Santa Clara County Firesafe Council Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Version 1 November 2008

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council www.SCCFireSafe.org

DUDEK - Engineering and Environmental Consultants 605 Third St. Encinitas, CA 92024 (800) 450-1818 www.dudek.com

Cover photo and photo above from the Croy Fire, September 25, 2002*

Defensible Space photo from Living With Fire in Santa Clara County published by the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

* Photos provided by CAL FIRE. If you know who took them, please let us know so we can credit the photographers. E-mail Fire Captain Nick Ciardella at [email protected] or call (408) 206-3704.

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Executive Summary

A Community Wildfire Protection Plan has been developed for the Croy Fire Area west of Morgan Hill. This area includes parts of Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin, which are communities on the California Fire Alliance list of Communities at Risk from wildfire. All of the area covered by the Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan is in unincorporated Santa Clara County.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) provides wildland fire protection in the Croy Fire Area and has mutual aid agreements with many departments in the area. The Uvas and Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Departments also respond to fires in this area. No direct structural fire protection is provided by the county or local fire departments.

Development of this Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was funded by a National Fire Plan grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management through the California Fire Safe Council and by local matching contributions from companies, organizations and individuals. This CWPP was prepared following the California Fire Alliance CWPP Planning Process and meets or exceeds the general objectives for CWPPs as well as the specific objectives established for this CWPP (see Section I.A.5). Dudek, an engineering and environmental consulting firm, was selected as the wildfire prevention planning consultants for this project and the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council would like to acknowledge their guidance and contributions as well as the assistance, support and participation of many organizations, companies and people in preparing this CWPP as summarized in Section I.A.8.

An important task during the development of this CWPP was on-site fire hazard risk assessments. These risk assessments provide the baseline for priority risk ranking and recommendations. Ten field survey trips were made and field survey forms complied for the Croy Fire Area CWPP (see Section II.G.6 and Table II-2). The two most important results of the field surveys are: 1) More than adequate field observations and surveys were completed to support fire behavior modeling in the area, and 2) A number of large and small projects were identified which will reduce the potential risk of wildfires in various areas (see Section III.A.3 and Attachment E). Two separate fire hazard assessments were conducted in the preparation of this CWPP: a Geographic Information System (GIS)-generated fire hazard overlay map and an assessment of potential fire behavior and intensity using BehavePlus software (see Sections III.B and III.C).

Community participation is essential for this CWPP and future fuel reduction projects. Please e-mail any questions or comments to Fire Captain Nick Ciardella at [email protected] or call (408) 206-3704.

Conclusions

The six most important conclusions of this CWPP are: x Fire History Warns of Reoccurrence of Wildfires. Several fires have burned the Croy Fire CWPP area. The most recent sizable fire was the Croy Fire, which occurred on the west side of this CWPP area in 2002 and demonstrated the potential for large,

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Executive Summary

uncontrollable wildfires to occur in this area. The Croy Fire started on September 23 and was not contained until September 28. This fire is on the CAL FIRE list of 2002 “Top Five Fires” with 3,127 acres burned and 34 structures lost (see Section II.G.8 and Figure II-7). Even so, it burned only a fraction of the Croy Fire Area, leaving heavy fuels and high fire risk for most of the area. The burned areas are already recovering and fuels are accumulating. x Fire Risk Assessment Results in Vulnerable Areas. Based on existing vegetation, topography and typical weather conditions, the Croy Fire CWPP area is considered vulnerable to wildfire. The proximity of open space to residential structures and to scenic roadways increases the likelihood of anthropogenic ignition from discarded cigarettes, automobiles, fireworks, and electrical transmission lines, etc. Additionally, the potential for spotting (burning embers entering blowing into unburned vegetation) is high during dry, Santa Ana wind-driven conflagrations (see Section II.G.9). x Valuable Assets at Risk in Croy Fire Area. In addition to people and homes, there are other important assets in or near the Croy Fire CWPP area including reservoirs, large parks and open space areas such as Calero, Chesbro Reservoir, Mt. Madonna, Uvas Canyon and Uvas Reservoir County Parks and the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority properties in this area as well as smaller parks and open spaces near Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin (see Section II.G.10). x Fire Fighting Resources are Significant. CAL FIRE has very significant capabilities to fight and control wildland fires in this area (see Section II.H.1). Mutual aid from nearby fire departments is available when needed (see Section II.H.4). Volunteer Fire Departments are ready to serve as first responders and to assist CAL FIRE (see Sections II.H.2 and II.H.3). However, given the uncontrollable factors such as terrain, weather, and fire behavior and how they affect fire response, fuel reduction by residents may be what ultimately saves their homes.

x Diverse Construction Types Include High Hazard Residences. Many homes were observed in fire prone areas with good fire resistant roofs, protected eaves and more or less adequate Defensible Space around the homes. Conversely, many homes were also observed in fire prone areas with old, wood shake roofs, unprotected eaves, fire prone trees and little or no Defensible Space around the homes. Often these were older homes mixed in with newer, more fire resistant homes (see Section III.A.2). x Fuel Reduction is Key to Reducing Risk. The fuel reduction recommendations presented in this CWPP are critical fuel modification techniques that are part of an overall vegetation management program designed to reduce the continuity of fuels that promotes fire spread from open space areas into adjacent residential and developed areas (see Section II.G.9).

Next Steps

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Executive Summary recommendations, private and public property owners have the primary responsibility for preventing wildfire-related losses to their homes and properties.

x Santa Clara County FireSafe Council: Continue to enhance and deliver Community Outreach and Education programs to educate and enable property owners and residents to create Defensible Space around their homes and communities. This is the most important and effective SCFSC activity (see Section IV.E.1). While SCFSC can and should organize other projects, such as chipping programs, Community Outreach and Education is the most important and effective SCFSC activity because it is the best use of our limited federal and local funding.

x Fire Agencies (including CAL FIRE and Volunteer Fire Departments): Continue to promote wildfire prevention and education and initiate new programs focused on the important fuel reduction strategies all of us can implement on our properties to reduce the fire risk. Continue to support Wildfire Awareness Week, which is sponsored by CAL FIRE and the California Fire Safe Council, and supported locally by the fire agencies and the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, each spring at the start of fire season. Participate in and support the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council and other organizations. Consider more home and property inspections for identified “at-risk” properties, such as the inspections used in other counties for WUI communities, and provide implementable recommendations that will help prevent losses from wildfires for typical WUI residents.

x Homeowners, Homeowners Associations and Residents: Replace wood shake roofs and create Defensible Space around homes and other structures. The most important recommendations include (see Section IV.E.1): - Replace wood shake roofs with Class A roofs – This alone may save your home - Create at least 100 feet of Defensible Space around homes - Utilize knowledgeable contractors who follow industry standards for vegetation thinning - Ensure that house numbers are easily visible from the street (both day and night) - Call local utilities, especially electric companies, to clear branches around utility lines - Contact your local fire agency for specifics for your area or property (see Page ix for Contact Information). Utilize the user-friendly information available from your CAL FIRE, SCFSC, FireWise, and other sources to protect your home and community.

x Large Public and Private Property Owners (including Cities, County, Open Space Authorities, Parks, Utilities and other Companies): Follow the homeowner recommendations above and other guidelines to create Defensible Space around homes and other buildings and structures. Support and assist the fire agencies, SCFSC and others with their public outreach wildfire prevention and other programs. Continue to support Wildfire Awareness Week, which is sponsored by CAL FIRE and the California Fire Safe Council, and supported locally by the fire agencies and the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, each spring at the start of fire season. Consider making local matching grants and contributions to the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council to enable the council to secure more federal grants for Santa Clara County.

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Executive Summary

x City and County Jurisdictions: Continue to support local fuel reduction and vegetation management programs, especially at the start of fire season and later in the year when grassy fuels have increased and are dry. Consider updates to Locally Declared Hazardous Fire Zones and other changes to recognize that more homes are being built in high fire danger areas as well as changes to promote and regulate the use of Class A roofs, enhanced fire-resistive construction materials and techniques, and other practices that will reduce the losses from wildfires.

Continue to implement and promote the wildfire related mitigation strategies in the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Multi-Jurisdictional Local Government Hazard Mitigation Plan adopted by Santa Clara County and other jurisdictions (see Section I.B.4).

This grant was managed under the direction of the President and other Officers and Directors of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. Technical direction was provided by CAL FIRE and by Dudek, the wildfire prevention planning consultants.

The views and conclusions in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the California Fire Safe Council, the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council, local government or fire agencies, or the U.S. Government. Mention of companies, trade names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement by the California Fire Safe Council, the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council or the U.S. Government.

This Community Wildfire Protection Plan has now been approved by CAL FIRE (as the State Forester and the primary fire agency for this area) and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The content of this version (Version 1) is the same as the last Public Draft.

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction ...... 1 A. Purpose, Objectives and Acknowledgements ...... 1 1. Purpose ...... 1 2. Community Wildfire Protection Plans ...... 1 3. Croy Fire Area ...... 1 4. Santa Clara County FireSafe Council ...... 2 5. Objectives ...... 3 6. Scope ...... 3 7. Version History ...... 4 8. Acknowledgements ...... 4 B. CWPP Planning Process ...... 5 1. Funding/Grant Acquisition and Management ...... 5 2. Consultant Selection and Oversight ...... 5 3. Coordination with Stakeholders and Decision Makers ...... 6 4. Review of Available Croy Fire Area Wildfire Planning Documents ...... 6 5. Public Outreach ...... 7 C. Fire Safety Policies and Practices ...... 7 1. Structural Ignitability ...... 7 2. Vegetation Management and Fuel Reduction ...... 9 D. Stakeholders and Decision Makers ...... 10 1. Decision Makers ...... 10 2. Santa Clara County FireSafe Council ...... 11 3. Involved Parties ...... 12 E. Community Outreach/Public Education ...... 12 II. Croy Area Wildfire Planning Area ...... 14 A. Croy Fire Area ...... 14 B. Community Base Map ...... 15 C. Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Areas ...... 17 D. Locally-Declared Hazardous Fire Area ...... 19 E. Large Open Space Areas ...... 21 1. Uvas Canyon County Park ...... 21 2. Mt. Madonna County Park ...... 21 3. Uvas Reservoir ...... 22 4. Chesbro Reservoir County Park...... 22 5. Calero County Park ...... 22 6. Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Properties ...... 23 F. Demographic Data ...... 24 G. Site Characteristics ...... 26 1. Surrounding Area ...... 26 2. Fire Environment ...... 28 3. Climate ...... 28 4. Topography ...... 29

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5. Vegetation ...... 29 6. Field Surveys ...... 30 7. Vegetation Dynamics ...... 32 8. Fire History ...... 34 9. Fire Starts and On-Site Fire Potential ...... 38 10. Asset Distribution ...... 38 H. Fire Department Response ...... 39 1. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) ...... 39 2. Uvas Volunteer Fire Department ...... 41 3. Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Association ...... 42 4. Adjacent Fire Agencies ...... 42 I. Firefighting Infrastructure ...... 42 1. Access and Egress ...... 43 2. Water Supply and Availability ...... 44 J. Insurance Companies ...... 44 III. Procedures ...... 49 A. Field Assessment ...... 49 1. Methods...... 49 2. Observations ...... 49 3. Results ...... 50 B. Fire Behavior Models ...... 50 C. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analysis ...... 51 1. Fire Hazard Overlay Map ...... 51 2. Fire Behavior Analysis ...... 55 IV. Wildfire Management and Mitigation Strategy ...... 66 A. Community Risk Assessment ...... 66 B. Community Priority Areas...... 66 C. Identification of WUI Priority Areas ...... 66 1. Methods...... 66 2. Site Evaluation Results ...... 67 3. Coordination With Stakeholders ...... 68 D. Hazard Reduction Recommendations/Prescriptions ...... 69 1. Fuel Reduction ...... 69 2. Structural Ignitability Reduction ...... 70 3. Fuel Management Recommendations ...... 73 4. Structural Ignitability Reduction Strategy ...... 75 E. Action Plan and Assessment Strategy ...... 78 1. Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project Identification ...... 78 2. Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project Implementation ...... 79 3. SCFSC Funding ...... 80 4. Timeline ...... 81 5. Funding Requirements ...... 82 6. Contractor Specifications and Bid Package Preparation ...... 82 7. Importance of Long-term Maintenance ...... 82

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V. Conclusions and Next Steps ...... 83 A. Conclusions ...... 83 B. Next Steps ...... 86 C. CWPP Finalization ...... 87

Figures

Figure II-1: Croy Fire Area Community Base Map ...... 16 Figure II-2: Santa Clara County Land Use Map ...... 17 Figure II-3: Santa Clara County State Resource Areas ...... 18 Figure II-4: Santa Clara County Fire Districts ...... 19 Figure II-5: Croy Fire Area Locally-Declared Hazardous Fire Area ...... 20 Figure II-6: Example Croy Fire Area 2005 Vegetation ...... 30 Figure II-7: Santa Clara County Fire History Map ...... 35 Figure II-8: Croy Fire Structures Destroyed (Red), Damaged (Yellow) and Saved (Green and Blue) ...... 36 Figure II-9: CAL FIRE Santa Clara Unit Station Locations ...... 40 Figure III-1: Croy Fire Area Fire Hazard Overlay Map ...... 55 Figure III-2: Representative Photograph of Fuel Model 3 in the Croy Fire Area ...... 60 Figure III-3: Representative Photograph of Fuel Model 4 in the Croy Fire Area ...... 61 Figure III-4: Representative Photograph of Fuel Model 8 in the Croy Fire Area ...... 62 Figure III-5: Representative Photograph of Fuel Model 18 in the Croy Fire Area ...... 63 Figure IV-1: Structure Setback Using Slope, Eaves Height, and Imaginary Slope Line ... 73 Figure IV-2: Flame Front Advances Toward the Road on 10/28/03, 2:22 PM ...... 77 Figure IV-3: Flame Front Crossing the Road at 2:23 PM ...... 77 Figure IV-4: Flame Front Has Crossed the Road in Three Minutes at 2:25 PM ...... 77

Tables

Table II-1: Selected Croy Fire CWPP Area Demographic Data ...... 25 Table II-2: Cover Type 3 – Montane Hardwood/Riparian Forest ...... 31 Table III-1: Slope Value Weights ...... 52 Table III-2: Aspect Value Weights ...... 52 Table III-3: Vegetation and Fuel Model Classifications...... 53 Table III-4: Fire Hazard Classification Ranges for the Croy Fire Area FHOM ...... 54 Table III-5: BehavePlus Weather and Slope Inputs ...... 64 Table III-6: Vegetation Fire Behavior Outputs – Onshore Weather Pattern ...... 64 Table III-7: Vegetation Fire Behavior Outputs – Extreme Weather Pattern ...... 64 Table IV-1: Recommended Defensible Space Distances* ...... 72 Table IV-2: Forecast SCFSC Hazardous Fuel Reduction Expenses ...... 81

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Attachments

Attachment A-1:* “Taming Natural Disasters,” Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Multi-Jurisdictional Local Government Hazard Mitigation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area (http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/ABAG_Report.pdf) Attachment A-2:* Santa Clara County Annex to Attachment A-1 (http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/ABAG_Report_SCC_Annex.pdf) Attachment A-3:* Santa Clara County Infrastructure Mitigation Strategies for Attachments A-1 and A-2 (http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/ABAG_Report_SCC_Mitigation_Strategies.pdf) Attachment B:* Santa Clara County Structural Ignitability Policies and Practices (http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/SCC_2001_CFC_Amendments.pdf) Attachment C: Croy Fire Area Field Assessment Results Attachment D: Fire Resistant and Undesirable Plant Lists Attachment E: Croy Fire Area Fuel Reduction Projects * Attachments A-1 – A-3 and B are distributed separately and can be downloaded from the links above.

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Contact Information

Important non-emergency contact information for local agencies and others identified in this Community Wildfire Protection Plan is below. For Emergencies, call 911.

CAL FIRE (CDF), (California Department (408) 779-2121, www.fire.ca.gov of Forestry and Fire Protection) Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Association www.clvfa.org Pacific Gas and Electric Company 1 (800) 800 743-5000, www.pge.com San Jose Fire Department (408) 277-4444, www.sjfd.org San Jose Water Company (408) 279-7900, www.sjwater.com Santa Clara County Fire Department (408) 378-4010 or 1 (800) 800-1742, www.sccfd.org Santa Clara County Fire Marshal's Office (408) 299-5760, www.sccgov.org/portal/site/fmo/ Santa Clara County FireSafe Council (408) 975-9591, www.SCCFireSafe.org Santa Clara County Weed Abatement Program (408) 282-3145, www.sccgov.org/portal/site/ag/ Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (408) 224-7476, www.openspaceauthority.org Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation (408) 355-2200, www.parkhere.org Department Santa Clara County Roads and Airports (408) 494-2700, Department www.sccgov.org/portal/site/rda/ Santa Clara Valley Water District (408) 265-2600, www.valleywater.org Uvas Volunteer Fire Department www.uvasfire.org

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Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Croy Fire Area Wildfire Protection Plan

I. Introduction

A. Purpose, Objectives and Acknowledgements

1. Purpose

The purpose of this document is to establish an initial Community Wildfire Protection Plan for the Croy Fire Area. The development of this plan follows the California Fire Alliance Community Wildfire Protection Plan Planning Process1 summarized below.

2. Community Wildfire Protection Plans

The California Fire Alliance encourages the development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) as defined by the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA). A CWPP is a community plan to reduce the risk of wildfires. The CWPP identifies strategic sites and methods for fuel reduction projects and enables a community to plan how it will reduce the risk of wildfires.2

Benefits to the community include: x Communities can help determine the appropriate boundaries for the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) covered in their CWPP. x Communities with CWPPs are given priority for Federal grants for projects to reduce hazardous fuels. x Federal Agencies can use alternative environmental compliance options to expedite fuel reduction projects identified in CWPPs. x Communities can organize projects, based on CWPPs, to build fuel breaks and reduce hazardous fuels without federal funding.

3. Croy Fire Area

The Croy Fire Area is located on the north-eastern facing slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains above the cities of Morgan Hill, San Jose, and Gilroy. The area has experienced large wildfires and the expanding number of residential structures in the area puts it at an increasing risk for wildfires in the Wildland Urban Interface. Morgan Hill, San Jose and Gilroy, as well as San Martin (an unincorporated Census Designated Place), are Communities at Risk from wildfires on

1 See http://www.cafirealliance.org/cwpp/. The California Fire Alliance member agencies include the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the USDA Forest Service, the California Fire Safe Council, the USDI Bureau of Land Management, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, the National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. 2 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/Documents/CWPP_Handout.pdf for more information.

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the California Fire Alliance list of Communities at Risk in Santa Clara County.3 Morgan Hill is also on the Federal list of Communities at Risk from wildfires.

Croy Fire Area is used for the name of this Community Wildfire Protection Plan because it is an area that experienced a large damaging fire in September of 2002. The area covered in this CWPP, which is exclusively in unincorporated Santa Clara County, is considerably larger than the area impacted by the 2002 Croy Fire itself. “Croy Fire Area” is used in this CWPP to describe the larger area covered in this CWPP expect where it is important to distinguish between the CWPP area and the area impacted by the Croy Fire. More information on this area is below, including the community characteristics, major stakeholders and vegetation.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)4 provides wildland fire protection in the Croy Fire Area and has mutual aid agreements with many departments in the area. Two volunteer fire departments also respond to fires in this area. No direct structural fire protection is provided by the county or local fire departments.

4. Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

This Community Wildfire Protection Plan was developed by the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council (SCFSC)5 and Dudek,6 our consultants for this project, with the assistance and participation of many organizations, companies and individuals as acknowledged below. Funding for the development of this CWPP was provided by a federal grant and local matching funding as outlined below.

The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council is a County-wide, non-profit organization composed of individuals, public and private agencies and companies that share a common, vested interest in preventing and reducing losses from wildfires. The mission of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council is mobilizing the people of Santa Clara County to protect their homes, communities and environment from wildfires.

SCFSC participants include CAL FIRE, Santa Clara County Fire Department, San Jose Fire Department, Santa Clara County Open Space Authority, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Santa Clara County Parks & Recreation Department, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and San Jose Water Company as well as other fire protection agencies and volunteer fire departments, homeowners associations and individuals.

Community participation is essential for this CWPP and future hazardous fuel reduction projects in this area. Please e-mail any questions or comments to Fire Captain Nick Ciardella at [email protected] or call (408) 206-3704.

