooth PFA Implement incident public information plan Ft. Collins OEM / PFA Develop Poudre River corridor fire restoration plan Ft. Collins Natural Areas 2009 Tactical maps and preplans for North and South Horsetooth Areas PFA Develop Soapstone Prairie fire management plan Ft. Collins Natural Areas Lory State Park Horsetooth Mountain Park ongoing Implement at least two Rx fires per annum Ft. Collins Natural Areas Bobcat Ridge fuels reduction project Ft. Collins Natural Areas Lory State Park fuels management projects Lory State Park / CSFS Horsetooth Mountain Park fuels management projects Larimer County dependant Enhanced staffing on high fire danger days PFA on Creation of dedicated wildland fire coordinator position PFA funding and Thin along roads in Whale Rock and Redstone Canyon Core Teams approval Development of fire service water supply in Redstone Canyon Core Team / PFA Poudre Fire Authority Community Wildfire Protection Plan vi 1. INTRODUCTION The Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is essentially a strategic plan that identifies wildland fire issues facing the community and outlines prioritized mitigation actions.