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Greater Sisters Country Community Wildfire Protection Plan

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Greater Sisters Country Community Wildfire Protection Plan Milli Fire, 2017 Greater Sisters Country Community Wildfire Protection Plan 2019 Prepared by Jodie Barram Project Wildfire [email protected] www.projectwildfire.com (541) 322-7129 Table of Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................................ ii Declaration of Agreement ............................................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................................... viii Contact information ........................................................................................................................................................ ix Purpose ............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Planning Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Collaboration ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Community Profile .......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Public and Private Accomplishments ............................................................................................................................ 9 Oregon Forestland – Urban Interface Fire Protection Act of 1997 (SB 360) ........................................... 14 Community Base Maps ................................................................................................................................................... 19 Wildland Urban Interface Description ......................................................................................................... 19 Fuel Hazards and Ecotypes ............................................................................................................................ 20 Communities at Risk ....................................................................................................................................... 23 Community Assessment of Risk ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Protection Capability ...................................................................................................................................... 24 Values Protected .............................................................................................................................................. 27 Other Community Values ............................................................................................................................... 27 Structural Vulnerability ................................................................................................................................. 28 Areas of Special Concern ................................................................................................................................ 28 Prioritized Hazard Reduction Recommendations and Preferred Treatment Methods ....................................................................................................................... 30 Goals ................................................................................................................................................................. 30 Preferred Treatments – Public Lands .......................................................................................................... 30 Preferred Treatments – Private and County Owned Lands ...................................................................... 32 Recommendations to Reduce Structural Vulnerability ............................................................................................... 33 Structural Vulnerability ................................................................................................................................ 33 Defensible space checklist ............................................................................................................................... 34 Education ......................................................................................................................................................... 35 Action Plan and Implementation ................................................................................................................................... 37 Improving Fire Protection Capabilities ....................................................................................................... 37 Working Toward a more Fire-Adapted Community ................................................................................... 39 Restoring Fire Resilient Landscapes ............................................................................................................. 40 Evaluation and Monitoring ............................................................................................................................................ 42 Appendices Appendix A – Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer Report with Maps ............................................................. 44 Appendix B – Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................................... 78 Appendix C – Post Fire Recovery .................................................................................................................. 82 i Greater Sisters Country CWPP - 2019 Executive Summary Purpose Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) are documents that are designed by a local group of stakeholders who are invested in the wildland fire threat to their area. The group of stakeholders typically consists of a representative from the fire department(s), the state Forestry Department, any governing bodies and especially property owners. Each of these representatives should bring their concerns regarding wildland fire to the discussion and propose solutions to their concerns. Although reducing the risk of high-intensity wildland fire is the primary motivation behind this plan, managing the larger landscape to restore forest health and more resilient conditions and improving fire response by all fire agencies are also discussed and addressed in the action plan. Continued efforts have been made by County, State, and Federal land management agencies to reduce the threat of high-intensity wildland fires through education and fuels reduction activities on public lands. In addition, private property owners have responded enthusiastically to the defensible space and preparation guidelines and recommendations to reduce hazardous fuels on their own properties by participating in programs such as Firewise and FireFree. All of these activities allow the Greater Sisters Country Area to become a more Fire Adapted Community. Since its creation in 2005, the Greater Sisters Country Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) has been revised three times (2006, 2009 and 2014) by a local steering committee to be applied as it was intended by a wide variety of private landowners and public agencies to decrease the risks of high-intensity wildfire in the Greater Sisters Country Area. The 2019 Greater Sisters Country CWPP will assist agencies and local property owners in the identification and prioritization of all lands, including surrounding public lands that are at risk from high-intensity wildland fire. The Greater Sisters Country CWPP identifies priorities and strategies for reducing hazardous wildland fuels while improving forest health, supporting local industry, and economy and improving fire protection capabilities. Addressing these goals in a cooperative, collaborative manner maintains alignment with the goals outlined in the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy) – resilient landscapes, Fire Adapted Communities, and safe and effective wildfire response. For more information on Cohesive Strategy, visit http://www.forestsandrangelands.gov/. ii Greater Sisters Country CWPP - 2019 The goals of the Greater Sisters Country CWPP are to: • Protect lives and property from wildland fires; • Instill a sense of responsibility among residents, visitors, conservation groups and federal, state and local agencies to take preventive actions regarding wildland fire; • Provide guidance to federal agencies for implementing fuels reduction treatments; • Prioritize the use of limited funds for the treatment of hazardous fuels; • Create and maintain fire-adapted communities; • Increase public understanding of living in a fire-adapted ecosystem; • Increase the community’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from wildland fires; • Restore fire-adapted ecosystems with diverse, multi-structured forests emphasizing large ponderosa pine trees; • Improve the fire resilience of the landscape while protecting other social, economic and ecological values. The Greater Sisters Country CWPP integrates information from a variety of sources to present a comprehensive picture of risk and possible treatments
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