3 See http://www.cafirealliance.org/communities_at_risk/communities_at_risk_list. Filter the results by County Name and Search for Santa Clara to see the Communities at Risk in Santa Clara County. 4 See http://www.fire.ca.gov. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is implementing its new name, CAL FIRE, effective January 2007. 5 See http://www.SCCFireSafe.org 6 See http://www.dudek.com/

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5. Objectives

The general objectives of Community Wildfire Protection Plans are:7 x Provide comprehensive Forest planning and prioritization x Provide a mechanism for federal agencies to give meaningful considerations to community priorities x Open community debate regarding management options x Provide maximum flexibility for communities to determine the substance and detail of their plans x Merge the goals and objectives of the landowners with the needs and expectations of the community regarding fire risk reduction x Coordinate fire protection strategies across property boundaries x Coordinate the grant funding and federal program budgets to achieve the most effective results with limited funding

The objectives for this CWPP include the general CWPP objectives above even though there are no federal forests or other significant federal lands within the Croy Fire Area. Additional, specific objectives for this CWPP include: x Encourage and enable property owners and residents to create and maintain Defensible Space around their homes and neighborhoods x Identity fuel reduction projects that can be completed through stakeholder and community cooperation without federal grants x Identity and plan fuel reduction projects for which federal grants or other funding sources are needed

6. Scope

The scope of this Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan is limited to the area defined below and to wildfire prevention and protection. Prevention of other fires (e.g., internal structure fires) is addressed by the local fire agencies and is outside the scope of this plan. This CWPP is one of two CWPPs now being developed for fire prone areas of Santa Clara County. SCFSC plans to develop CWPPs for other fire prone areas of the County when funding is available. This CWPP is coordinated with and references other wildfire planning documents as noted below.

SCFSC decided to develop CWPPs for specific Communities at Risk, rather than an overall County CWPP, for several reasons: x The existing CAL FIRE Fire Management Plan (see below) covers the entire County and there is no need to duplicate this plan. Rather, our CWPPs provide additional details, plans and projects for specific high fire danger areas.

7 See http://www.cafirealliance.org/cwpp/downloads/cwpp_template.doc

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x Our objectives above include developing CWPPs that address specific Communities at Risk in depth, with specific and detailed plans and projects.

x A large area of the County is part of Silicon Valley and is within cities and other urbanized areas that are not prone to wildfires.

7. Version History

Version Date Purpose Version 1 November 2008 First approved version (content same as last Public Draft)

8. Acknowledgements

The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council would like to acknowledge the assistance and participation of many organizations, companies and people in preparing this Community Wildfire Protection Plan. CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) Division Chief Dave Athey provided encouragement and guided the development of this CWPP. Uvas Volunteer Fire Department Chief Nik Gluck contributed projects and field surveys. Kenn Weeks of the Concerned Croy Citizens contributed field surveys as well as projects to the plan. The SCFSC Officers and Directors also encouraged and guided the preparation of this CWPP. Many community members also contributed to the preparation of this CWPP. Many others also contributed to the reviews of this document. Their comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Dudek was selected as the consultants for this project and SCFSC would like acknowledge the guidance and participation of Mike Huff and Scott Eckardt throughout the preparation of this CWPP. The contributions by Dudek are summarized below (Section I.B.2).

Local matching funding for the federal grant was required to develop this CWPP and SCFSC would like to acknowledge the financial contributions of the following companies and individuals to this CWPP and related Community Outreach and Education programs: x Pacific Gas and Electric Company x San Jose Water Company x Santa Clara Valley Water District x San Jose Fire Fighters, Local 230 x State Farm Insurance x Individual contributors

SCFSC Executive Coordinator Jan Cokely, CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Dave Athey, Darren Deffner and Chris Hughes of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Andy Gere of San Jose Water Company, Mark Wander, Chris Elias and Director Richard Santos of Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Jose Fire Department Fire Captains Juan Diaz and José Guerrero, and Rudy Rodriguez and Sevag Sarkissian of State Farm Insurance, were instrumental in applying for, arranging and supporting these financial contributions.

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While the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council acknowledges and appreciates the assistance and participation of the many organizations, companies and individuals above, only the Council and the authors are responsible for the contents of this Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

B. CWPP Planning Process

1. Funding/Grant Acquisition and Management

In 2005, The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council was selected for a National Fire Plan8 grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management9 through the California Fire Safe Council.10 The California Fire Safe Council is the grant administrator for this grant (06-BLM-9168).

This grant is for a Hazardous Fuel Assessment and Strategy Project to develop Community Wildfire Protection Plans for selected Communities at Risk from wildfires on the Federal and California Fire Alliance lists of Communities at Risk from wildfires in Santa Clara County. The Communities at Risk for this project are East Foothills, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, San Jose and San Martin including the unincorporated areas around these communities. This CWPP is being developed for the Croy Fire Area west of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin. Another CWPP is being developed for the East Foothills and adjacent areas east of San Jose.

The term for this grant is November 1, 2005 through July 31, 2007. Work began on this project in late 2005 and the federal grant was funded in early 2006.

As noted above under Acknowledgments, local matching funding for this federal grant was required and SCFSC would like to acknowledge the financial contributions of the companies and individuals listed above to this CWPP and related Community Outreach and Education.

The views and conclusions in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the California Fire Safe Council, the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council or the U.S. Government. Mention of companies, trade names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement by the California Fire Safe Council, the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council or the U.S. Government.

2. Consultant Selection and Oversight

The consultants for this project, Dudek, responded to a competitive RFP for this project and were selected by the Officers and Directors of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council based on their competitive bid and references. Oversight was provided by the SCFSC Officers and Directors.

8 See http://www.fireplan.gov 9 See http://www.blm.gov 10 See http://www.firesafecouncil.org

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Founded in 1980, Dudek is a leading Southern California engineering and environmental consulting firm with 200 employees. Headquartered in Encinitas in San Diego County, Dudek also has offices in Riverside, Orange, Santa Barbara and Sacramento counties. Dudek specializes in providing solutions for regulatory and technical challenges for a variety of clients, including municipal agencies, non-profit entities, and major land owners throughout California.

Dudek includes a diverse staff of environmental scientists, urban forest planners, landscape architects, engineers, and geologists so that the right expertise and resources can be matched to project needs – from complete teams integrating multiple disciplines for large, complex projects to individual specialists for solving specific issues.

Dudek’s urban and community forestry group specializes in urban forestry related issues including wildfire prevention planning. The group includes registered professional foresters, certified foresters, urban foresters, landscape architects and arborists with experience analyzing and mitigating WUI wildfire risks.

3. Coordination with Stakeholders and Decision Makers

Coordination with stakeholders and decision makers is a primary objective of the development process for this CWPP. Coordination with the fire agencies and other stakeholders involved in the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council started in late 2004 when they were asked to review and approve the initial Concept Paper and to provide Letters of Support for this project.

Coordination with other stakeholders and decision makers started in late 2005 after we were notified that we had been selected for this grant. The primary stakeholders and decision makers for this CWPP are listed in Section I.D below.

4. Review of Available Croy Fire Area Wildfire Planning Documents

The Croy Fire area is described in the CAL FIRE Santa Clara Unit Fire Management Plan for Battalion Two and Three.11 This document is a primary planning document and reference for this CWPP.

Santa Clara County is part of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), which sponsored the preparation of Federally-Mandated Local Hazard Mitigation Plans in this area.12 These plans consider wildfires as well as other natural disasters. Santa Clara County has adopted “Taming Natural Disasters,” the ABAG Multi-Jurisdictional Local Government Hazard Mitigation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Santa Clara County Annex to this plan.13 The Santa Clara County plan was approved by FEMA on April 24, 2005.14 The ABAG

11 The 2005 CAL FIRE Fire Management Plan is at http://www.sccfiresafe.org/FireSafe/SCUFirePlan.pdf (large PDF File) 12 See www.abag.ca.gov and http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/eqmaps/wildfire/ for more information. 13 The ABAG plan is available at http://quake.abag.ca.gov/mitigation/ThePlan-Version-Mar05.pdf. Additional information and plans are at http://quake.abag.ca.gov/mitigation/plan.html. Page down for the Santa Clara County section with annexes for the County and cities in Santa Clara County (both Gilroy and Morgan Hill have adopted ABAG Mitigation Strategies).

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plan is Attachment A-1 to this CWPP and the related Santa Clara County Documents are Attachments A-2 and A-3. More information on these mitigation plans is in Sections I.C.1, I.C.2, I.E and II.I below.

Various other CAL FIRE and Santa Clara County documents were also used as references as identified below, particularly for the structural ignitability section of this CWPP.

5. Public Outreach

Public outreach for this project started in late 2005. Community meetings and events and the SCFSC Web site and newsletters and local community newsletters were used for public outreach. A Stakeholder and Community Meetings plan was prepared as part of this project and an Introduction to Community Wildfire Protection Plans15 was developed for stakeholder and other community meetings.

Community participation is essential for this CWPP and future fuel reduction projects. Please e- mail any questions or comments to Fire Captain Nick Ciardella at [email protected] or call (408) 206-3704.

Community Outreach and Education to encourage and enable property owners and residents to create and maintain Defensible Space around their homes and communities will be an important part of this project as outlined in Section I.E below.

C. Fire Safety Policies and Practices

1. Structural Ignitability

The Structural Ignitability Policies and Practices of the following entities were researched for this Community wildfire Protection Plan. x Santa Clara County x California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

More information on these policies and practices is below and in Attachment B. The most important provisions related to wildfire prevention can be summarized as follows.

a. Defensible Space

The California Department of Forestry recommends that property owners should extend vegetation clearance to 100-foot around structures when possible, even if they are not in a Very High Fire Danger Severity Zone (VHFDSZ). Currently, CAL FIRE does not have any State Response Area in Santa Clara County that is considered VHFDSZ.

14 See http://www.fema.gov/plan/mitplanning/approved_plans_reg9.shtm#2. Click on California and look under ABAG. Note that some cities in this area have approved plans. 15 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/Documents/CWPP_Handout.pdf

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The fire agencies that serve Wildland Urban Interface areas in Santa Clara County, as well as SCFSC, have active Community Outreach and Education programs to educate and enable property owners and residents to create and maintain Defensible Space around their properties and communities. In the area covered by the Croy Fire Area CWPP, the CAL FIRE and SCFSC promote creating and maintaining Defensible Space and are all in the process of extending their Defensible Space recommendations or requirements from 30 feet to 100 feet.

Additional Defensible Space recommendations and Mitigation Strategies are in Section I.C.2 below.

b. Roofing Requirements

A Class A roof is required within the “Locally-Declared Hazardous Fire Area Hazardous Fire Area” (see Section II.D) in unincorporated Santa Clara County. All the area covered by the Croy Fire Area CWPP is within the “Locally-Declared Hazardous Fire Area Hazardous Fire Area.”

CAL FIRE and SCFSC both stress the importance of roofing materials and SCFSC recommends Class A roofing materials for WUI zones.

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Multi-Jurisdictional Local Government Hazard Mitigation Plan adopted by Santa Clara County (see Section I.B.4) includes the following Wildfire Mitigation Strategies related to Roofing Requirements and other aspects of Structural Ignitibility: x Require that new homes in wildland-urban-interface fire-threatened communities or in areas exposed to high-to-extreme fire threat be constructed of fire-resistant building materials (including roofing and exterior walls) and incorporate fire-resistant design features (such as minimal use of eaves, internal corners, and open first floors) to increase structural survivability and reduce ignitability. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 3, Page 14) x Adopt and/or amend, as needed, updated versions of the California Building and Fire Codes so that optimal fire-protection standards are used in construction and renovation projects. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 6, Page 14) x Create a mechanism to enforce provisions of the California Building and Fire Codes and local housing codes that require the installation of smoke detectors and/or fire- extinguishing systems by making installation a condition of (a) finalizing a permit for any work on existing properties valued at over a fixed amount, such as $500 or $1000, and/or (b) a condition for the transfer of property if these changes are determined cost- effective strategies. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 7, Page 15) x Require fire sprinklers in new homes located more than 1.5 miles or a 5-minute response time from a fire station or in an identified high hazard wildland-urban-interface wildfire area. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 13, Page 15)

See Attachment A-1 for these items (the same or similar items are in other sections of Attachment A-1) and Attachments A-2 and A-3 for the Santa Clara County plan for these items.

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2. Vegetation Management and Fuel Reduction

The Defensible Space aspects of Vegetation Management and Fuel Reduction are summarized in Section I.C.1 above. In addition to promoting Defensible Space, SCFSC also organizes and applies for grants to fund Hazardous Fuel Assessment and Strategy projects, such as this CWPP, and Hazardous Fuel Reduction projects.

While property owners have the primary responsibility for vegetation management and fuel reduction on their properties, as noted above, specific objectives for this CWPP include identifying fuel reduction projects that can be completed through stakeholder and community cooperation without federal grants as well as identifying fuel reduction projects that require federal grants or other funding sources.

The Santa Clara County Vegetation Management program is now part of the Division of Agriculture.16 The mission of the Santa Clara County Department of Agriculture Weed Abatement Program is to protect lives, property, and the environment, by providing education and hazard abatement for the communities served. The goal of this program is voluntary compliance and representatives of this group participate in the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council.

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Multi-Jurisdictional Local Government Hazard Mitigation Plan adopted by Santa Clara County (see Section I.B.4) includes the following Wildfire Mitigation Strategies related to Vegetation Management and Fuel Reduction: x Develop a defensible space vegetation program that includes the clearing or thinning of (a) non-fire resistive vegetation within 30 feet of access and evacuation roads and routes to critical facilities, or (b) all non-native species (such as eucalyptus and pine, but not necessarily oaks) within 30 feet of access and evacuation roads and routes to critical facilities. (Wildfire Item 3, Page 7) x Increase efforts to reduce hazards in existing development in high wildfire hazard areas (identified as wildland-urban-interface fire-threatened communities or in areas exposed to high-to-extreme fire threat) through improving engineering design and vegetation management for mitigation, appropriate code enforcement, and public education on defensible space mitigation strategies. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 1, Page 14) x Tie public education on defensible space and a comprehensive defensible space ordinance to a field program of enforcement. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 2, Page 14) x Develop financial incentives for homeowners to be “model” defensible space homes in neighborhoods that are wildland-urban- interface fire-threatened communities or in areas exposed to high-to-extreme fire threat. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 4, Page 14) x Expand vegetation management programs in wildland-urban- interface fire-threatened communities or in areas exposed to high-to-extreme fire threat to more effectively manage the fuel load through roadside collection and chipping, mechanical fuel reduction

16 See http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/ag/ and click on Weed Abatement Program in the list at the left.

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equipment, selected harvesting, use of goats or other organic methods of fuel reduction, and selected use of controlled burning. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 9, Page 15) x Establish a Fire Hazard Abatement District to fund reduction in fire risk of existing properties through vegetation management that includes reduction of fuel loads, use of defensible space, and fuel breaks. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 11, Page 15) x Ensure that fire-preventive vegetation-management techniques and practices for creek sides and high-slope areas do not contribute to the landslide and erosion hazard. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 18, Page 15) x Better inform residents of comprehensive mitigation activities, including elevation of appliances above expected flood levels, use of fire-resistant roofing and defensible space in high wildfire threat and wildfire-urban-interface areas, structural retrofitting techniques for older homes, and use of intelligent grading practices through workshops, publications, and media announcements and events. (Public Education Item 3, Page 17) x Assist residents in the development of defensible space through the use of, for example, “tool libraries” for weed abatement tools, roadside collection and/or chipping services (for brush, weeds, and tree branches) in wildland-urban-interface fire-threatened communities or in areas exposed to high-to-extreme fire threat. (Public Education Item 9, Page 17) x Establish a buffer zone between residential properties and landslide or wildfire hazard areas. (Hillside – Multi-Hazard Item 1, Page 31) x Discourage, add additional mitigation strategies, or prevent construction on slopes greater than a set percentage, such as 15%, due to landslide or wildfire hazard concerns. (Hillside – Multi-Hazard Item 2, Page 31)

See Attachment A-1 for these items (the same or similar items are in other sections of Attachment A-1) and Attachments A-2 and A-3 for the Santa Clara County plan for these items.

D. Stakeholders and Decision Makers

1. Decision Makers

a. Local Government

The Croy Fire Area is in Santa Clara County District 1 represented by Supervisor Don Gage.

b. Local Fire Agency

Chief John Ellis is the CAL FIRE Santa Clara Unit Chief. The Santa Clara Unit headquarters is in Morgan Hill, just south of San Jose. Division Chief Dave Athey was involved in SCFSC for many years and was a member of the SCFSC Board of Directors. Battalion Chief Mike Stonum and Battalion Chief Darrell Wolf are responsible for the areas which cover the Croy Fire Area CWPP.

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c. Volunteer Fire Departments

Chief Nik Gluck of the Uvas Volunteer Fire Department17 and his personnel are generally first at scene of incidents in the southern portion of the Croy Fire Area. Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Association18 also responds to wildland fire incidents in the northern portion of the Croy Fire Area.

d. Other City and County Decision Makers and Stakeholders

Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (SCCOSA) – Pat Congdon is the General Manager of SCCOSA and is also the President of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. SCCOSA is a large landowner in this area (e.g., Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve).

Pacific Gas and Electric Company – Chris Hughes, a PG&E Forester, is a Vice President of the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. As noted above, Pacific Gas and Electric Company has also made a financial contribution of matching funds for the SCFSC CWPP development.

Santa Clara Valley Water District – Santa Clara Valley Water District is a major property owner in the Croy Fire CWPP area. Bob Furtado participates in the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. As noted above, Santa Clara Valley Water District has also made a financial contribution of matching funds for the SCFSC CWPP development and related Community Outreach and Education activities.

Santa Clara County Parks19 has two large parks, Uvas Canyon and Mt. Madonna, which are located in the higher elevation of this CWPP area.

The Swedish American Patriotic League owns 110 acres of property in Uvas Canyon for a retirement home and recreational area called Sveadal. The private resort was purchased in 1926 and is still used as a resort for Bay Area Swedish-Americans. There are over 60 residences and a club house where special events are held regularly. There is also a swimming pool and two tennis courts located on the property.

Individuals – A number of individual property owners in this area have been contacted and have contributed to this CWPP.

2. Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council is described in Section I.A. and major financial and other contributors to this CWPP are identified above. The decision makers for SCFSC are the Officers and Directors, led by our President, Patrick Congdon.

17 See http://www.uvasfire.org/ 18 See http://www.clvfa.org/ 19 See http://www.parkhere.org

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3. Involved Parties

a. Federal Agencies

Mike Chiodini of the USDI Bureau of Land Management in Hollister, CA, supported the Concept Paper and Application for this grant to develop CWPPs and participates in the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. However, there are only a few small parcels of BLM land in Santa Clara County so the BLM involvement in this CWPP is primarily support for our activities.

b. State/Local Agencies

As noted above, the California Fire Safe Council is the grant administrator for this grant to develop CWPPs. Amber Gardner is the Coast Regional Coordinator for the California Fire Safe Council.

The other state and local agencies involved in this CWPP, such as CAL FIRE, are identified above.

c. Planning Area Having Jurisdiction (PAHJ)

As noted above, all of the Croy Fire Area is in unincorporated Santa Clara County.

E. Community Outreach/Public Education

The material the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council provides for community outreach and public education includes: x SCFSC Brochure20 x Living With Fire in Santa Clara County21 x Articles such as Defensible Space? Here's how to prepare for the upcoming fire season! by Fire Captain José Guerrero, San Jose Fire Department22 x Other newsletter articles to promote SCFSC and our programs23 x Other material for community events, including material for children and seniors

We have recently updated our SCFSC Brochure and Living with Fire in Santa Clara County to include the major items noted during our field surveys and other items related to CWPP development: x Strengthening the 100 feet Defensible Space recommendation24

20 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/Documents/SCFSCBrochure.PDF 21 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/FireSafe/LivingWithFire.htm 22 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/Newsletter/Edition7.htm#Ed7-2 23 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/Newsletter/Current.htm 24 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/Documents/Why_100_Feet.pdf

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x Emphasizing other key recommendations including: - Contact your local fire agency for specifics for your area or property - Replace wood shake roofs, which are a significant fire hazard - Make house numbers easily visible from the street x New SCFSC Mission statement.

We also prepared an introduction to CWPPs,25 which outlines what a CWPP is and our plans to develop CWPPs for East Foothills and the Croy Fire Area, for use during the CWPP development process. Additional materials will be developed to summarize the East Foothills and the Croy Fire Area CWPPs.

Most of the fire agencies and volunteer fire departments in Santa Clara County, including CAL FIRE and San Jose Fire Department, distribute SCFSC materials including Living With Fire in Santa Clara County. Other fire departments have their own, very similar material.

SCFSC will publicize and communicate the CWPP development results. Community participation is essential for this CWPP and future fuel reduction projects. Please e-mail any questions or comments to Fire Captain Nick Ciardella at [email protected] or call (408) 206-3704.

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Multi-Jurisdictional Local Government Hazard Mitigation Plan adopted by Santa Clara County (see Section I.B.4) includes the following Wildfire Mitigation Strategies related to Fire Safe Councils and Community Outreach and Education: x Encourage the formation of a community- and neighborhood-based approach to wildfire education and action through local Fire Safe Councils and the Fire Wise Program. (Public Education Item 15, Page 18) x Participate in multi-agency efforts to mitigate fire threat, such as the Hills Emergency Forum (in the east Bay), various FireSafe Council programs, and city-utility task forces. (Government Participation Item 6, Page 26)

See Attachment A-1 for these items (the same or similar items are in other sections of Attachment A-1) and Attachments A-2 and A-3 for the Santa Clara County plan for these items.

25 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/Documents/CWPP_Handout.pdf

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II. Croy Area Wildfire Planning Area

A. Croy Fire Area

The Croy area is named for a ridge and creek that drain into Uvas Canyon and then flows through the City of Gilroy. This area experienced a large damaging wildfire in 2002 which consumed over 3,000 acres and destroyed 34 dwellings. The smaller communities affected by the wildfire are Uvas Canyon, Loma Chiquita, and Casa Loma, all of which still remain at risk from wildfire today. Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin, which border the Croy Fire Area, are the larger communities in this area and all three are listed as Communities at Risk from wildfires on the Federal and/or California Fire Alliance list of Communities at Risk in Santa Clara County.26 The primary wildfire risk is in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas adjacent to the listed Communities at Risk. The area covered by this CWPP is exclusively in unincorporated Santa Clara County (i.e., outside the cities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy).

The fire protection for this area is shared by volunteer fire departments, CAL FIRE,27 and mutual aid requests from larger, nearby fire departments. Uvas Volunteer Fire Department covers the areas of Uvas and Croy Road while Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Association covers the communities of Casa Loma and Loma Chiquita. CAL FIRE is responsible for wildland fires in the SRA (State Responsibility Area) during declared fire season. Both CAL FIRE and nearby fire departments provide mutual aid to the volunteer fire departments for structural fires, medical aid calls and vehicle accidents through out the year.

The large nearby fire departments are Santa Clara County Fire Department,28 which provides fire protection services for the City of Morgan Hill, and San Jose Fire Department,29 which is responsible for the areas within the San Jose City limits (generally north of this area and north of Morgan Hill). Gilroy has its own fire department.30

The following sections include various maps to illustrate the area covered by this CWPP, the Land Use planned for this area, the State Resource Areas and Fire Districts, the Locally-Declared Hazardous Fire Area, and the topography and vegetation. Morgan Hill can be used as a landmark to locate the Croy Fire Area on these maps.

26 See http://www.cafirealliance.org/communities_at_risk/communities_at_risk_list. Filter the results by County Name and Search for Santa Clara to see the Communities at Risk in Santa Clara County. 27 See http://www.fire.ca.gov 28 See http://www.sccfd.org/ 29 See http://www.sjfd.org/ 30 See http://www.ci.gilroy.ca.us/fire/

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B. Community Base Map

The boundaries for the Croy Fire CWPP area are: West: Summit Road to northwest Loma Prieta Road. Summit Road is the dividing line between Santa Clara County to the northeast and Santa Cruz County to the southwest. North: Loma Prieta Road north from Summit Road to Casa Loma Road, then Casa Loma Road east and north to Uvas Road. East: Uvas Road southeast to Watsonville Road. South: Watsonville Road south to Redwood Retreat Road, Redwood Retreat Road north and east to Summit Road.

Figure II-1 below is the Croy Fire Area Community Base Map which illustrates the general area for this CWPP. The area for this Croy Fire Area CWPP is much larger than the area covered by the 2002 Croy Fire itself.

The communities in this area include: Morgan Hill addresses, Svedahl Resort community, Loma Chiquita rural community, Croy Road rural community, Little Uvas Road rural community, Ormsby rural community and Summit Road rural Community.

Figure II-2 below is a section of the Santa Clara County Land Use Map which includes the Croy Fire Area.31 This map illustrates both the surrounding area for the Community Base Map above and the land use planned for this CWPP area. Note that most of the Croy Fire CWPP area is designated Hillsides, Rural Residential, Open Space Reserve, Other Open Public Lands or Regional Parks (which are described in more detail below).

31 See http://www.sccplanning.org/portal/site/planning/ for the current complete Santa Clara County General Plan Land Use Map. Click on Plans & Programs and then on General Plan. Scroll down on this General Plan page to find the link to the General Plan Land Use map. The August 2005 version used for this figure is at http://www.sccfiresafe.org/EFCWPP/SCC_Land_Use_Plan_0805.pdf (large PDF file).

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Figure II-1: Croy Fire Area Community Base Map

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Figure II-2: Santa Clara County Land Use Map

C. Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Areas

All of the Croy Fire CWPP area is Wildland Urban Interface and is in the SRA (State Resource Area). The SRA map for this area as shown in Figure II-3 below.32

32 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/EFCWPP/SCC_SRA_1997.pdf (PDF file) for the complete SRA map.

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Figure II-3: Santa Clara County State Resource Areas

The SRA map above can be used with the Santa Clara County Fire Districts map in Figure II-4 below.33

33 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/EFCWPP/SCC_Fire_Districts.pdf (PDF file) for the complete Santa Clara County Fire Districts map.

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Figure II-4: Santa Clara County Fire Districts

D. Locally-Declared Hazardous Fire Area

As noted above under Structural Ignitability, all of the area covered by the Croy Fire Area CWPP is within a Locally-Declared Hazardous Fire Area (LFHA).34 This LFHA is shown in Figure II-5 below. The fact that the Croy Fire CWPP area is in this very large LFHA emphasizes the fire danger in this area. The parcels affected by the Croy Fire are also illustrated on this map.

34 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/CFA_SC_LHFA.pdf for the complete Locally-Declared Hazardous Fire Area Map for this area provided by Santa Clara County Assistant Fire Marshal Judy Saunders, which can be expanded to show individual streets and roads. An updated version of this map is expected to be available in late 2007 or early 2008.

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Figure II-5: Croy Fire Area Locally-Declared Hazardous Fire Area

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E. Large Open Space Areas

There are large open space areas in the Croy Fire CWPP area. Uvas Canyon County Park is located near the top of the ridge on the west boundary of the CWPP area and Mt. Madonna County Park is at the southwest corner of the CWPP area.

1. Uvas Canyon County Park

Uvas Canyon County Park35 is lushly wooded park of 1,133 acres, is located in upper Uvas Canyon on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. This mountain park offers hiking, camping and picnicking opportunities throughout most of the year. The park contains individual picnic sites as well The Black Oak Group Picnic Area, which is available for groups up to 75 people. The campground has 25 individual campsites and the Upper Bench Youth Group Camping Area is for non-profit youth groups for up to 40 people.

Uvas Canyon County Park lies on the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains on the Sargent Fault zone. Elevations within the park range from 1,000 feet at the entrance to 2,700 feet at the summit. The cold, wet winters, and hot, dry summers of Uvas Canyon, contribute to a diverse and interesting mix of vegetation and wildlife. The north facing and lower stretches of the canyon harbor a mixed evergreen forest including Douglas Fir, Redwood, Pacific Madrone, California Laurel, Black Oak and Canyon Live Oak. On the south and east facing slopes closer to the summit, dense chaparral stands of Ceanothus, Chamise and Chaparral-pea carpet the mountains. Knobcone Pines and Buckeye trees also inhabit the drier, typically more porous soil areas. Uvas Creek, Swanson and Alec Creeks (tributaries to Uvas Creek), run year round throughout the park. Sycamore, Alder, Bigleaf Maple, Redwood and California Laurel dominate these riparian zones. The creeks are home to a small population of Rainbow Trout, Sculpin and Three-spined Stickleback. Steelhead once migrated up Uvas Creek and its tributaries prior to the construction of the Uvas Dam. California Newts can be seen crossing roads and trails after rains. The Pacific Giant Salamander also inhabits the park's moister areas. Rattlesnakes, Kingsnakes, Gopher and Garter snakes enjoy the canyon's habitat as does a wide variety of birdlife including Band-tailed Pigeons, Stellar's Jays, Grosbeaks, Phoebes and Thrushes. Black-tailed deer are commonly seen in the park. Other less commonly seen residents are the Mountain Lion, Bobcat, Grey Fox, Coyote, Raccoon and Skunk. Grey Squirrels are often raucous and easily visible while inhabiting the trees throughout the park.

2. Mt. Madonna County Park

Mt. Madonna County Park36 is comprised of a 3,688 acre park which is dominated by the redwood forest similar to other areas of the Santa Cruz Mountain range. The park is located off of Highway 152, at the southern most portion of the CWPP. Visitors may choose from 118 drive- in and walk-in campsites spread throughout four campgrounds. Hikers and equestrians have access to an extensive 14 mile trail system. To the east, the park overlooks the Santa Clara

35 See www.parkhere.org and click on “Find a Park” at the left and then on “Uvas Canyon.” For more information, click on “Uvas Canyon County Park” and “Natural Diversity” at the top right of this last page. 36 See www.parkhere.org and click on “Find a Park” at the left and then on “Mount Madonna.”

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Valley, to the west, Monterey Bay. As the slopes of Mt. Madonna descend toward the valley, the landscape changes from redwood forest to oak woodland, dense chaparral and grassy meadows.

3. Uvas Reservoir

Uvas Reservoir37 is located in the foothills below the Santa Cruz Mountains west of the City of Morgan Hill and just east of the east boundary of the Croy Fire CWPP area. This beautiful and scenic 626 acre park and reservoir includes the 286 acre man-made reservoir available for non- gas powered boat use and fishing. The reservoir is a water conservation facility. The construction of Uvas Dam and Reservoir in 1957 was part of a countywide effort by water officials to ensure adequate water supplies for the valley's growing population. Water from the reservoir is used to recharge supplies in underground aquifers, which will later be pumped from wells for residential, agricultural, and industrial uses. This reservoir provides a nearby source of water for CAL FIRE air tankers and helicopters to fight wildfires in the Croy Fire CWPP area.

4. Chesbro Reservoir County Park

Chesbro Reservoir County Park38 is a beautiful and scenic 216-acre park and reservoir located in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains west of Morgan Hill and just east of the Croy Fire CWPP area. The park includes a man-made reservoir available for non-motorized boat use and fishing. The Chesbro Reservoir was formed from the damming of Llagas Creek.

The construction of Chesbro Dam in 1955 was part of a countywide effort by water officials to ensure adequate water supplies for the valley's growing population. The reservoir which captures water from the Llagas Creek watershed, is used to recharge supplies in underground aquifers to provide water to be pumped from wells for residential, agricultural, and industrial uses. This reservoir also provides a nearby source of water for CAL FIRE air tankers and helicopters to fight wildfires in the Croy Fire CWPP area.

5. Calero County Park

Calero County Park39 is one of Santa Clara County's most diverse regional park and recreation areas. Once part of the Pueblo lands of San Jose, and Rancho San Vincente land grant, this 3,476-acre park is nestled in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains just northeast of the CWPP Fire Area CWPP area. Two distinct areas define this park: the reservoir, which offers a host of water-oriented recreational activities, and the adjoining "back country" which includes California Oak woodland, chapparal riparian plant communities and associated wildlife habitats. During the months of March, April and May the "back country" offers a spectacular display of wildflowers. In addition, the park offers breathtaking views of southern Santa Clara County and the surrounding Santa Cruz Mountain Range.

37 See www.parkhere.org and click on “Find a Park” at the left and then on “Uvas Reservoir.” 38 See www.parkhere.org and click on “Find a Park” at the left and then on “Chesbro Reservoir.” 39 See www.parkhere.org and click on “Find a Park” at the left and then on “Calero.” For more information, click on “Calero County Park” and “Natural Diversity” at the top right of this last page.

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The merging of California Oak woodland, grasslands and riparian (stream) corridors bring a wide variety of plants, trees, and wildlife to Calero Park. The reservoir is a winter home to migratory birds who use the coves and the shoreline as a temporary resting area. In addition, the reservoir has large native populations of Bass, BlueGill, Sunfish and Crappie. Birds of prey such as the Golden Eagle, Red Tail Hawk, White Tailed Kite and Osprey can be seen riding the air currents which flow above the reservoir. Over 180 bird species have been identified within Calero Park.

The California Oak woodland community is well represented at Calero. Valley, Live, Blue, Black and Scrub Oaks are found throughout Calero Park and are intermixed with grasslands and serpentine rock outcroppings, prevalent in the southwest portion of the park. Sensitive plant communities are associated with serpentine rock which is low in nutrients essential to plant growth. The plants adapted to these conditions are specialized. While serpentine accounts for only 1% of California's geologic base, it supports about 10% of the states native flora. The back country of Calero accommodates and supports a large wildlife population. Deer, Coyote, Bobcat, and Fox, are some of the park's resident wildlife. The state bird, the California Quail, and the state flower, the California Poppy, can be found in the park. From March through late May the park also contains a diverse and abundant wildflower display.

In 1968, the County began leasing the reservoir lands from the Santa Clara Valley Water District and developed facilities at the reservoir for water-oriented recreation. This reservoir also provides a nearby source of water for CAL FIRE air tankers and helicopters to fight wildfires in the Croy Fire CWPP area.

In February 2003, the 2,428 acre Ranch Canada del Oro property was purchased through the combined effort of the Santa Clara County Parks Department, City of San Jose, the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority and the Peninsula Open Space Trust through a generous grant from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation. Of this purchase 943 acres was incorporated into Calero County Park with the remainder managed by the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority.

6. Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Properties

The Santa Clara County Open Space Authority owns the Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve40 adjacent to Calero County Park on the north side of the Croy Fire CWPP Area. Tucked into the western foothills of Santa Clara County, Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve boasts beautiful oak woodlands, native grassland areas, and spectacular scenic views. This extraordinary environment offers visitors the chance to discover the quietness of the foothills, enjoy panoramic vistas, and observe a diverse array of plant and animal species. The opening of the Rancho Canada del Oro staging area is on Casa Loma Road.

The Authority's Five Year Plan states that it should complete at least one acquisition representing each of the following open space goals: x Hillside preservation that is visible from the valley floor.

40 See http://www.openspaceauthority.org/Properties/RCDO.htm for more information and a map of this area.

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x Valley floor preservation that includes wetlands, baylands, riparian corridors or other unique habitats. x Agricultural preservation. x Segment of regionally significant trail. x Segment of a greenbelt between cities. x Urban open space.

The Authority is now in its sixth year of acquiring open space and has preserved over 9,000 acres throughout its boundaries.

The Authority uses a variety of methods to manage its properties. Multiple objectives are developed to maintain diverse habitats. One of these objectives is fuel reduction. Grassland areas are grazed so that the habitat and associated species are not fragmented. The grazing reduces the available fuel loading which leads to lower intensity fires.

The Authority modifies shrub and grass lands within high use areas and along public roadways to reduce hazardous fuels. This is accomplished using contracted mechanical equipment, Authority staff and hand crews. The goal is to create roadways and boundary areas that can be used to control wildfires and permit evacuation of visitors and residents. Where appropriate, the Authority will also evaluate the use of controlled burns to modify vegetation for the benefit of natural resources and to lessen the impact of wildfire.

The Authority supports organizations like the Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council and works closely with fire agencies to create Defensible Space near developed areas.

F. Demographic Data

The Croy Fire CWPP area is about five miles wide (from southwest to northeast) and ten miles long (from northwest to southeast) for a total area of approximately 50 square miles or 32,000 acres. Selected 2000 census demographic data for the Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy Zip Codes are shown in Table II-1 below. The total population of these three Zip Codes of almost 100,000 is, of course, concentrated in the cities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy. Note that this area is increasingly Hispanic or Latino from north to south (from 27% in the Morgan Hill Zip Code, 95037, to over 50% in the Gilroy Zip Code, 95020 – all these Zip Codes are higher than the Santa Clara County Average of 24%). Also, the Families below poverty level (under Economic Characteristics in Table II-1) increases from north to south (from 3.7% in the Morgan Hill Zip Code, 95037, to 6.5% in the Gilroy Zip Code, 95020 –the Santa Clara County Average is 4.9%). There are over 700 historic structures in these three Zip Codes.

These Zip Codes are very large and extend east, as well as west, of Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy. However, this data is useful because it illustrates the population and homes that could be threatened by a large wildfire in this area as well as the area’s diversity with its large Hispanic or Latino population.

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The 50 square mile Croy Fire CWPP area itself is almost all within the west side of the 95037 Morgan Hill Zip Code (a small portion of the north end of the area is in the 95141 Zip Code, not included in the table below, and another small portion at the south end of the area is in the 95020 Gilroy Zip Code).

The population of the Croy Fire CWPP area itself can be estimated by subtracting the 2000 census population of Morgan Hill, 33,556, from the total population of the 95037 Zip Code and dividing the result by four (because this area is no more than ¼ of the remaining 95037 Zip Code). The estimated population Croy Fire CWPP area obtained by this method is approximately 2,000, which is, of course, only a very rough estimate. Most homes in this area are single family dwellings and, if we assume three people per home, there are perhaps 700 homes in this area with a total value over $300 million.

Table II-1: Selected Croy Fire CWPP Area Demographic Data

General Area: Morgan Hill San Martin Gilroy Total Area Santa Clara Zip Code: 95037 95046 95020 95037/46/20 County US OVERVIEW: KEY DEMOGRAPHIC DATA #%#%#% # % # %% Total population 41,690 5,660 49,948 97,298 1,682,585 Median age (years) 35 (X) 35.7 (X) 30.6 (X) (X) (X) 34.0 (X)35.3 65 years and over 3,254 7.8 478 8.4 3,562 7.1 7,294 7.5 160,527 9.5 12.4

One race 39,612 95.0 5,426 95.9 47,282 94.7 92,320 94.91,604,148 95.3 97.6 White 30,159 72.3 3,835 67.8 30,114 60.3 64,108 65.9 905,660 53.8 75.1 Asian 2,718 6.5 353 6.2 2,172 4.3 5,243 5.3 430,095 25.6 3.6

Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 11,242 27.0 2,103 37.2 25,531 51.1 38,876 40.0 403,401 24.0 12.5

Household population 41,010 98.4 5,547 98.0 49,037 98.2 95,594 98.3 1,652,871 98.2 97.2 Average household size 3.07 (X) 3.42 (X) 3.43 (X) (X) (X) 2.92 (X) 2.6 Average family size 3.38 (X) 3.64 (X) 3.69 (X) (X) (X) 3.41 (X) 3.1 Owner-occupied housing units 9,798 73.3 1,149 70.9 9,016 63.1 19,963 68.2 338,661 59.8 66.2 Renter-occupied housing units 3,576 26.7 471 29.1 5,276 36.9 9,323 31.8 227,202 40.2 33.8

Social Characteristics Population 25 years and over 26,211 3,552 29,604 59,367 1,113,058 High school graduate or higher 22,540 86.0 2,671 75.2 21,276 71.9 46,487 78.3 928,258 83.4 80.4 Bachelor's degree or higher 8,543 32.6 664 18.7 6,072 20.5 15,279 25.7 450,539 40.5 24.4 Disability status (pop. 5 years and over) 5,190 13.5 960 17.6 7,504 16.6 13,654 15.3 254,729 16.4 19.3

Economic Characteristics In labor force (pop. 16 years and over) 21,488 69.6 3,000 67.8 24,883 69.8 49,371 69.6 878,932 67.2 63.9 Median household income in 1999 ($) 82,258 (X) 69,063 (X) 64,611 (X) (X) (X) 74,335 (X) Per capita income in 1999 ($) 33,886 (X) 26,718 (X) 23,575 (X) (X) (X) 32,795 (X) Families below poverty level 394 3.7846.37696.512475.219,6244.99.2 Individuals below poverty level 2,157 5.2 612 10.8 4,651 9.5 7,420 7.7 124,470 7.5 12.4

Housing Characteristics Single-family owner-occupied homes 8,201 977 7,908 17,086 291,771 Median value (dollars) 459,600 (X) 513,200 (X) 361,500 (X) (X) (X) 446,400 (X) prepared by COREY, CANAPARY & GALANIS RESEARCH

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A recent Wildfire Awareness Telephone Survey of residents of the 95037 Morgan Hill Zip Code conducted for the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council included the following results for this Zip Code:41 x About two-thirds (68%) of the residents are aware that regions near their area are high risk wildfire areas. x About half (52%) of the residents are Very Concerned or Somewhat Concerned about wildfires in their area – only 7% are Not At All Concerned. However, on the small sample of 16 residents where Spanish Is The Language Spoken At Home, 69% of the residents are Very Concerned or Somewhat Concerned about wildfires in their area. x The most important reasons the residents are concerned about wildfires are Previous Fires/Fires in Area (48%), Live In/Close to Hills (33%) and Lots of Grass/Trees/Fuel in Area (29%). x About two-thirds (66%) have visited campgrounds or parks which are in high risk fire areas. Among subgroups, those with lesser education and households where Spanish is spoken are more likely to indicate that they are very concerned about wildfires in these parks and campgrounds. x Over seven in ten (73%) of respondents have cleared dead leaves or other vegetation around their house to create a “Defensible Space”. This percentage is quite high, and it is possible that some respondents may simply have cleared leaves and vegetation without expressly doing this to create a Defensible Space around their home. x Over half (51%) have made choices about their landscaping to reduce the fire risk around their home. x About 20% have received information about ways to reduce their household’s risk of wildfire but only 10% have attended a community meeting where wildfire literature or materials were distributed.

G. Site Characteristics

1. Surrounding Area

Santa Clara County is 1,315 square miles and is located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay. As of April 1, 2000, the County's population was approximately 1.7 million, making it the largest of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Santa Clara County is the fifth largest county in California, with 24% of the Bay Area's total population living within the County's jurisdiction.42

The County, with its diverse population (47% are non-white), high standard of living, and strong economic vitality has attracted people from all over the world. Its location provides residents with a suburban lifestyle, while providing close access to nature and the outdoors.

41 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/Canapary_Survey_Report.pdf 42 This section and parts of the following sections are taken or rewritten from the Santa Clara County Planning Office information on the County Web site at http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/planning/. Click on Facts and Figures at the left and then on County Profile.

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However, over the last few decades, Santa Clara County has been experiencing many changes to the number of people living in the County, the diversity of the population, and household characteristics. As the Valley continues to evolve and grow, it will have to find new and innovative ways to provide adequate housing, generate energy, conserve water, and provide adequate infrastructure. In addition, the County will need to continue to provide social support services for all of its residents young and old, native and foreign.

a. Natural Environment

The major topographical features of the County are the Santa Clara Valley, the Diablo Range to the east, the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west, and the Baylands in the northwest.

The fertile Santa Clara Valley is ringed by rolling hills. The Diablo Range covers the entire eastern half of the county. It consists mainly of grasslands, chaparral and oak savannah. The Santa Cruz Mountains contain rolling grasslands and oak-studded foothills, along with mixed hardwoods and dense evergreen forests. Higher elevations of the Santa Cruz Mountains are home to redwoods forests, steep slopes, and active earthquake faults. Areas of geologic instability are prevalent in both mountain ranges.

The Croy Fire CWPP area is in the southwestern part of Santa Clara Valley, south of the city of San Jose and west of Morgan Hill and San Martin. The terrain rises sharply from these cites to the higher elevations of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

b. Built Environment

The North Valley is extensively urbanized, housing approximately 90 percent of the County's residents. Thirteen of the county's fifteen cities are located in the North Valley, while the remaining two cities, Gilroy and Morgan Hill, are located in the South Valley. The South Valley differs in that it remains predominantly rural, with the exception of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and the small unincorporated community of San Martin. Low density residential developments are also scattered though the valley and foothill areas.

c. Population Growth

Between 1980 and 1990, Santa Clara County grew by 202,506 people. This growth represents a 16% increase in population. Similarly, between 1990 and 2000, the County grew by an additional 185,008, which accounts for a 12% change in population. It is predicted that the County's population will continue to grow, but at a slower rate. Moderate rates of growth in employment and housing development may account for this slow down in population growth. According to the Association of Bay Area Governments, by 2010, Santa Clara County's population is projected to increase by 197,115 people to 1,879,700. From 2010 to 2020, Santa Clara County's population is predicted to increase an additional 127,800 people to 2,007,500.

Between 1990 and 2000, most of the population growth in Santa Clara County occurred in San Jose and in the North Valley cities (Campbell, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and

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Sunnyvale). Although, North Valley cities experienced a larger increase in population numbers, the Southern Valley cities (Morgan Hill and Gilroy) experienced a larger percentage increase in population.

2. Fire Environment

The fire environment in the Croy Fire Area can be extreme due to the amount of fuel and weather conditions the area can experience. The Croy Fire of 2002 demonstrated the potential for large, difficult to control wildfires in this area.

The Uvas, Croy, and Casa Loma Areas continue to see an expansion in the numbers of homes and the numbers of visitors. The area contains several lakes which draw people from nearby cities for recreational activities such as boating and fishing.

The vegetation in the Croy Fire CWPP area is summarized above and described in more detail below. The population and economic growth have led to more homes and developments being built in Wildland Urban Interface and Intermix areas. The fire agencies and other organizations like SCFSC continue to emphasize the wildfire danger and the importance of creating and maintaining Defensible Space. Hazardous fuel has continued to accumulate in many areas because natural fires are extinguished quickly and controlled burns are very limited by population and air quality concerns.

Santa Clara County has a growing number of homes and communities located in wildfire prone areas. Many of these beautiful and desirable areas possess all of the ingredients needed to support large, intense and uncontrollable wildfires. Some areas in the County are similar to the Oakland Hills area in Alameda County where a wildland fire in 1991 caused major losses of life and structures. Terrain, vegetation and accessibility conditions in Santa Clara County create the potential for similar events to occur here.

The Croy Fire CWPP area is one of the most fire prone parts of the County and, while most of the fires are controlled and extinguished quickly, the potential exists for any wildfire to get out of control, especially during high temperature and windy conditions.

3. Climate

The regional climate is Mediterranean and remains temperate year round due to the area's geography and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. During fall and winter months, the temperature generally ranges from 55-77 degrees Fahrenheit with only occasional freezes at lower altitudes. The summer months see dry, warm and hot weather that generally ranges from 65-82 degrees Fahrenheit with periods in the 90s and occasionally reaching 100 degrees.

The County's average rainfall is 15 inches in San Jose to 40 inches in the Santa Cruz Mountain. In San Jose, temperatures vary from an average of 50 degrees in January to an average of 70 degrees in July. San Jose boasts an average of more than 300 sunny days per year, and has a mean annual rainfall of 14.4 inches.43 The Croy area tends to be in the middle between San Jose

43 See http://www.sanjoseca.gov/about.html

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and the Santa Cruz Mountains because of its location. The higher elevations of the CWPP area are more consistent with high rainfall totals while the lower elevations tend to get closer to the San Jose totals.

Recently (2005-2006), the spring rainfall has been higher than average leading to early hazardous fuel growth, especially grasses and other highly flammable fuels. The inevitable high temperatures later in the fire season result in dry, fire prone conditions with abundant fuel to start and maintain a major wildfire.

Being close to a major city like San Jose, which is the tenth largest city in the U.S., presents it own challenges related to wildfire prevention. For example, the areas off Uvas and Croy roads and nearby parks host visitors who are not aware of the wildfire dangers. Illegal fireworks are used and abandoned cars are burned in fire prone areas. The local fire agencies and SCFSC are concerned that these dangerous activities are increasing and that the general public is not concerned about, or receptive to, wildfire prevention messages.

4. Topography

As noted above (Section II.E.1), elevations within the Uvas Canyon County Park range from 1,000 feet at the entrance to 2,700 feet at the summit (Knibbs Knob). A similar elevation change occurs in less than one mile from Uvas Creek to Knibbs Knob.44

The summit of Loma Prieta Mountain, which is just north of the northwest corner of the Croy Fire CWPP area, is 3,798 feet. The terrain is also varied and torturous in many areas near homes. These terrain conditions contribute both to the wildfire danger and to the time required for fire engines to reach the remote areas.

5. Vegetation

The vegetation in the County Parks described above is generally representative of the vegetation throughout the Croy Fire CWPP area. Dudek, our consultants for this project, identified recent (2005), high resolution (1 meter) aerial photos which depict the vegetation in Santa Clara County. These photos are the INTERIM 2005 National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) County Compressed Mosaics.45 Figure II-6 below is an example of a piece of the northern Croy Fire area with a few landmarks labeled.

44 See www.parkhere.org and click on “Find a Park” at the left and then on “Uvas Canyon” and then on “Map of Uvas Canyon County Park” at the bottom of the page. 45 See http://new.casil.ucdavis.edu/casil/remote_sensing/naip_2005/ for the Description of the photos and the Directory by County. See http://new.casil.ucdavis.edu/casil/remote_sensing/naip_2005/Santa_Clara/ for the Santa Clara County files, which are over 1.5 GB. An MrSID viewer like the free LizardTech ExpressView Browser Plug-in (www.lizardtech.com) is needed to view these files. “This is the first time that California has acquired one-meter natural DOQQs statewide in a single ‘season’/year.” Zoom in or out on the photos to view larger or smaller pieces of the County.

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Figure II-6: Example Croy Fire Area 2005 Vegetation (USDA FSA Aerial Photography Field Office: County image mosaic for Santa Clara County, CA, 2005)

6. Field Surveys

Ten field survey trips were made and field survey forms were complied for the Croy Fire Area CWPP. A representative field survey form is shown in Table II-2 below. This form should not be used for any particular area and the individual forms should be consulted.

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Table II-2: Cover Type 3 – Montane Hardwood/Riparian Forest Inspected July 14, 2006 by Mike Huff (Dudek) and Scott Eckardt (Dudek), accompanied by Joe Mackey (CAL FIRE) Description Concentrated on north and east facing slopes in upland sites and within riparian drainages at higher elevations than oak woodland/savanna cover types. The montane hardwood type is typically not located adjacent to urban development, however, riparian areas do contain scattered homes and cabins. Primary concerns are the heavy fuel load of the montane hardwood areas, the proximity of houses in drainages, and the narrow road network providing access/egress to structures. The potential for canopy fire occurs where chaparral abuts montane hardwood/riparian forest vegetation types. Ignition risk is likely indirect, although the existence of houses in the area increases the potential for anthropogenic ignition. Location Mid and upper slope locations and drainage bottoms within Croy Fire Area along Croy Road, Casa Loma Road, Redwood Retreat Road, Uvas Road, and Little Uvas Road. Area generally bounded by Casa Loma Road in the north, Hecker Pass Highway (Hwy. 152) in the south, Uvas Road in the east, and Summit Road in the west. Access/ Uvas Road serves as access road to Casa Loma Road, Croy Road, and Little Uvas Ingress/ Road. Watsonville Road provides access to Redwood Retreat Road and Hwy. 152 Egress in the south. Mount Madonna Road is accessible from Redwood Retreat Road. Summit Road is accessible via Hwy. 152, Mount Madonna Road, Croy Road (very limited access) and Casa Loma Road (very limited access). Evacuation One-way access on Croy, and Little Uvas Roads. Steep, narrow canyon roads limit Route CAL FIRE access in concert with evacuation. Very limited access to Summit Road via Mount Madonna and Casa Loma Roads (4WD required). Slope 10% to 40% slopes are typical, but some areas exceed 50% gradients. Aspect Aspect varies within this vegetation cover type, although the large scale trend in this area is a north-east facing slope. These areas are typically concentrated at mid and upper slope elevations and drainage bottoms between 1,000 and 2.600 feet. Vegetation Dense stands of hardwoods and associated shrub species (madrone, California buckeye, chinquapin) characterize the montane hardwood vegetation type, often exceeding 25 feet in height. The riparian forest type (redwood, Douglas fir, knobcone pine) is primarily concentrated along drainage bottoms with overall heights often exceeding 60 feet. Understory vegetation consists of smaller shrub species, down woody material, and duff. Vertical separation between tree canopies and ground fuels is typically non-existent. Fuel Model 1 - grass - 1 foot, 3 - grass - 3 foot, X 4 - chaparral, dense shrub cover X 8 - eucalyptus stand, duff understory, X 9 - riparian woodland, __ other (describe) Fuel exotic/invasives removal, X vertical separation, shrub thinning Treatment X dead/dying plant removal, debris removal, mow/trim grasses/weeds/exotics X horizontal separation, tree stand thinning, dead foliage removal X structural clearance, X other (describe) Maintain fuel breaks annually Purpose 1. Prevent crown fires from adjacent chaparral vegetation.

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Table II-2: Cover Type 3 – Montane Hardwood/Riparian Forest 2. Provide limited access for fire equipment and personnel to fight fires and provide structural protection in this area Major x California Department of Forestry (CAL FIRE) Stake- x Santa Clara County holders x Pacific Gas and Electric Company (electric lines in this area) x Private property owners along the lower portions of Croy Road, Casa Loma Road, Redwood Retreat Road, Uvas Road, and Little Uvas Road. Plan Promote Defensible Space and maintain access/egress routes in these areas. Educate and enforce Defensible Space/fuel reduction practices for structures in this area. Provide fuel breaks in strategic locations for asset protection. Priority* Moderate – moderate fire potential, close proximity to roads and numerous structures located along drainages (i.e. Croy Road, Casa Loma Road). * Priority for additional fuel reduction or other treatment as part of this plan

7. Vegetation Dynamics

Vegetation plays a significant role in fire behavior, and is an important component of the fire behavior models discussed in this report. A critical factor to consider is the dynamic nature of vegetation communities. Fire presence and absence at varying cycles or regimes affects plant community succession, or the natural sequential replacement of vegetation types over time. Succession of plant communities, most notably the gradual conversion of shrub lands to grasslands in areas with high fire frequencies and short intervals between fires, and grasslands to shrub lands in areas with fire exclusion or long fire-free periods, is highly dependent on fire characteristics, including intensity, duration, and return interval. Additionally, encroachment of non-native plant species from residential landscaping into wildland areas is already occurring and is expected to continue based on the proximity of ornamental landscaping to the open space. Consequently, routine maintenance of the fuel reduction areas/Defensible Space zones, and establishment of Defensible Space zones in some areas, is needed to maintain reduced hazard conditions

Biomass and associated fuel loading will increase over time, assuming that disturbance or fuel reduction efforts are not realized. Depending on factors such as fire exclusion activities, mechanical treatments, and prescribed burning, among others, the current vegetation composition and density will continue to change, either through increased volume and the establishment of exotic species or the continued degradation of scrub lands and persistence of annual grasses. Wildfire disturbances can also have dramatic impacts on individual plants and plant composition. Heat shock, accumulation of post-fire charite, and change in photoperiods due to removal of shrub canopies may all stimulate seed germination.46,47 The post fire response

46 Keeley, J.E., Role of fire in the seed germination of woody taxa in California chaparral, Ecology 68:434- 443,1987. http://www.werc.usgs.gov/seki/pdfs/seed.pdf 47 Keeley, J.E. and S.C. Keeley, The role of fire in the germination of chaparral herbs and suffrutescents,Madroño 34: 240 249, 1987. Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 32 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

for most species is vegetative reproduction and stimulation of flowering and fruiting.48 The combustion of aboveground biomass alters seedbeds and temporarily eliminates competition for moisture, nutrients, heat and light.49 Species that can rapidly take advantage of the available resources will flourish. It is possible to alter successional pathways for varying plant communities by varying the frequency and intensity of fire. In areas where fire has been excluded or otherwise has not occurred over long periods, the likelihood for catastrophic fire is higher due to accumulating fuels.

The eastern portion of the Croy Fire Area, at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, is dominated by annual grasslands with scattered oaks throughout the area. At higher elevations, vegetative cover type changes to a mosaic of chaparral, montane hardwood, coast live oak woodland, and redwood forest. It should be noted that areas with grass cover can burn yearly.50 Lack of disturbance such as fire and grazing, will, over time, allow shrub cover to establish in areas currently dominated by grass cover. Shrub cover, although less likely to burn in the first 20 years during typical weather conditions, will burn under extreme fire events.51 Once established, the shrub cover will increase in volume, and, following approximately 20 years, the hazard will increase corresponding with fuel age.52,53 Additionally, as previously mentioned, encroachment of non-native plants into open-space areas is likely based on the proximity of ornamental landscaping to undeveloped open space land, in many cases increasing the fuel load and likelihood for higher intensity fire.

As with the changes in vegetative cover in grassland habitats over time, changes in the chaparral, woodland, and forest types will also occur with the lack of disturbance. Chaparral stands will continue to accumulate biomass and volume, often retaining dead plant material within individual component shrubs. Oak woodland cover types tend to limit ground fuel accumulation with age. Canopy closure serves to ‘shade-out’ understory plants, resulting with a mature oak woodland characterized by a dense canopy layer and an understory consisting primarily of leaf and twig litter. Hardwood stands, as observed in the Croy Fire Area, vary in species composition with disturbance, but maintain typically consistent shrub and tree cover with associated ladder

http://www.werc.usgs.gov/seki/pdfs/Role%20of%20Fire%20in%20the%20Germination%20of%20Chaparral%20 Herbs%20and%20Suffr.pdf 48 Gill, A. Malcolm, Plant traits adaptive to fires in Mediterranean land ecosystems, In: Mooney, Harold A.; Conrad, C. Eugene, technical coordinators. Proceedings of the symposium on the environmental consequences of fire and fuel management in Mediterranean ecosystems; 1977 August 1-5; Palo Alto, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. WO-3. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 17-26. [4798]. 49 Wright, H. E. and M. L. Heinselman, The ecological role of fire in natural conifer forests of western and northern North America; Introduction, Quaternary Research 3:317-328, 1973. 50 Minnich, R.A. Wildland fire and the conservation of coastal sage scrub, On-line at: http://ecoregion.ucr.edu/review/cssfirex.pdf. Accessed April 28, 2005. 51 Moritz, M.A., Spatiotemporal analysis of controls on shrubland fire regimes: age dependency and fire hazard. Ecology. 84(2):351-361, 2003. http://nature.berkeley.edu/moritzlab/docs/Moritz_2003_Ecology.pdf 52 Keeley, J.E., Fire history of the San Francisco East Bay region and implications for landscape patterns, International Journal of Wildland Fire 14:285-296, 2005. http://www.werc.usgs.gov/seki/pdfs/K2005_East%20Bay%20Fire%20History_IJWF.pdf 53 Moritz, M.A., J.E. Keeley, E.A. Johnson, and A.A. Schaffner, Testing a basic assumption of shrubland fire management: How important is fuel age?, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2:65-70, 2004. http://www.werc.usgs.gov/seki/pdfs/Link4106.pdf

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fuels allowing the potential for canopy fire spread. Finally, redwood forests, associated with the drainages and north-facing slopes in the Croy Fire Area, respond to fire by progressing through successional stages from grass or herbs to shrubs to hardwoods to redwood cover. Redwoods are self-perpetuating, as they are able to sprout from intact root systems, although the successional period from grass cover to one dominated by redwoods is typically at least 100 years. 54

8. Fire History

The Santa Clara County Fire History Map compiled by Dudek is shown in Figure II-7 below. Data for the map are derived from the CAL FIRE Fire and Resource Assessment Program (FRAP) database.55 The Fire Perimeters data consist of CAL FIRE fires 300 acres and greater in size and USFS fires 10 acres and greater throughout California from 1950 to 2003. Some fires before 1950, and some CAL FIRE fires smaller than 300 acres, are also included. BLM fires are complete since 2002 for fires greater than 10 acres in size.

This figure (Figure II-7) illustrates the area of the Croy Fire, which occurred on the west side of this CWPP area in 2002. The Croy Fire started on September 23 and was not contained until September 28. This fire is on the CAL FIRE list of 2002 “Top Five Fires,” both for Acreage Burned (3,127 acres) and Structures Lost (34 structures).56 “Electrical Power” has been identified as the cause of this fire. Fortunately, no lives were lost.57 Figure II-8 illustrates the structures destroyed, damaged and saved during this fire. The CAL FIRE Fire Loss Summary included:

The Croy fire was reported at 13:50 hours on September 23, 2002 at 7900 Croy Road, about 12 miles NW of Gilroy and 8 miles West of Morgan Hill. Air Attack 460 observed the fire at 1412 hours to be approximately ten acres, having doubled in size in five minutes, and numerous structures were on fire. By 16:00 hours the fire had spread to 120 acres, destroying 10 dwellings.

On the second day the fire had grew to 1,640 acres and consumed an additional 13 dwellings by 18:39 hours. In the next 4 days, the fire grew to 3,127 acres and consumed a total of 34 dwellings. In addition to these numbers, 4 dwellings were damaged

Sixty-two dwellings directly exposed to the fire, located within 100’ of the fires edge, were saved.

Estimated Property Damage $3,489,883 Estimated Property Saved $17,120,665

54 Mayer, K.E. Redwood in the California Wildlife Habitat Relationship System, California Dept. of Fish and Game, On-line at: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/bdb/html/wildlife_habitats.html#Tree. Accessed November 12, 2006. 55 Fire and Resource Assessment Program (FRAP). California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (http://frap.cdf.ca.gov/). Accessed June 18, 2006. 56 See http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_er_content/downloads/2002summary.pdf 57 See http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_er_content/downloads/LF2002.pdf

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Vegetation Clearance as the Principal Hazard Mitigation Factor

Vegetation clearance around structures is one important aspect of fire protection. Direct flame contact from burning grass, brush, or timber is likely to ignite any flammable portion of a building. PRC 4291 requires 30 feet of clearance and 100 feet of discontinuous fuels around homes. This does not guarantee survival, but significantly improves the chances. General observations during damage assessment indicate that these requirements were rarely complied with.

Figure II-7: Santa Clara County Fire History Map

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Figure II-8: Croy Fire Structures Destroyed (Red), Damaged (Yellow) and Saved (Green and Blue)

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However, there are two problems with the high-level view of the fire history in this area shown in Figure II-7: x Some wildfires as large as 1,000 acres apparently are not in the CAL FIRE database. x As noted above, most of the wildfires in this area are controlled and extinguished quickly because CAL FIRE and the volunteer and surrounding area fire departments respond to and control the fires quickly.

The fire history of the San Francisco East Bay region was the subject of an International Journal of Wildland Fire article in 2005.58 An even more recent article addressed the concerns that increased wildfire activity may be due to warmer and earlier spring seasons.59 This article indicates “that large wildfire activity increased suddenly and dramatically in the mid-1980s, with higher large-wildfire frequency, longer wildfire durations, and longer wildfire seasons.” However, the conclusions in this article may not be significant for the Croy Fire CWPP area because “The greatest increases occurred in mid-elevation, Northern Rockies forests, where land-use histories have relatively little effect on fire risks, and are strongly associated with increased spring and summer temperatures and an earlier spring snowmelt.”

A recent USDA Science Study60 included Santa Clara County: “Simulations for three multicounty areas in northern California under a climate change scenario found that the number of fast-spreading fires will increase, mostly in grass and brush fuels. There will be little change in forested areas. The biggest increases in fire size and escape frequency will occur in low- population-density zones, where fire suppression is currently less intense. When these results are interpolated to cover all of the State Responsibility Areas in northern California, an additional 114 escapes per year can be anticipated, on top of the 110 expected under the current climate.”

While the biggest increases in fire escapes is anticipated in low-population-density zones, the increases of fast-spreading fires, primarily in grass and brush fuels, has implications for parts of the Croy Fire Area near open areas, particularly where grazing has decreased and light, flashy fuels (grasses) have increased.

Other references support the information and conclusions above.61

58 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/K2005_East_Bay_Fire_History_IJWF.pdf, Fire History of the San Francisco East Bay Region and Implications for Landscape Patterns, Jon E. Keely, International Journal of Wildland Fire, 2005, 14, Pages 285-296. 59 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/EFCWPP/Anthony_Westerling_wildfire_study.pdf, Warming and Earlier Spring Increases Western U.S. Forest Wildfire Activity, A. L. Westerling et. al., Sciencexpress, 6 July 2006 / Page 1/ 10.1126/science.1128834 60 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/Documents/USDA_Science_Study_2005.pdf, Fanning the Flames: Climate Change Stacks Odds Against Fire Suppression, Science Findings, Issue 74, July 1005 61 For example: Keeley, J. E. and C.J. Fotheringham, Impact of past, present, and future fire regimes on North American Mediterranean shrublands, P. 218-262 in Fire and climatic change in temperate ecosystems of the Western Americas, Veblen, T.T., W.L. Baker, G. Montenegro, and T.W. Swetnam (eds.). 2003, New York: Springer. http://www.werc.usgs.gov/seki/pdfs/Impact%20of%20Past,%20Present,%20and%20Future%20Fire%20Regimes %20on%20North%20A.pdf; and Minnich, R. A., Landscapes, land-use and fire policy: where do large fires come Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 37 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

9. Fire Starts and On-Site Fire Potential

Based on existing vegetation, topography, and typical weather conditions for the Croy Fire CWPP area, the area is considered vulnerable to wildfire. The proximity of open space to residential structures and to scenic roadways increases the likelihood of anthropogenic ignition from discarded cigarettes, automobiles, fireworks, and electrical transmission lines, etc. Additionally, the potential for spotting (burning embers entering blowing into unburned vegetation) is high during dry, Santa Ana wind-driven conflagrations.

The south, southwest and west-facing slopes in this area provide a good example of where the existence of small, flashy fuels beneath shrubs and trees, especially in the interface areas, also increases the potential for vertical fire spread. The presence of highly flammable vegetation, specifically peppers, eucalyptus, pines, palm trees, and other non-native trees near interface and intermix residential structures, increases the potential for canopy fire and structural ignition. The fuel reduction recommendations presented herein are critical fuel modification techniques that are part of an overall vegetation management program designed to reduce the continuity of fuels that promotes fire spread from open space areas into adjacent residential and developed areas.

10. Asset Distribution

Asset distribution pertains to the privately and publicly owned assets (residences, structures, equipment, utilities, etc.) within a fire protection area. Asset distribution in the Croy Fire CWPP area includes higher density residential areas near Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin and more widely spaced single family residences (and a few multiple family dwellings) in most of the CWPP area.

Other important assets in or near the Croy Fire CWPP area include: x Large parks and open space areas including Calero, Chesbro Reservoir, Mt. Madonna, Uvas Canyon and Uvas Reservoir County Parks and the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority properties in this area (see Section II.E) as well as smaller parks and open spaces near Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin. x Many privately-owned ranches and farms which are another form of “open space” in this area. x Important roads and transportation assets such as Highway 101 through Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin and Highway 152 at the south end of the Croy Fire CWPP area. x Extensive Pacific Gas and Electric Company gas and electric facilities and distribution lines throughout this area. The electric lines are generally overhead, rather than buried, in this area and thus are both a potential source of wildfires, especially during windy conditions, as well as infrastructure which can be damaged by wildfires. x Important water storage tanks and distribution lines throughout this area. These facilities feed the fire hydrants and maintain the water pressure for the lower, heavily populated area.

from?, Pages 133–158 in J. M. Moreno (ed.) Large forest fires, Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands, 1998.

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x Large reservoirs such as the Calero and Uvas Reservoirs. These reservoirs are also used by the CAL FIRE helicopters as a source of water to fight fires in this area. x Extensive wired and cellular telephone, and cable television, facilities and lines throughout this area. The telephone and cable lines, like the electric lines are generally overhead and are subject to damage by wildfires. These facilities include telephone, DSL and cable facilities and lines which are used by many home-based and other small businesses in this area as well as for residential services. x Important firefighting infrastructure including access and egress routes, fire hydrants, water storage tanks and lakes, ponds and swimming pools that can be used as sources of water to fight wildfire. See Section II.I for more on the firefighting infrastructure. x Other important public welfare and emergency facilities such as radio repeaters in this area.

H. Fire Department Response

The area covered by the Croy Fire Area CWPP is in unincorporated Santa Clara County. Most of the area covered by this CWPP is in the Santa Clara Unit of the California Department of Forestry (CAL FIRE). The Uvas and Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Departments support CAL FIRE as first responders in this area.

1. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

CAL FIRE is a statewide resource protection agency. It is the largest multi-purpose fire protection organization in the United States. The Santa Clara Unit is directly responsible for wildland fire protection of over 1.35 millions acres of land in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) and over 804 square miles of local responsibility area (LRA). The Santa Clara Unit consists of 13 stations which house 15 fire engines, 3 bulldozers and one helicopter. The unit also has Local Cooperative Fire Protection Agreements with the South Santa Clara County Fire District, Alameda County Fire, and East Diablo Fire Protection District.

The CAL FIRE Stations in Santa Clara County and southern Alameda County are listed below and the locations are illustrated in Figure II-9 below.

Santa Clara County Alma, 19650 Santa Cruz Highway, Los Gatos Almaden, 20255 McKean Road, San Jose (just south of SJFD Station 28) Coyote, Canada and Hot Springs Road, Gilroy Morgan Hill, 15670 Monterey Street, Morgan Hill Pacheco, 12280 Pacheco Pass Highway, Hollister Smith Creek, 22805 Mt. Hamilton Road, San Jose (east of San Jose and SJFD Station 2) Stevens Creek, 13326 Stevens Canyon Road, Cupertino Sweetwater, 47405 Mines Road, Livermore

Alameda County Sunol, 11345 Pleasanton Sunol Road, Pleasanton

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Generally, these stations have one Type 3 engine, usually with 4-wheel drive, to fight wildland fires. Morgan Hill and Sunol have two engines and other equipment including Transport Dozers (bulldozers on a truck that can be sent to the scene of the fire). Each engine has a minimum crew of three (one captain or engineer and two firefighters).

Figure II-9: CAL FIRE Santa Clara Unit Station Locations If CAL FIRE responds to a major wildland fire in the Croy Fire Area, the typical response would be: 1 Battalion Chief (from Morgan Hill) 1 Safety Officer (from Morgan Hill or other locations) Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 40 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

1 Tactical Aircraft (from Hollister if available – airtactical planes fly overhead directing the airtankers and helicopters to critical areas of the fire for retardant and water drops)62 2 Air Tankers (one from Hollister if available – airtankers and helicopters are equipped to carry fire retardant or water, the helicopters can also transport firefighters, equipment and injured personnel) 6 Engines (if available, 2 from Morgan Hill, and 1 each from Stevens Creek, Almaden, Coyote and Alma) 2 Transport Dozers (if available, 1 from Sunol and 1 from Morgan Hill) 2 Hand Crews (usually from the Ben Lomond Conservation Camp)

The department’s goal is to contain 90% of all fires to less than 10 acres. If this goal is not met, the department will augment the response to the incident.

The department is divided into four regions with 21 administrative units statewide. Within these units, CAL FIRE operates 806 fire stations (228 state and 575 local government). CAL FIRE, in collaboration with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, is authorized to operate 39 conservation camps, and three training centers, located throughout the state. CAL FIRE staffs 13 air attack bases and nine helitack bases that allow aircraft to reach most fires within 20 minutes.

CAL FIRE operates over 1,095 fire engines (336 state and 759 local government); 215 rescue squads; 63 paramedic units; 12 hazmat units; 38 aerial ladder trucks; 58 bulldozers; five mobile communication centers; and 11 mobile kitchen units. The department funds, via contract, an additional 82 engines, and 12 bulldozers used in six counties – Kern, Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. From the air, CAL FIRE operates 23 1,200-gallon airtankers (one is kept as maintenance relief), 11 Super Huey helicopters (two are kept as maintenance relief), and 13 airtactical planes (one is kept as maintenance relief).

In a state as large and populated as California cooperative efforts via contracts and agreements between state, federal, and local agencies are essential to respond to emergencies like wildland and structure fires, floods, earthquakes, hazardous material spills, and medical aids. The CAL FIRE Cooperative Fire Protection Program staff coordinates those agreements and contracts. Because of these types of cooperative efforts, fire engines and crews from many different agencies may respond at the scene of an emergency.

2. Uvas Volunteer Fire Department

The UVFD response area is in the southern part of the Croy Fire CWPP area. The department’s response area also covers three county parks and approximately 250 structures. This department was formed in 2003. The department consists of 18 personnel staffing three pieces of apparatus. They average a call volume of 50 calls per year. Their training is provided by CAL FIRE through a contract with the Santa Clara County.

62 See http://www.fire.ca.gov/php/fire_er_airprgm.php

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3. Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Association

The CLVFA response area is the north-eastern part of the Croy Fire CWPP area. The department responds to 175 structures and an area of 5,551 acres. CLVFA has 15 volunteers and operates out of two fire stations with four pieces of apparatus. Their training is provided by CAL FIRE through a contract with the Santa Clara County.

4. Adjacent Fire Agencies

In addition to the CAL FIRE and volunteer fire department capabilities summarized above, adjacent and nearby fire agencies include:

x San Jose Fire Department – 31 Fire Stations, approximately 75 pieces of apparatus x Santa Clara County Fire – 16 Fire Station, 19 pieces of apparatus x Gilroy Fire Department – 3 Fire Stations, 6 pieces of apparatus x Alameda County Fire Department - 18 Fire Station, 22 pieces of apparatus x Contra Costa County Fire Department – 30 Fire Stations x Central Fire Department of Santa Cruz County – 4 Fire Station, 12 pieces of apparatus x Scotts Valley Fire – 2 Fire Stations, 8 pieces of apparatus

I. Firefighting Infrastructure

Information related to Firefighting Infrastructure in the Croy Fire CWPP area is summarized in the sections below. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Multi-Jurisdictional Local Government Hazard Mitigation Plan adopted by Santa Clara County (see Section I.B.4) includes the following Wildfire Mitigation Strategies related to Firefighting Infrastructure: x Ensure a reliable source of water for fire suppression (meeting acceptable standards for minimum volume and duration of flow) for existing and new development. (Wildfire Item 1, Page 7) x Develop a coordinated approach between fire jurisdictions and water supply agencies to identify needed improvements to the water distribution system, initially focusing on areas of highest wildfire hazard. (Wildfire Item 2, Page 7) x Ensure all dead-end segments of public roads in high hazard areas have at least a “T” intersection turn-around sufficient for typical wildland fire equipment. (Wildfire Item 4, Page 7) x Enforce minimum road width of 20 feet with an additional 10-foot clearance on each shoulder on all driveways and road segments greater than 50 feet in length in wildfire hazard areas. (Wildfire Item 5, Page 7) x Require that development in high fire hazard areas provide adequate access roads (with width and vertical clearance that meet the minimum standards of the Fire Code or relevant local ordinance), onsite fire protection systems, evacuation signage, and fire breaks. (Wildfire Item 6, Page 8) x Ensure adequate fire equipment road or fire road access to developed and open space areas. (Wildfire Item 7, Page 8) Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 42 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

x Maintain fire roads and/or public right-of-way roads and keep them passable at all times. (Wildfire Item 8, Page 8) x Consider fire safety, evacuation, and emergency vehicle access when reviewing proposals to add secondary units or additional residential units in wildland-urban- interface fire-threatened communities or in areas exposed to high-to-extreme fire threat. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 5, Page 14) x Work to ensure a reliable source of water for fire suppression in rural-residential areas through the cooperative efforts of water districts, fire districts, and residents. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 8, Page 15) x Promote the installation of early warning fire alarm systems in homes wildland-urban- interface fire-threatened communities or in areas exposed to high-to-extreme fire threat connected to fire department communication systems. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 10, Page 15) x Work with residents in rural-residential areas to ensure adequate access and evacuation in wildland-urban- interface fire-threatened communities or in areas exposed to high-to- extreme fire threat. (Wildfire and Structural Fires Item 12, Page 15)

See Attachment A-1 for these items (the same or similar items are in other sections of Attachment A-1) and Attachments A-2 and A-3 for the Santa Clara County plan for these items.

1. Access and Egress

The Croy Fire Area is remote and not easy to access. Uvas Road is about five miles southwest of Highway 101 and generally runs parallel to Highway 101 and Monterey Road through Morgan Hill. Monterey Road is just southwest of Highway 101and the Morgan Hill CAL FIRE station is on Monterey Road near the intersection with Watsonville Road.

The major roads to Uvas Road from Monterey Road and Morgan Hill are Watsonville Road southwest to the southeast corner of the Croy Fire CWPP area, Willow Springs Road southwest and then Oak Glenn Avenue northwest along the Chesbro Reservoir to Uvas Road and Bailey Road west to the Uvas Road north of the Croy Fire CWPP area. The Highway 17/Summit Road intersection is about eight miles northwest of the northwest corner of the area. Highway 152 (Hecker Pass Road), from Highway 101 to Summit Road, is just south of the area. Croy Road runs southwest from Uvas Road into the area but does not connect to Summit Road.

There are many private roads and fire prone areas in the Croy Fire CWPP area where access is limited for various reasons including: x Remote areas – it takes a long time (up to one hour) for fire engines to reach many locations in this area even though the distances are relatively short. There are many areas where a fire could prevent access and egress. Many private roads in this area have locked gates which can delay access and egress. Fortunately, CAL FIRE and the volunteer fire departments respond simultaneously to wildfires in these WUI areas and usually the CAL FIRE planes or helicopters arrive over the fire before fire engines can reach the area.

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x Terrain – Steep terrain and roads are a problem in many parts of the Croy Fire CWPP area. Some bridges and culverts are not strong enough for heavy fire fighting equipment. However, CAL FIRE and the volunteer fire departments have smaller engines with high clearances which can be used in these areas. x Landslides – Landslides can close many roads in this area. x Equipment and personnel risks – the fire agencies are careful not to commit equipment and personnel where the risks are too high. While the risks are evaluated for each fire and situation, some areas are inherently risky. x Low overhanging tree limbs – Some areas, particularly private roads, have low overhanging tree limbs which prevent some fire vehicles from accessing all or part of the area. Smaller engines can access most of these areas but their capability to fight a major fire is limited.

The Croy Fire CWPP area, as well as all the surrounding areas, are subject to earthquakes. Many faults run throughout this area. Earthquakes can cause structure fires and wildfires and also lead to landslides, limited ingress and egress, water supply interruptions and other problems which damage the firefighting infrastructure.

2. Water Supply and Availability

In general, there are no fire hydrants in the Croy Fire CWPP area and water supplies are very limited except for the reservoirs in the area. However, many property owners recognize this danger and have private water tanks with fittings that can be used by the fire engines. The reservoirs are used by the CAL FIRE airplanes and helicopters as a source of water to fight fires in this area.

J. Insurance Companies

The CAL FIRE information on why 100 feet of Defensible space is important notes that “A Defensible Space of 100 feet around your home is required by law” and includes “Current regulations allow an insurance company to require additional clearance.”63

In general, homeowners insurance companies use specialized companies like ISO to evaluate risks for individual properties rather than doing all their own risk analysis. As noted in their “About ISO” information, ISO supplies data, analytics, and decision-support services for professionals in many fields, including insurance, finance, real estate, health services, government, and human resources. Their products help their customers like insurance companies measure, manage, and reduce risk.64

For wildfire risk information, ISO provides products like LOCATION®: “For any address in the wildfire-prone areas of nine western states, LOCATION Wildfire Services give you information

63 See http://www.fire.ca.gov/php/about_content/downloads/Defens_space_flyer4_11final.pdf 64 See http://www.iso.com/about_iso/

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on the critical risk factors – fuel, slope, and access. For California, Wildfire Services tell you whether the property is in a designated brushfire zone.”65

LOCATION Wildfire Services consist of two components that help insurance companies mitigate the wildfire risk: x California Brush Fire Service – LOCATION tells insurance companies whether a risk address is in a designated California brushfire zone. The system provides the name of the hazardous brush area and the identifier code. That information lets insurance companies quickly and easily determine their brushfire exposure and eligibility for California FAIR Plan credits. x FireLine – State-of-the-art FireLine technology gives insurance companies detailed, up-to-date information on the wildfire risk factors, as well as an overall hazard rating for the property. FireLineTM is a software and database product that combines recognized risk factors and satellite imagery to pinpoint potential hazards from wildfire. Insurance companies use the information to help underwrite new business and manage their aggregate wildfire exposure.66

ISO and other companies also provide information on the general wildfire risk. For example, ISO’s The Wildland/Urban Fire Hazard includes:67

The Hazard Although the historical record shows no clear trend in the number of wildfires, the number of acres burned each year fell from a peak of 52.3 million in 1930 to 3.6 million in 1958. Since then, the number of acres burned each year by wildfires has remained fairly steady, ranging from a high of 7.4 million in 1988 to a low of 1.6 million in 1993. The long-term decline in the number of acres burned reflects fire suppression policies aimed at extinguishing wildfires as quickly as possible. One unintended consequence of such policies has been accumulation of brush and other vegetation – fuel to feed future wildfires. Without periodic natural fires or active measures to reduce fuel, the risk and potential intensity of future fires increase.

While unprecedented amounts of fuel have accumulated, the population has shifted. More and more people are living in or near areas prone to wildfire. During the twentieth century, the population of the United States has moved west. In recent decades, the population has also become more dispersed. Those trends have increased the number of people living in heavily vegetated areas where wildlands meet urban development — the wildland/urban interface. "These new wildland/urban immigrants give little thought to the wildfire hazard," according to the Federal Wildland Policy.

65 See http://www.iso.com/products/2400/prod2437.html 66 See http://www.iso.com/products/2400/prod2471.html 67 See http://www.iso.com/studies_analyses/docs/study009.html, December 1997

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The result is more homes and other structures at risk. Together, the accumulation of fuel and development in hazardous areas pose particular challenges for insureds and insurers, as well as government agencies responsible for fire prevention, mitigation, and suppression.

In broad perspective, the challenges and their respective solutions fit into two categories. The first category consists of socioenvironmental challenges associated with the unprecedented accumulation of fuel and population growth in areas prone to wildfire. The solutions to those challenges involve mitigating potential losses though increased understanding of fire behavior, public education, fire-safe building codes, landscaping ordinances, and the like.

The second category consists of the risk decision challenges insurers face in underwriting properties exposed to the wildfire hazard – challenges much like the ones insurers face in underwriting properties exposed to hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural hazards. The solutions to those challenges include: developing and implementing appropriate underwriting guidelines; measuring and managing the aggregate amount of wildfire exposure in an insurer's book of business; managing the geographic distribution of exposures to prevent excessive concentration in any single area or contiguous areas prone to wildfires; and educating agents and insureds about loss mitigation.

The Response Many community groups and agencies at all levels of government have recognized the need to address the wildfire hazard. Those organizations include the U.S. Department of the Interior (USDI), responsible for our national parks; the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), responsible for our national forests; governors' associations; state departments of forestry; county governments; fire departments; and others.

The responses to the wildfire hazard include hazard mapping, fuel management, adoption and enforcement of stricter building codes, and educating individuals about what they can do to make their property safer.

Despite those responses, the wildfire hazard persists. The reasons that the hazard persists include: x resistance from property owners and developers x expense of fuel management x development and land use patterns in the wildland/urban interface x diffusion of responsibility among a wide range of government agencies x priorities and jurisdictional issues x constraints imposed by law on fuel reduction and other mitigation efforts

Research Until recently, researchers studying fire have done little work on how wildfire spreads to buildings and how those structures react. Fire protection engineers focused on interior fires, and forest fire behavior models ignored how fire moves into buildings. Now, however, researchers and others are responding with models that can assess the risk of structures igniting and databases that track the features common in houses destroyed by wildfire. Research shows that fire intensity is the most important factor affecting whether a structure will ignite. Once the intensity of a wildfire passes a certain point, little else matters. Research

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also shows that the amount and type of fuel and topography – the steepness of the terrain – affect the intensity of a fire.

At lower intensities, the following factors determine a structure's prospects for survival: x the amount of cleared space around the structure x the structure's construction x access to the site x whether anyone takes defensive action

The amount of space cleared of flammable vegetation around structures affects whether fire spreads to structures. Construction characteristics (especially roof type, the number and type of windowpanes, the presence of unenclosed decks, and the presence of soffit vents) also affect whether structures will ignite and how likely they are to survive. Access affects firefighters' ability to suppress fire and protect structures. Defensive action can reduce the likelihood of a structure igniting and, in the event it does ignite, can increase the structure's prospects for survival.

Fire danger rating systems can now gauge the likelihood that fires will start, and models can predict the spread of fires. Other new tools and technology combine information about fuels, obtained from satellite imagery, with information about roads and topography to generate hazard maps and assess the wildfire risk facing specific properties.

Our observations during the field surveys for this CWPP confirm that the general observations above apply to this area including: “Without periodic natural fires or active measures to reduce fuel, the risk and potential intensity of future fires increase” and “the accumulation of fuel and development in hazardous areas pose particular challenges for … fire prevention, mitigation, and suppression.”

Insurance companies support the California Fire Safe Council and industry outreach organizations like the Insurance Information Network of California,68 which is a non-profit, non-lobbying organization dedicated to informing consumers and the media about the property/casualty business. Their Wildfire Prevention section includes:

Many rustic regions have become popular home-building areas, placing more Californians in danger of brushfire than ever before. Since 1970, the population of 11 California counties – nine of them forested – has grown by more than 150 percent.

There are more than 200 California communities in urban/wildland areas that are considered high-risk. These areas have the conditions that encourage the ignition and rapid spread of wildfires. The following characteristics put many people and homes at risk: x Extreme terrain regions – mountains, hills, ravines and canyons x Abundance of fuel – trees, shrubs, dry grass and other vegetation x Fire weather – dry air, strong winds x Population – heavily populated areas with homes close together

68 See www.iinc.org. The Wildfire Prevention section is at www.iinc.org/cons_issues/home/Wildfireprevention.html.

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Standard homeowners and renters’ insurance policies covers fire losses. But by taking some precautionary steps, you can reduce the chances of becoming a fire victim…

Your roof is the most vulnerable part of your house because it can easily catch fire from the wind-blown sparks of a wildfire. Build or re-roof with fire resistive or noncombustible materials. Your local fire department can provide specific roofing guidelines in your area.

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III. Procedures

A. Field Assessment

1. Methods

As noted above, ten field survey trips were made and field survey forms were complied for the Croy Fire Area CWPP. The field survey form in Table II-1 is a representative field survey. Similar field survey forms were completed for each of the areas surveyed. Some field survey forms are for large areas where the vegetation and conditions are similar while others are for smaller areas where the vegetation and conditions are unique.

The plan for the Croy Fire Area CWPP field surveys was organized by CAL FIRE Division Chief Dave Athey in early 2006. CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Mike Stonum and Fire Captain Nick Ciardella were responsible for conducting the field surveys and many of the surveys were done by Captain Ciardella. Mike Huff and Scott Eckardt of Dudek, accompanied by CAL FIRE Fire Captain Joe Mackey, completed several surveys during the Dudek trip to this area. Volunteer fire department personnel and others also contributed field surveys and proposed projects for this CWPP. Since these field surveys extended over almost one year during 2006, a wide variety of vegetation and fuel conditions were observed.

The observations and results of these field surveys are covered in the next two sections.

2. Observations

In general, the observations during the field surveys include: 1. Many homes were observed in fire prone areas with good fire resistant roofs, protected eaves and more or less adequate Defensible Space around the homes. 2. Conversely, many homes were also observed in fire prone areas with old, wood shake roofs, unprotected eaves, fire prone trees and little or no Defensible Space around the homes. Often these were older homes mixed in with newer, more fire resistant homes. 3. Some fire prone, grassy fields had been disked, at least partially along roadways, others had not. 4. Wildfire awareness appeared to be relatively low, probably because there hasn’t been a large, uncontrolled wildfire in this area for several years. 5. Increased fuel levels due to wet spring weather and quickly controlled wildfires have led to increased fuel accumulations and high fire danger conditions in many areas. 6. Residents and fire department personnel have observed increasing levels of fireworks use and other incidents (e.g., burned cars in remote areas) which could easily ignite dangerous wildfires.

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An important question for this CWPP is how to effectively communicate the results to stakeholders and residents. Plans to communicate the observations and results are in Section I.E above and Section IV.E below.

3. Results

The two most important results of the field surveys are: 1. More than adequate field observations and surveys to support the fire behavior models described below. 2. A number of large and small projects were identified which will reduce the potential risk of wildfires in various areas. More information on these projects is in Section IV.E below and Attachment E.

The field survey results and forms for each area are available. If you are interested, please e- mail Fire Captain Nick Ciardella at [email protected] or call (408) 206-3704.

The field surveys resulted in the high and medium priority plans (which are the last two sections of the survey form) shown in Attachment C.

It should be noted that not all of the Croy Fire area was surveyed and the plans in Attachment C are representative examples rather than an exhaustive list of problem areas.

B. Fire Behavior Models

Two separate fire hazard assessments were conducted in the preparation of this CWPP: a Geographic Information System (GIS)-generated fire hazard overlay map and an assessment of fire behavior potential using BehavePlus software.

The GIS-based Fire Hazard Overlay Map (FHOM) utilizes site-specific landscape variables (including slope, aspect, and vegetation type) to classify and graphically represent wildfire hazards. It is useful in locating portions of the Croy Fire Area that are more prone to wildfire hazard than other areas. The fire behavior analysis utilizes BehavePlus software to calculate expected fire behavior characteristics, such as flame length and spread rate, based on similar site- specific input variables (including slope, vegetation type/fuel model, and weather conditions).

Fire behavior analysis outputs also provide an understanding of hazard, but also allow fire response personnel to assess response and initial attack methods and to better understand the conditions that may occur should a wildfire start. The results of the models generated during the preparation of this CWPP indicate that the Croy Fire Area poses a significant fire threat to the local residents, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), local land managers, and the residents of Santa Clara County.

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C. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analysis

1. Fire Hazard Overlay Map

This section provides a summary of the processes performed in generating a Fire Hazard Overlay Map (FHOM). The process for map generation involved utilizing existing spatial data, more specifically, GIS data, in combination with field verification of existing vegetation conditions during field assessments with FireSafe Council members and fire department personnel.

The FHOM model incorporates three separate input variables as a way to highlight portions of the study area that present unique fire and/or fuel hazard conditions. The variables included in this analysis include slope, aspect, and vegetation/fuel type. Included in this section is a description of the methods, assumptions, and data sources used in creating the FHOM map for the Croy Fire Area CWPP. Ultimately, the map generated as a result of this process serves as a basis for identifying areas with potential hazards and assists prioritization of fuel treatment areas within the geographic limits of the CWPP area.

The FHOM was created by performing an analysis of raster GIS data utilizing the Spatial Analyst extension within ArcView 9.1 software. As previously mentioned, three input variables were used in this analysis, including slope, aspect, and vegetation/fuel type. Within each of these categories, a weighted rank value ranging from 0 to 10 was assigned to each classification, with higher values assigned to landscape features that present higher hazard levels. The following discussion of each variable outlines the data source, the weighted value assignments, and justifications for rank values.

a. Slope

Slope data was derived from a 10-meter digital elevation model (DEM) and calculated in percent units.69 The ranking values reflect increased hazard with increased slope values as steeper slopes allow for the preheating of fuels, the creation of a draft effect, and accelerate expected wildfire spread rates. Slope values within the Croy Fire CWPP area range from 0% (flat) to 60% (about 30 degrees). Table III-1 outlines the weighted values assigned to ranges in slope values.

69 Data Source: USGS Digital Elevation Model (DEM) – 10 meter resolution: California Spatial Information Library (http://gis.ca.gov/)

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Table III-1: Slope Value Weights Slope Range Slope Range Weighted Value (Percent) (Degrees) 0% - 5% 0° - 2.9° 1 5% - 10% 2.9° - 5.7° 2 10% - 15% 5.7° - 8.5° 3 15% - 20% 8.5° - 11.3° 4 20% - 25% 11.3° - 14.0° 5 25% - 30% 14.0° - 16.7° 6 30% - 35% 16.7° - 19.3° 7 35% - 40% 19.3° - 21.8° 8 40% - 45% 21.8° - 24.2° 9 45% + 24.2° + 10

b. Aspect

Aspect data was also derived from the same 10-meter DEM utilized in the slope analysis and was calculated in azimuth degrees (0-360 degrees). Aspect is defined as the direction in which a slope faces. Its impact on fire hazard is related to sun exposure, and, consequently, vegetation type and humidity levels. In this case, south and west-facing slopes were ranked higher based on a greater solar pre-heating component than north and east facing slopes. Additionally, south and west-facing slopes are typically characterized by drier shrub and grass cover with lower humidity levels. Rankings did not consider time of day or unique wind conditions.

Table III-2 outlines the weighted values assigned to ranges in aspect values.

Table III-2: Aspect Value Weights Aspect General Direction Weighted Value (azimuth degrees) 1 - 45 Northeast 5 45 - 90 East 6 90 - 135 East 7 135 - 180 Southeast 8 180 - 225 Southwest 10 225 - 270 West 10 270 - 315 West 7 315 - 360 Northwest 6

c. Vegetation/Fuel

Vegetative cover types for the Croy Fire Area were analyzed and were assigned fuel model values.70 Fuel models, numeric values assigned to general vegetation types, are ultimately used

70 Data Source:California Gap Analysis Project GIS Data (http://www.biogeog.ucsb.edu/projects/gap/data/meta/landcovdd.html) with modifications based on field analysis.

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in fire behavior calculations in the BehavePlus software package. Individual fuel models incorporate fuel characteristic values, including fuel load, fuel bed depth, and fuel heat content, amongst others. The characteristics of fuel models used in this analysis are described in greater detail in the following Fire Behavior Analysis section.

For the purposes of the FHOM analysis, higher hazard values were assigned to more upland vegetation classifications. Such vegetation types include grassland, chaparral and montane hardwood. Grasslands received higher values based on the potential for rapid fire spread, while chaparral and montane hardwood were classified with higher values due to high oil contents, typically larger amounts of dead fuel accumulation retained within existing plants, and horizontal fuel continuity. Riparian vegetation communities received more intermediate values, as vegetation in these areas typically have higher moisture content values due to more readily available ground water. However, the redwood vegetation type, typically associated with drainage bottoms, received a moderate values based on canopy spread potential. Those receiving low values primarily include wetland and vegetation types and areas with urban land cover.

Table III-3 outlines the fuel model numbers and weighted values assigned to each individual vegetation type found in the Croy Fire Area.

Table III-3: Vegetation and Fuel Model Classifications

Vegetation Type Fuel Model Number Weighted Value Annual Grassland 3 7 Barren 0 0 Blue Oak/Foothill Pine 9 6 Blue Oak Woodland 8 6 Coast Oak Woodland 8 6 Closed Cone Pine/Cypress 8 6 Chamise/Redshank Chaparral 4 9 Cropland 0 0 Coastal Sage Scrub 18 9 Eucalyptus 9 6 Lacustrine 98 0 Mixed Chaparral 4 9 Montane Hardwood/Conifer 8 6 Montane Hardwood 8 6 Orchard/Vineyard 8 6 Ponderosa Pine 9 6 Redwood 8 6 Urban 0 0 Valley Oak Woodland 8 6 Valley/Foothill Riparian 9 6

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d. Calculations and Results

The final FHOM for the Croy Fire Area was generated by utilizing the Spatial Analyst tools in ArcGIS software. Specifically, the weighted values for slope, aspect, and fuel type were multiplied together, resulting in a final range of values between 0 and 900. Based on specific geographic location and the resulting combination of slope, aspect and fuel type values, a final weighted numeric value was assigned based on an incorporation of the variables discussed above.

Fire hazard classifications ranging from Low to Very High were assigned to areas based on their cumulative rank score. Rank values were classified in the GIS software package and were based on Jenks Natural Breaks classifications with six individual classes (Low – Very High) spreading to the maximum value (900).

Table III-4 presents the breakdown of total rank values for each hazard class.

Table III-4: Fire Hazard Classification Ranges for the Croy Fire Area FHOM Fire Hazard Rank Value Classification Low 0 – 90 Low-Moderate 91 – 150 Moderate 151 – 225 Moderate-High 226 – 300 High 301 – 405 Very High 406 –900

The FHOM graphically represents the fire hazard situation in the Croy Fire Area and identifies specific threat areas that are discussed in this CWPP. Specifically, the area northeast of Uvas Reservoir, as well as areas off Casa Loma Road, Little Uvas Road, and Eastman Canyon Road rank higher in the hazard classification system than much of the surrounding area based on heavier fuel loads and steeper slopes.

The location of High and Very High hazard areas corresponds directly with steeper slopes and typically denser vegetative cover. This analysis provides an information base supporting the local knowledge of CAL FIRE from which fire planning and fuel treatment prescriptions can be prioritized. The FHOM generated for the Croy Fire Area is shown in Figure III-1.71

71 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/FHOM_CroyFireAreav3.pdf (PDF File) for the Croy Fire Area Fire Hazard Overlay Map. This PDF version can be expanded to show additional roads, streets and details.

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Figure III-1: Croy Fire Area Fire Hazard Overlay Map

2. Fire Behavior Analysis

Fire behavior and hazard modeling includes a high level of analysis and information detail to arrive at reasonably accurate representations of how wildfire would move through available fuels on a given site. Fire behavior calculations are based on site specific fuel characteristics supported by fire science research that analyzes heat transfer related to specific fire behavior. To objectively predict flame lengths and intensities, the BehavePlus 3.0.1 fire behavior modeling system72 was applied using predominant fuel characteristics, slope percentages, and representative fuel models observed within the Croy Fire Area project area. Two analyses per fuel model were completed using weather inputs related to more severe Diablo wind conditions (warm, dry easterly winds) and typical onshore flow conditions.

Predicting wildland fire behavior is not an exact science. As such, the minute-by-minute movement of a fire will probably never be predictable, especially when considering the variable state of weather and the fact that weather conditions are typically estimated from forecasts made many hours before a fire. Nevertheless, field-tested and experienced judgment in assessing the fire environment, coupled with a systematic method of calculating fire behavior yields

72 Andrews, Patricia L., BEHAVE: Fire Behavior Prediction and Fuel Modeling System- Burn Subsystem, Part 1, USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Report INT-194, 1986, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT., http://fire.org/downloads/behaveplus/2.0.2/bp2_overview.pdf

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surprisingly accurate results.73 The BehavePlus 3.0.1 fire behavior modeling system was used to predict the expected fire behavior for the Croy Fire Area.

To be used effectively, the basic assumptions and limitations of BehavePlus must be understood. x First, it must be realized that the fire model describes fire behavior only in the flaming front. The primary driving force in the predictive calculations are the dead fuels less than one-fourth inch in diameter. These are the fine fuels that carry fire. Fuels greater than one inch have little effect while fuels greater than three inches have no effect on fire behavior. x Second, the model bases calculations and de scriptions on a wildfire spreading through surface fuels that are within six feet of the ground and contiguous to the ground. Surface fuels are often classified as grass, brush, litter, or slash. x Third, the software assumes that weat her and topography are uniform. However, because wildfires almost always burn under non-uniform conditions, length of projection period and choice of fuel model must be carefully considered to obtain useful predictions. x Fourth, the BehavePlus fire behavior computer modeling system was not intended for determining sufficient fuel modification zone widths. However, it does provide the average length of the flames, which is a key element for determining “Defensible Space” distances for minimizing structure ignition.

Although BehavePlus has some limitations, it can still provide valuable fire behavior predictions which can be used as a tool in the decision-making process. In order to make reliable estimates of fire behavior, one must understand the relationship of fuels to the fire environment and be able to recognize the variations in these fuels. Natural fuels are made up of the various components of vegetation, both live and dead, that occur on a site. The type and quantity will depend upon the soil, climate, geographic features, and the fire history of the site. The major fuel groups of grass, shrub, trees and slash are defined by their constituent types and quantities of litter and duff layers, dead woody material, grasses and forbs, shrubs, regeneration, and trees. Fire behavior can be predicted largely by analyzing the characteristics of these fuels. Fire behavior is affected by seven principal fuel characteristics: fuel loading, size and shape, compactness, horizontal continuity, vertical arrangement, moisture content, and chemical properties.

All vegetation is considered “fuel.” All vegetation will burn, however, some species require more heat in order to ignite and propagate flame. The moisture content of vegetation is an important component, whereas dry vegetation will ignite more rapidly as green vegetation must lose its moisture before it will ignite. Consequently, shrub land vegetation with high oil content (above 6%) will burn more quickly and hotter than vegetation with high leaf moisture levels and low oil content levels. More than 90% of the flaming front of a wildfire is composed of fuel less than one-half inch in diameter, and is consumed in minutes. Fuels larger than one inch in

73 Rothermel, Richard C., How to Predict the Spread and Intensity of Forest and Range Fires, USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Report INT-143, 1983. Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment, Ogden, UT. http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/24635

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diameter are termed “residual” fuel and may require several hours to burn out. This larger fuel does not contribute to the forward rate of spread of the fire.

Fuel loading is defined as the oven dry weight of fuels in a given area, usually expressed in tons per acre. Natural fuel loading varies greatly by vegetative or fuel types in addition to the different size classes of fuel particles. Vegetation types can be rated as "light,” "moderate” or "heavy.” Each rating is an estimation of the dead or live surface fuels that are less than three inches in diameter. Although specific measurements were not taken, the cursory survey of the site revealed moderate to high ratings.

Measuring the intensity, force, and destructive potential of wildfire is accomplished by observing flame lengths produced by burning vegetation. A direct relationship exists between the amount of energy released during burning (per second), and the length of flame generated. The standard for measuring energy release in the United States is the British Thermal Unit (BTU). One BTU is defined as the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit (a standard kitchen match or candle flame is approximately one BTU).

Size and shape affect the surface area to volume ratio of fuels. Small fuels have a greater surface area to volume ratio than larger fuels. Dead fuels are separated into four size classes: (1) grass, litter, or duff less than one-quarter inch diameter; (2) twigs and small stems one-quarter inch to one inch diameter; (3) branches one inch to three inches diameter; and (4) large stems and branches greater than three inches diameter. The fine fuels less than one-quarter inch in diameter are most important for fire behavior analysis because their ignition time is less and fuel moisture content changes rapidly. This characteristic is typical for the grass understory identified in some areas.

The arrangement, size and surface area of vegetative fuels plays an important role in fire behavior and spread potential. Dense, concentrated biomass may burn evenly, however, when overall size decreases, and surface area increases (as seen in native shrub stands), burning patterns change resulting in faster ignition and spread. Standing grass, scrub, and chaparral have a high surface area to volume ratios, whereas forest litter and chipped or cut biomass exhibit very low surface to volume ratios.

The compactness, or spacing between fuel particles, affects the rate of combustion. For example, fuel particles that are tightly compacted have less surface area exposed, less air circulation between particles, and thus are slower to combust. The thick duff layer found underneath a mixed forest is an example of a tightly compacted fuel, whereas the open, dead branches on coastal sage scrub species are considered a loosely compacted fuel. The fuels within and adjacent to the site can be characterized as loosely spaced with adequate air circulation required to carry a fire.

The vegetative types within the Croy Fire Area were evaluated during field assessments. Horizontal continuity is the extent of horizontal distribution of fuels at various levels or planes. Fuels are either rated as uniform or patchy. Uniform fuels are those that are evenly distributed and occur in a continuous, non-interrupted cover across the landscape. Patchy fuels are those that are not continuous.

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Vertical arrangement is defined as the relative heights of fuels above the ground, as well as their vertical continuity. Both of these vegetation characteristics influence the ability of fire to reach various fuel levels or strata. Vegetation of various heights that can transport fire from the low- level brush to tree canopies is called a fuel ladder and may create what is called a "crown fire”. When tall grasses and shrubs grow around trees with low hanging branches, the result is a fuel ladder. When a ground fire climbs the fuel ladder into the crowns of trees, it can spread canopy to canopy, creating higher fire intensity and firebrands (spotting).

A very important fuels characteristic is fuel moisture content. This is defined as the amount of water in fuels. The moisture content of plant materials plays a major role in the ignition, development, and spread of fires. Fuel moisture controls the current flammability of fuels, both living and dead. During the most active growing periods of spring, the moisture content of plant foliage may be quite high. As the season progresses, a plant’s moisture content declines until late summer or early fall when the plant becomes dormant or completely dies. Fine fuels, less than one fourth inch diameter, are most responsible for the spread of fire and have highly variable fuel moisture contents depending on the relative humidity of the air. Live fuel moisture content during the peak fire season (October through December) is estimated to be 60- to 80- percent in the drier open areas. This can potentially drop to less than 60-percent under extreme, dry wildfire conditions.

There are two types of fuel moisture values to consider. Dead fuel moisture, with measurements of 1 hour time-lag, 10 hour time-lag, 100 hour time-lag, and 1000 hour time-lag, and live fuel moisture. Temperature, aspect, time of day, relative humidity and month of the year are all determinants in the percentage of dead fuel moisture. One hour time-lag fuel is less than ½ inch thick, 10 hour time-lag fuel is between ½ inch and 1inch thick; 100 hour time-lag fuel is between 1 inch and 3 inches thick and 1000 hour time-lag fuel is greater than 3 inches in thickness. One hour time-lag fuel can reach equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere in one hour, or within minutes when air temperature is exceeds 80° F. and relative humidity is below 25%. One hour time-lag fuel moisture may be calculated using a set of tables that reference time of day, month, aspect, slope, temperature and relative humidity. Ten hour, 100 hour, and 1000 hour time-lag fuel can take up to 10 hours, 100 hours, or 1000 hours to reach equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere, respectively. 1 hour, 10 hour and 100 hour time-lag fuels are usually given equal value. One thousand hour time-lag fuel, which occurs in more heavily wooded environments (i.e. timber), is generally used in measuring drought effects. Forests are considered ‘critical” when 1000 hour fuel measurements are less than 15% (as a frame of references, kiln-dried wood moisture averages 22%).

Chaparral and coastal sage scrub are common California vegetation types found in many upland locations and generally have reduced fuel moisture levels. Conversely, riparian vegetation, including California sycamore (Platanus racemosa), bay (Umbellularia californica), willow (Salix spp.), and mulefat (Baccharis glutinosa) has higher leaf moisture values than vegetation growing in drier, more xeric sites. The importance of fuel moisture in examining fire hazard is that higher moisture levels ultimately require higher BTU output to ignite or sustain ignition. Consequently, fuel arrangement, along with fuel chemical/moisture content, plays an important role in wildfire combustion, spread, and heat output. Fuel moisture is a significant component as vegetation requires external heat and energy to reduce moisture levels before it will ignite. High winds, low relative humidity, and/or high temperatures begin the process of removing fuel

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moisture thus allowing vegetation to ignite and burn more rapidly. Consequently, lower fuel moisture values, including both dead and live fuel moistures, result in increased fire intensity. Moisture-laden fuels inhibit complete combustion while simultaneously producing excessive smoke output.

Fuel chemical properties include the presence of volatile substances such as oils, resins, wax, and pitch. These also affect the rate of combustion. Chaparral has a rather high amount of these volatile substances that contribute to rapid rates of spread and high fire intensities. The pitch, resin, and oils in ornamental trees such as pines (Pinus spp.), California pepper (Schinus molle), and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.) trees also increases fire hazard. Oil and moisture contents vary between fuels and fluctuate depending on the time of year. When stressed during extreme dry weather conditions, numerous shrub species may react explosively when moisture falls below 60%, whereas larger shrubs may require higher energy to sustain ignition.

Fuel loading, fuel size and shape, fuel compactness, horizontal continuity, vertical arrangement, fuel moisture content, and fuel chemical properties are all descriptors that help define the 13 standard fire behavior fuel models74 and the more recently developed custom fuel models. Fuel models used in BehavePlus have been classified into 4 groups, based upon fuel loading (tons/acre), fuel height, and surface to volume ratio. Observation of the fuels in the Croy Fire Area determined which fuel models would be applied in BehavePlus. The following describes the classification of fuel models based on vegetation type:

Grasses: Fuel Models 1 through 3 Brush: Fuel Models 4 through 7, SCAL 14 through 18 Timber: Fuel Models 8 through 10 Logging Slash: Fuel Models 11 through 13 (40 additional models were introduced in 2005 with BehavePlus 3.0.1)

Four different fuel models (models 3, 4, 8, and 18) were used in the BehavePlus analysis for the Croy Fire Area and are required inputs for the mathematical fire spread model. BehavePlus was used in this analysis to predict flame length, spread rate, and heat/unit area values to better understand the potential fire behavior characteristics of the site. The following describes the different fuel models used in the analysis:

Fuel Model 3:75 Fires in this fuel are the most intense of the grass group and display high rates of spread under the influence of wind. Wind may drive fire into the upper heights of the grass and across standing water. Stands are tall, averaging about 3 feet (1 meter), but considerable variation may occur. Approximately one-third of the stand is considered dead or cured and maintains the fire. Wild or cultivated grains that have not been harvested can be considered similar to tall prairie and marshland grasses. Vegetation classified as a fuel model 3 in the project area is composed of native and non-native grasses as well as exotic weeds. Heights do not exceed 4 feet.

74 Anderson, Hal E., Aids to Determining Fuel Models for Estimating Fire Behavior, USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Report INT-122, 1982. Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT. http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_int/int_gtr122.pdf 75 Fuel models 1, 4, 8, and 9 from Anderson 1982, above.

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Figure III-2 is a representative Photograph of Fuel Model 3 in the Croy Fire Area.

Figure III-2: Representative Photograph of Fuel Model 3 in the Croy Fire Area

Fuel Model 4: Fire intensity and fast-spreading fires involve the foliage and live and dead fine woody material in the crowns of a nearly continuous secondary overstory. Stands of mature shrubs, 6 or more feet tall, such as California mixed chaparral, the high pocosin along the east coast, the pine barrens of New Jersey, or the closed jack pine stands of the north-central states are typical candidates. Besides flammable foliage, dead woody material in the stands significantly contributes to the fire intensity. Height of stands qualifying for this model depends on local conditions. A deep litter layer may also hamper suppression efforts.

Vegetation classified as a fuel model number 4 exists throughout the Croy Fire Area, primarily on drier south and west-facing slopes. Shrub vegetation in this area is dense, often reaching six feet in height, and in some areas, forms a continuous ladder into neighboring tree-dominated cover types. Ground cover in these areas generally consists of a duff layer at least 6 inches deep. The major concern for fire hazard in this fuel type is the potential for high flame lengths as well as the horizontal and vertical continuity of the vegetation which promotes fire spread uphill into neighboring tree stands.

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Figure III-3 is a representative Photograph of Fuel Model 4 in the Croy Fire Area.

Figure III-3: Representative Photograph of Fuel Model 4 in the Croy Fire Area

Fuel Model 8: Slow-burning fire with low flame lengths are generally the case, although the fire may encounter an occasional “jackpot” or heavy fuel concentration that can flare up. Only under severe weather conditions involving high temperatures, low humidities, and high winds do the fuels pose fire hazards. Closed canopy stands of short-needle conifers or hardwoods that have leafed out support fire in the compact litter layer. This layer is mainly needles, leaves, and occasionally twigs because little undergrowth is present in the stand. Representative conifer types are white pine, and lodgepole pine, spruce, fir, and larch.

Vegetation classified as fuel model number 8 exists within the oak-dominated vegetation types and redwood stands found within the Croy Fire Area. This fuel type supports ground fires beneath tree canopy cover within the leaf litter layer. Pockets of coast live oak trees (Quercus agrifolia) surrounded by grasslands and coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) are typical occurrences of this fuel type in the Croy Fire Area. Such stands of trees may be beneficial in slowing the progress of a grass fire as the ground fuels change from standing dead grass with heights up to 3 feet to more compact ground litter.

Figure III-4 is a representative Photograph of Fuel Model 8 in the Croy Fire Area. Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 61 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Figure III-4: Representative Photograph of Fuel Model 8 in the Croy Fire Area

Fuel Model 18: This fuel model represents typical California sage and buckwheat dominated coastal sage scrub vegetation communities. Fire spread is primarily through the fine herbaceous fuels, either cured or dead. Fuel possesses a high ether extractive content (oil) and will provide containment problems when fuel moisture is at 120%. Fire will burn explosively when fuel moisture is below 100%.

Vegetation classified as a fuel model number 18 exists in scattered patches intermixed with grasslands and chaparral stands, primarily in the lower-elevation eastern portion of the Croy Fire Area. It is typically found in upland locations on south and west-facing slopes, but can also be found in canyon bottoms. Shrub vegetation in these area is less dense than those classified as fuel model 4, typically does not exceed 3- feet in height, and includes buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), California sage (Artemisia californica), black sage (Salvia mellifera), coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis), and other coastal sage scrub species. These shrub stands are typically more open than those classified as fuel model 4. The major concern for fire hazard in this fuel type is the horizontal and vertical continuity of the vegetation which promotes fire spread uphill toward existing structures.

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Figure III-5 is a representative Photograph of Fuel Model 18 in the Croy Fire Area. Fuel Model 18 includes scattered shrubs amidst patchy grasses, as depicted on the slope on the right foreground portion of Figure III-5.

Figure III-5: Representative Photograph of Fuel Model 18 in the Croy Fire Area

a. BehavePlus Model Inputs

In addition to the fuel model inputs described above, two separate weather scenario inputs were derived from Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) located in the Croy Fire Area. Specifically, data from the Poverty and Ben Lomond RAWS stations was used to determine the weather input values presented in Table III-5. The reference period for the more extreme weather used was September 28, 2002 in order to obtain relevant extreme weather data corresponding to the 2002 Croy Fire that burned in southern Santa Clara County on that date. The typical weather conditions assumed an on-shore flow with winds blowing southward off the bay. Slope values used in the models were averages of those calculated during the FHOM preparation.

Table III-5 outlines BehavePlus input variables for both weather conditions evaluated for the project area. Table III-6 and Table III-7 outline BehavePlus output calculations by fuel model for the Croy Fire Area, broken down by the different weather scenarios.

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Table III-5: BehavePlus Weather and Slope Inputs Typical Onshore Extreme Fire Input Values Conditions Conditions 1-h* Moisture 2% 2% 10-h* Moisture 3% 3% 100-h* Moisture 5% 5% Live Herbaceous Moisture 60% 30% Live Woody Moisture 80% 60% 20-ft Wind Speed 7 mph 20 mph Air Temperature 75˚ F 90˚ F Wind Direction upslope upslope Slope 30% 30% * 1 hour, 10 hour and 100 hour time-lag fuels (see definition above)

Table III-6: Vegetation Fire Behavior Outputs – Onshore Weather Pattern

Fuel 20- ft. Wind Rate of Spread Flame Heat/Unit Area Model Speed (mph) (mph) Length (ft.) (btu/sq. ft.) 3 7 3.75 23.4 980 4 7 2.39 33.0 3244 8 7 0.07 1.9 242 18 7 0.86 23.4 4258

Table III-7: Vegetation Fire Behavior Outputs – Extreme Weather Pattern

Fuel 20- ft. Wind Rate of Spread Flame Heat/Unit Area Model Speed (mph) (mph) Length (ft.) (btu/sq. ft.) 3 20 5.76 28.5 980 4 20 4.61 45.5 3372 8 20 0.10 2.4 242 18 20 1.47 30.2 4337

b. Analysis and Interpretation of Model Results

As Table III-6 and Table III-7 indicate, wildfire behavior varies significantly by vegetation/fuel type. For example, heavy brush, indicated by fuel model number 4, exhibits the highest flame length values, while grass, indicated by fuel model number 3, exhibits the fastest spread rate. These results are consistent with expected outcomes, as the consumption of smaller fuels in grasslands promotes more rapid fire spread than the dense brush found in areas classified as fuel model number 4. Flame length values, however, are expected to be higher in dense brush, given the availability of dead leaf matter, the overall vegetation height, and the higher oil and resin content characteristic of the component shrub species comprising this fuel type. Fire behavior results indicated for fuel model number 8 that include redwood forest assume ground fire conditions only. Transition from ground to crown fire will result in significantly different

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results, emphasizing the importance for maintaining vertical clearance in key areas of the Croy Fire Area.

It should be noted that the results presented in Table III-6 and Table III-7 depict values based on inputs to the BehavePlus software. Changes in slope, weather, or pockets of different fuel types are not accounted for in this analysis. Model results should be used as a basis for planning only, as actual fire behavior for a given location will be affected by many factors, including unique weather patterns, small-scale topographic variations, or changing vegetation patterns.

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IV. Wildfire Management and Mitigation Strategy

A. Community Risk Assessment

An important component to this CWPP is the community risk assessment where site specific community attributes are acquired from various sources for use in analysis and priority area determination. Dudek utilized fire behavior modeling, site evaluations, and CAL FIRE input to define the priority WUI hazard areas that will ultimately be earmarked for fuels reduction projects.

Detailed discussion of the fire behavior modeling and site survey evaluations is addressed in previous sections of this CWPP (Sections III.C.1, IV.C.2 and III.A.1). CAL FIRE Division Chief Dave Athey provided a one day tour of the Croy Fire CWPP area that enabled Dudek to determine required inputs for fire modeling. In addition, CAL FIRE provided critical, local fire professional site intelligence including typical fire types for this area, typical ignition sources, and response capabilities.

B. Community Priority Areas

The community risk assessment process resulted in a clear delineation of the areas of most concern. The Croy Fire Area is primarily a rural setting with intermix and interface residences and associated structures. Within cities, such as Morgan Hill and Gilroy, structural fires fall under the jurisdiction of the Santa Clara County Fire Department (for Morgan Hill) or the Gilroy Fire Department. CAL FIRE’s primary responsibility is responding to wildfires.

Two types of wildfire may be encountered and are considered to represent very different risks. Backcountry wildland fires, those significantly removed from intermix and interface areas, are considered to have minimal impact on residents of the Croy Fire Area of Santa Clara County. Fires in these areas are provided fast response by CAL FIRE and others and can typically be contained to areas away from urbanization.

The risk assessment points to fires in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) as representing the highest risk to residents and their property. WUI area fires include wildland fire in the direct vicinity of interface or intermix residences and other structures. Fires in these areas have the potential to move from wildland fuels into urban fuels such as landscape plantings, outbuildings, decks, and homes. Fires in these areas also create risk with regards to relocation of people in emergency situations. As such, this CWPP focuses on the WUI areas and the following section identifies the specific priority areas of the Croy Fire Area WUI.

C. Identification of WUI Priority Areas

1. Methods

WUI priority areas were identified through a comprehensive process as outlined in the preceding sections of this CWPP. In summary, the CWPP planning team considered climate, fuel type, fuel loads, terrain, fire history, ignition sources, fire behavior model results, historical incident Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 66 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

responses, community age and construction type, and fuel modification zones, or lack thereof, among other criteria to determine priority areas of the Croy Fire Area’s WUI. The following sections detail the priority WUI areas for this CWPP.

2. Site Evaluation Results

a. Grassland/Urban Intermix

1. This area is characterized by lower density residential development existing along the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains along Watsonville Road, Sycamore Avenue, Uvas Road, and the lower portions of Redwood Retreat Road. Elevations are lower (typically between 375 and 500 feet) and slopes gentler than the neighboring mountains. Vegetative cover consists primarily of grasslands and oak savanna, with concentrations of oak woodland and chaparral on slopes above the valley and canyon bottoms.

2. Wildfire risk in this area is primarily associated with the presence of light, flashy fuels (grasses) in proximity to residential structures and associated ornamental landscapes. A wind driven fire in this area would move fast and threaten lives and property. As such, it is given the highest priority.

3. There is no clear interface in this area, rather, as a result of lower density development, an “intermix” condition exists. Fires in this type of vegetation have the potential to be fast moving as flashy fuels are consumed and topography facilitates rapid spread. Although fires would be less intense fire than those in heavier vegetation, fires in these areas have the potential to become intense and threaten property and lives due to inadequate fuel modification around intermix structures and the presence of combustible ornamental plantings in close proximity to structures. Additionally, fires originating at a structure or from human activities in this area have the potential for igniting adjacent brush and tree cover and moving westward up into the neighboring forest.

4. Roadways throughout this area provide access to canyon homes as well as multiple recreation opportunities (Uvas Reservoir County Park, Uvas Canyon County Park, Mt. Madonna County Park). Additionally, in the southern portion of this area, Highway 152 provides a route from the valley to coastal communities and is expected to experience heavy vehicle use at times. Maintenance along existing roadways to reduce the grasses and introduce or maintain proper spacing of larger shrubs is considered a priority for reducing wildfire risk, primarily the reduction of potential ignition from highway users and adequate ingress/egress for emergency vehicle travel and evacuation purposes.

b. Canyon Residences/Structures

1. This area is characterized by narrow canyons extending into the Santa Cruz Mountains, most notably along Casa Loma Road, Little Uvas Road, Croy Road, and Mt. Madonna Road. Defensible Space around residences in these areas is typically inadequate. Vegetative cover is primarily redwood forest or montane hardwood, although some homes at higher side

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canyon elevations are surrounded by chaparral76. Fires in these areas may be fast moving fires and have the potential for becoming crown fires. Structures are at risk from poorly maintained landscape vegetation and very little, if any, vegetation clearance.

2. Roadways throughout this area wind through the steep terrain and provide citizens access to isolated residences. Many of the roads dead-end, providing only one ingress or egress route. Potential risks with the road network in this area are primarily associated with dense forest cover, which limits vertical and horizontal clearance for firefighting equipment, and narrow road widths, limiting two-way traffic and causing potential congestion issues during emergency evacuation.

Development of evacuation plans should be a priority focus of the on-going risk reduction program. CAL FIRE and the volunteer fire departments should facilitate dialogue with residents and develop procedures for evacuation/relocation of residents should a wildfire occur within a “sphere of influence” from these high risk canyon residences.

3. Utility line clearance is another important factor for the Santa Cruz Mountains and eastern foothills. Numerous tree species grow within right of ways that are not appropriate for these areas due to their form and mature sizes. Enforcement of utility clearances will be crucial for minimizing the likelihood that fires are ignited from this potential source.

4. While the necessary 100 foot Defensible Space in the Grassland/Urban Intermix area can be established and maintained in most situations, the vegetation present in these canyon areas may make such clearance difficult. In many cases, structures are over-topped by forest canopies and horizontal clearance is inadequate. Consequently, fuel reduction and hazard planning efforts in these areas should emphasize horizontal and vertical separation techniques and emphasize maintenance of road buffers and clearance, where applicable.

3. Coordination With Stakeholders

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council participants and other important stakeholders were invited to participate in the development and review of this CWPP. The major decision makers and stakeholders for this CWPP are identified in Section I.D above.

Some of these major decision makers and stakeholders have their own wildfire prevention or mitigation plans for their properties and/or nearby properties. For example, the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority plan is described in Section II.E.6 and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company approved guidelines are provided in SCFSC’s Living With Fire in Santa Clara County.77

76 California Department of Fish and Game CWHR database: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/bdb/html/natural_communities.html 77 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/FireSafe/LivingWithFire.htm (Page 15)

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D. Hazard Reduction Recommendations/Prescriptions

The following recommendations are provided to reduce hazards within the Croy Fire Area priority WUI areas. These recommendations are based on known procedures that are specifically implemented to reduce fuel loading, break up fuel continuity, and reduce the likelihood that fire will affect valuable resources from wildfire transitioning to residences and also from residential fire escaping into wildland areas.

1. Fuel Reduction

a. Grassland/Urban Intermix

Fuel reduction in the Grassland/Urban Intermix area will include primarily the following components:

Exposed Sides – establish minimum 100 foot fuel modification areas from the edge of structures. In this area, multiple sides of structures and outbuildings are considered exposed due to the distance and vegetation condition between neighboring properties. Fuel modification will include the removal of flammable vegetation, thinning of continuous fuel “chains” that extend from the structure to the “wildland” vegetation, creating and maintaining horizontal and vertical separation of fuels, and other means (as described below) to provide Defensible Space for residences. In many cases, timed mowing of grasses will provide much of the needed fuel volume reduction and will minimize the possibility of a grass fire impinging on a residence. Maintenance of the fuel modification areas will be critical and shall be completed at least annually. Planting of landscape plants shall be restricted to those that include characteristics making them ignition resistant. Undesirable plants, such as those included in Attachment D, shall not be allowed within the fuel modification areas.

Homeowner education will be an important component of this mitigation factor. Typically, once homeowners are aware of the risk and its potential impacts on their property and the methods to mitigate that risk, they will comply, especially if the message is delivered by a fully empowered fire agency, like CAL FIRE.

Roadway Buffers – regular roadway buffer maintenance and vegetation clearance will be an important component to reducing ignition sources. Maintenance will include mowing grass, where feasible, along both edges of roadways to a distance of at least 10 feet and up to 20 feet, where possible. In addition, shrubs may require removal in entirety or height reduction to provide both horizontal and vertical separation. Dead and dying debris and litter shall also be removed within the roadway buffer areas.

b. Canyon Residences/Structures

Fuel Reduction in the Canyon Residences/Structures area will include similar projects as described for the Grassland/Urban Intermix, although vegetation removal may be limited in heavily forested areas. Obtaining the State mandated 100-foot Defensible Space in these areas will require emphasizing the horizontal and vertical separation techniques described herein.

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Short of conducting major tree removals to improve spacing and fuel continuity, fuel reduction will focus on removing dead and dying trees and limbs from lower portions of trees, clearing debris piles, firewood, and other flammable items from the fuel modification area. All fuel treatment operations should comply with the criteria set forth in the California Public Resource Code 4291. Tree removal may require oversight by a Registered Professional Forester (RPF). Fuel modification areas on all exposed sides of structures and residences will require establishment and maintenance. Roadway buffer areas shall also be required and will include mowing to a maximum width that is feasible, but at least 10 feet on both road shoulder edges and shrub and tree maintenance to create horizontal and vertical spacing. Utility line clearance must be enforced diligently to minimize the likelihood of fire starts.

2. Structural Ignitability Reduction

Short of requiring homeowner’s to renovate their homes to meet current building standards, there is little that can be done to improve the ignition resistance of dated, existing homes. However, structural ignitability occurs through convective heat, radiant heat and wind transported burning embers (firebrands). The occurrence of these forms of structural ignition can be reduced significantly by modifying the vegetation and landscape components that would promote intense heat onto or near the structure. Therefore, the focus of this CWPP is to modify the fuels and other landscape features to substantially reduce the intensity of advancing flames. The following discussion provides background on the types of heat transfer.

Structural ignitions from wildland fires come from three sources of heat transfer: flame radiation, flame impingement (convection), and wind transported burning embers (firebrands).

a. Radiant Heat

Radiant heat is the indirect heat from a flame. Structures will combust from the transfer of this radiant heat. It is important to determine a suitable distance between homes and adjacent combustible fuels. Three different approaches to determining the width requirements are presented herein. All three approaches are widely accepted by fire agencies and scientific researchers. Since many of the Croy Fire Area WUI areas are characterized by steep terrain, slope, wind, and fuel type will be the primary fire drivers. In most cases, the percent slope will determine the Defensible Space distance.

The first method reviewed for determining the Defensible Space for structures is a model developed by U.S. Forest Service research scientists in Montana. The model is called the Structure Ignition Assessment Model (SIAM). Results indicate that structure ignitions from radiant heat occur from wildfires within a short distance from the home. That is, “a fuel modification program beyond some relatively short distance from the home (depending on vegetation and topography) has no significant benefit for reducing radiant heat ignitions. The structure and its immediate surroundings should be the focus for activities to improve ignition risk.”78

78 Cohen, Jack D., Structure Ignition Assessment Model (SIAM), In: Proceedings of the Biswell Symposium: Fire Issues and Solutions in the Urban Interface and Wildland Ecosystems; 1994 February 15-17; Walnut Creek, CA Gen. Tech. Report. PSW-GTR-158, Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 70 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

The study suggests that, as a rule-of-thumb, larger flame lengths and widths require wider fuel modification zones to reduce structure ignition. For example, valid SIAM results indicate that a 20-foot high x 16-foot wide flame has minimal radiant heat to ignite a structure beyond 33 feet (horizontal distance). Whereas, a 70-foot high x 100-foot wide flame requires about 130 feet of clearance to prevent structure ignitions from radiant heat.79 Any obstacles, including steep terrain and non-combustible fences can block all or part of the radiation, thus making fuel modification distances even narrower. By contrast, a wildfire on a steep slope downhill from a structure can possibly radiate its entire flame area on the structure.

The second method evaluated is the State of California Public Resource Code 4291, updated in 2005 to increase the required Defensible Space zone around structures from 30 feet to 100 feet, or the property line, whichever is less. This law (PRC 4291) applies to areas of the state within the responsibility area of CAL FIRE and includes:

“a building or structure in, upon, or adjoining any mountainous area, forest-covered lands, brush-covered lands, grass-covered lands, or any land that is covered with flammable material…”

This law outlines fuel treatment criteria, which have been incorporated into the specific treatment recommendations contained herein. The Defensible Space distance is measured along the grade from the perimeter or projection of the building or structure. The fuel modification widths, or Defensible Space distances require up to 100 feet, or to the property limit, whichever is closer. If this approach were used, all of the fuel modification areas around the perimeter would be no more than 100 feet wide. In many situations, a 100-foot wide distance would not be adequate for slope and fuel types found within Croy Fire Area.

The third approach assessed was determining defensible distance using methods presented in the Defensible Space and Healthy Forest Handbook. This guide was originally designed for use in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada but can be applied locally in some instances. For example, it is applicable within the western portion of the Croy Fire Area in the steeper, rugged conditions of the Santa Cruz Mountains that exhibit similar fuel characteristics. This method bases the Defensible Space primarily on steepness of slope.

The downhill distance is of particular importance in creating a Defensible Space. Appropriate Defensible Space distances, according to this guidebook, are presented in Table IV-1. Defensible Space distances are dependent on percent slope and location (i.e., upslope or downslope). Slope is one of the primary contributing factors to fire intensity. The priority areas of the Croy Fire Area include slopes downhill from homes. As such, distances may need to be greater than 100 feet in some areas. It is recommended that a fuel modification zone be

Department of Agriculture; pp. 85-92, 1995. http://www.firelab.org/old/fbp/fbppubs/fbppdf/cohen/biswellsymp.pdf 79 Cohen, Jack D. and Bret W. Butler, Modeling Potential Structure Ignitions from Flame Radiation Exposure with Implications for Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Management, A paper presented at the 13th Conference on Fire and Meteorology, Lorne, Victoria, Australia, October 1996. http://www.firelab.org/fbp/fbppubs/fbppdf/cohen/modelingpotential.pdf

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patterned after the recommendations in Table IV-1, wherever possible. As displayed, this method requires the largest modification zone of the three sources we have examined. Several fire agencies with jurisdictions along the urban-wildland interface currently utilize this approach with favorable results. Implementation of these FMZ distances may have substantial implications on preserve areas, especially in the interior, intermix areas. Therefore, instead of applying these to all areas, a lot by lot analysis is recommended so individual site conditions can dictate where precisely the extended (beyond 100-feet) distances are necessary.

Table IV-1: Recommended Defensible Space Distances* Distance from Structure Percent Slope Uphill** Sides** Downhill** Level to 20% 100 feet 100 feet 100 feet 21% to 40% 150 feet 150 feet 200 feet 41% to 60% 200 feet 200 feet 400 feet *This Defensible Space distance chart is applied to a contiguous open space covered with native vegetation. **Refers to the direction of slope from the house.

b. Convective Heat

Convective heat, by definition and unlike radiant heat, transfers heat and potentially fire, from the flame contacting a structure. 80 When homes are built too close to the edge of a ridge top or graded slope, flames from a fire moving up that natural or manufactured slope may contact the structure. To minimize flame contact on a home, a structure setback distance can be determined by evaluating each structure with respect to its exterior eaves height and an imaginary “line” representing the extension of the slope as shown in Figure IV-1.

The gentler the slope, the greater the need for increased structural setback distances. For example, if the building pad is adjacent to a very steep slope (70%) and a two-story home is approximately 20 feet in height, a minimum structural setback of 30-feet from the edge of the slope may be required to minimize structure ignition. In areas where existing development does not allow suitable setbacks, additional fire protection measures should be implemented. Please note that no lot-by-lot analysis was included in the scope of work for this CWPP, but is recommended for later phases of this hazard reduction project.

80 Cohen, Jack D. and Bret W. Butler, Modeling Potential Structure Ignitions from Flame Radiation Exposure with Implications for Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Management, A paper presented at the 13th Conference on Fire and Meteorology, Lorne, Victoria, Australia, October 1996. http://www.firelab.org/fbp/fbppubs/fbppdf/cohen/modelingpotential.pdf

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Imaginary slope line

Structure Slope (Natural vegetation)

Figure IV-1: Structure Setback Using Slope, Eaves Height, and Imaginary Slope Line

c. Firebrands

A firebrand, by definition, is any source of heat such as flaming or glowing fuel particles that can be carried naturally by wind, convection currents, or by gravity into unburned fuels. Under conditions of high fire intensity and strong winds, firebrands can be transported over long distances well beyond the “defensible” space. Firebrands have been observed to travel hundreds of feet and up to several miles in front of the leading edge or “head” of a wildfire. Firebrands can ignite vegetation or structures when prolonged contact with flammable material occurs. For example, firebrands entering homes through open windows or vents may ignite flammable material resulting in a structure fire.

3. Fuel Management Recommendations

The results of the fire behavior models and site evaluations of the Croy Fire Area reveal a vegetative fuel complex capable of promoting wildfire spread between wildland vegetation and adjacent structures or vice-versa. Based on the proximity of structures to open-space, wildland areas that are not currently maintained for fuel reduction purposes, the potential exists for structural ignition through direct flame impingement or through spotting under high wind conditions, from wildfires burning near the Croy Fire Area. As such, it is recommended that a minimum 100 foot Defensible Space (wider where higher risk exists) around all exposed structures be implemented.

The following descriptions of vegetation treatment/hazard reduction tasks are provided as guidelines for fuel reduction efforts within the Croy Fire Area Hazard Reduction Areas (HRA). The HRA is defined as the area of land within 100 feet (horizontal distance) of existing structures that abut non-maintained open space areas adjacent to structures in the Croy Fire Area of Santa Clara County, California. The intent of these descriptions is to detail vegetation treatment actions aimed at reducing fire spread rates and heat intensity, while providing

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Defensible Space for fire suppression efforts. Although these treatment descriptions are aimed at reducing current fuel volumes and creating both vertical and horizontal separation between vegetation groups, long-term maintenance of the landscape within the HRA should adhere to the vegetation spacing, fuel volume reduction, and vegetation clearance recommendations contained herein. Finally, these fuel reduction techniques shall be conducted annually during the spring in order to avoid the development of hazardous conditions over time. x Vegetation thinning. Thinning of vegetation within the HRA involves an overall reduction of woody biomass to break up horizontally and vertically continuous fuels. Thinning efforts shall reduce overall vegetation by 30 to 50% based on the distance from structures. Heavier thinning (50%) should be conducted in areas within the first 30 feet (horizontal) from existing structures, while lighter thinning (30%) should be conducted in areas between 30 and 100 feet (horizontal) from existing structures. Site specific conditions will dictate thinning percentages in relation to structures and will be heavily dependent on topography, vegetation type, and building construction characteristics. In cases where shrubs and/or trees require removal, root systems shall be left intact to maintain slope stability. In such cases, annual treatment of stump growth or re-sprouting will be required to maintain reduced fuel load volumes. x Dead and dying plant removal. Removal of dead and dying plant material from the HRA will help reduce low fuel moisture biomass. This practice should also be conducted in combination with vegetation thinning efforts and may help reach or completely satisfy thinning objectives in some areas. x Exotic/invasive plant removal. Removal of non-native and invasive plants from the Defensible Space zone will help reduce the presence of undesirable species and enhance thinning efforts aimed at reducing overall biomass levels. In some areas, removal of exotic species may be all that is required to meet thinning objectives. Undesirable exotic species observed throughout the Croy Fire Area HRA include, but are not limited to: eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus spp.), California pepper (Schinus molle), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and mustard (Brassica spp.), amongst others. Many of these species plants have been planted by residents within the HRA, or have opportunistically established from parent material on residents’ properties. See Attachment D for more information on fire resistant and undesirable plants. x Tree and shrub pruning. Trees or large tree-form shrubs (reaching 4 feet or taller at maturity) that are to be retained in the HRA space zones should be trimmed or pruned to reduce both vertical and horizontal fuel continuity: Vertical separation. Pruning of vegetation off the ground should provide vertical clearance that measures 3 times the height of the understory vegetation or 10 feet, whichever is higher. Vertical separation serves to minimize the potential for a ground fire to transition to a crown fire. This process will remove ladder fuels and reduce the potential for fire spread from lower shrubs to higher trees and structures. Horizontal separation. Pruning of vegetation shall result in horizontal clearance that measures three times the height of the plant material height or 20 feet, whichever is greater. Horizontal separation serves to minimize fire spread between plants or plant groups. Horizontal chains of fuel occur in numerous areas throughout the HRA and

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effectively link the interface with non-maintained wildland areas prone to wildfire. The intent of the horizontal separation criteria contained herein is to break the continuity of vegetation between structures and wildland areas. x Vegetation grouping. Maintaining groups of shrubs is recommended to provide a mosaic pattern in the landscape. However, shrub groups should be separated from other shrub groups according to the horizontal separation criteria discussed previously. x Mowing. Mowing of native grasses, non-native grasses, and exotic weeds in the HRA should be conducted to maintain grass heights at 8 inches or lower. x Chipping. Chipping and spreading of existing dead biomass or that resulting from fuel reduction efforts within the HRA is an effective method for weed suppression. However, chip or mulch depth should not exceed 6 inches. x Goats/sheep. Browsing livestock have proven to be an effective method for reducing fuel volumes in wildland-urban interface areas. Management, maintenance, and public safety issues should be considered prior to use. x Vegetation clearance from structures: All vegetation should be trimmed such that a clearance of 10 feet exists between structures and exposed wildland vegetation. In cases where vegetation is planted within 10 feet of a structure (vines, shrubs), such vegetation should be maintained free of dead material and shall be pruned and maintained to reduce overall fuel volume. Reducing fuel within 10 feet of structures limits the potential for direct flame impingement. In cases where tree canopies extend over roof tops, 10 feet of clearance should be maintained between the roof and the lowest tree branch extending over the structure. Any tree adjacent to or overhanging a structure should be maintained free of dead or dying wood (PRC 4291 (d)). Firewood or other combustible debris should not be stored within 15 feet of existing structures. All combustible material, including tree leaves, pine needles, branches, and twigs should be removed from roofs and rain gutters (PRC 4291 (e)). All vegetation should be trimmed such that a clearance of 10 feet exists in all directions between landscape vegetation and the outlet of a chimney or stovepipe (PRC 4291 (c)). All vegetation should be trimmed such that a 10 foot wide clearance exists along both sides of a structure, from the street to the rear of the property to promote firefighter ingress/egress. In cases where property setback widths are less than 10 feet, the entire width should be maintained free of obstructing vegetation.

4. Structural Ignitability Reduction Strategy

A progressive process typically occurs as a building is exposed to a wildland-urban fire. First, ashes are cast in front of a fire by its smoke or convection column. In some instances, these

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ashes retain enough heat and/or flame that secondary ignitions are possible. Following the lighter ash, heavier embers with more surface area and mass, and consequently, more heat, are blown in front of advancing flames and often provide sources of additional ignition to structures and vegetation. Finally, intrusion of a flame front and the associated radiant heat flux can expose combustibles outside of a building and the exterior structure of a building to various levels of radiant heat.

Studies reveal that the actual exposure of a building to a typical wildland flame front by the perimeter of a fire is usually less than six minutes duration as the flame front passes by the building. However, exposure to the other forms of ignition source materials can result in proliferation of secondary ignitions of structures or adjacent vegetation and a longer exposure, depending on wind, topography and fuel conditions.

Figure IV-2 - Figure IV-4 below illustrate the three minute sequence of an advancing flame front.81

To enhance structural survivability, the primary focus must include, first, providing sufficient measures to prevent the ignition of structural materials from objects (fire brands) that are cast in front of the fire and, second, reducing the likelihood that direct impingement will occur and preventing flames from penetrating into the building and resulting in an interior fire. There are considerable problems in achieving these objectives without the benefit of new construction subject to the latest fire prevention codes.

All forms of fire protection are classified as either active or passive. Active fire protection includes implementing specific action to control a fire in some manner. Passive fire protection uses resistance to ignition or provides some form of warning that allows other action to be taken. These two classifications of self-defense mechanisms create different problems with regard to being accepted as alternatives for building construction. Furthermore, certain self-defense mechanisms must be built in during new construction, and others may only be capable of being added as a retrofit to existing structures. In the absence of fire resistive construction, the focus for reducing structural ignitability shifts to landscaping and fuel treatment areas.

Many of the residential structures within the Croy Fire Area are not built to current codes, which have been implemented statewide and based on intelligence gained from large wildfire events that included structure loss. It is not realistic to retrofit existing homes with enhanced ignition resistant construction, although the existing code in many counties can trigger upgrades to current code requirements for certain home additions. A partial list of inexpensive strategies that may be implemented by property owners include proactive steps such as providing protection for windows, installing non-combustible shutters that can be closed before relocation from the site, removing highly flammable curtains or furniture from window openings, upgrading exterior doors to ignition resistant standards, ensuring attic and crawl space ventilation openings are properly fitted with ¼ inch wire mesh, ensuring spark arrestors are property placed over chimneys, enclosing decks or other open areas under homes with non-combustible skirting, and caulking or filling (with non-flammable material) all openings or gaps in siding and roofing.

81 Photos from the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District and CAL FIRE provided by Dudek

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Figure IV-2: Flame Front Advances Toward the Road on 10/28/03, 2:22 PM

Figure IV-3: Flame Front Figure IV-4: Flame Front Has Crossed the Crossing the Road at 2:23 PM Road in Three Minutes at 2:25 PM

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Based on the type of development in the Croy Fire Area, the existing fuels and terrain, structural ignition reduction will primarily be realized through implementation of fuel modification as described in this CWPP. Residential structures and other combustible structures within the WUI areas of the Croy Fire Area will require fuel modification areas incorporating design that includes irrigated, low growing, non-flammable vegetation in the nearest 30 feet from structures, eliminates flammable vegetation and reduced fuel volume in the next 70 feet with heavier thinning the closer to the structure. The previous section in this CWPP provides more specific details and vegetation treatment techniques for HRA fuel reduction recommendations.

E. Action Plan and Assessment Strategy

1. Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project Identification

As noted in Section I.A.5, the specific objectives for this CWPP included: x Encourage and enable property owners and residents to create and maintain Defensible Space around their homes and neighborhoods x Identity fuel reduction projects that can be completed through stakeholder and community cooperation without federal grants x Identity and plan fuel reduction projects for which federal grants or other funding sources are needed

Identification of potential plans and projects was an integral part of the field surveys for this CWPP. In particular, a systematic attempt was made to identify projects and other ways to address each of the high and medium priority problem areas identified above in Section III.A.3.

The following general and specific high and medium priority projects were identified during this process. Project identification and implementation is an on-going process and additional projects will be added as needed. If you would like to suggest projects for this CWPP area, please e-mail Fire Captain Nick Ciardella at [email protected] or call (408) 206-3704.

a. General Projects

x Community Outreach and Education – Information and education to educate and enable property owners and residents to create Defensible Space around their homes and communities. The most important recommendations include: - Replace wood shake roofs with Class A roofs – This alone may save your home - Create at least 100 feet of Defensible Space around homes - Utilize knowledgeable contractors who follow industry standards for vegetation thinning - Ensure that house numbers are easily visible from the street (both day and night) - Call local utilities, especially electric companies, to clear branches around utility lines - Contact your local fire agency for specifics for your area or property (see Page ix for Contact Information). Utilize the user-friendly information available from your local

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fire agency, CAL FIRE, SCFSC, FireWise, and other sources to protect your home and community.

Community Outreach and Education to educate and enable property owners and residents to create Defensible Space around their homes and communities is our most important project because: - Neither federal nor local funding is available to address all of the problem areas. - Property owners are ultimately responsible for their own properties and their cooperation is needed for any funded projects to be effective. - Community Outreach and Education is the most leveraged and effective use of funds and time for both the local fire agencies and the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council. - Community Outreach and Education also helps to educate visitors and others to help prevent wildfires in high fire danger areas. For example, if vacationers and visitors understand the fire danger and that extinguishing campfires and not using fireworks are important, they are less likely to engage in activities that cause wildfires.

x Chipping Program – SCFSC has been selected for a relatively small 2007 grant from the Bureau of Land Management to start a chipping program for this CWPP area and other areas in Santa Clara County. If this grant is fully funded, it will be enough to pay for perhaps 15 small projects where homeowners have prepared the material to be chipped and ten projects where SCFSC pays a contractor to help prepare the material to be chipped (for disabled and low income seniors, etc.). The federal funding should be about $57,700 and we will also try to raise money locally so the total is about $72,000. This will be a pilot project so we can learn how to manage chipping programs and which we can expand to more of the County later if we get more grants for chipping programs.

b. High Priority Projects

The High Priority projects listed in Attachment E support the High Priority plans from the field surveys in Attachment C (see Section III.A.3).

c. Medium Priority Projects

The Medium Priority projects listed in Attachment E support the Medium Priority plans from the field surveys in Attachment C (see Section III.A.3).

2. Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project Implementation

The Hazardous Fuel Reduction projects identified above can be implemented in several different ways depending on the project and project management and funding requirements. For example: 1. SCFSC will continue our Community Outreach and Education programs and use the information from this CWPP to target our programs and educate property owners about specific high fire danger areas in their communities. As noted above, Community Outreach and Education is the most leveraged and effective use of funds and time for both the local fire agencies and SCFSC.

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2. Some fuel reduction projects which do not require any federal funding will continue as long interested community leaders and other nearby SCFSC participants continue to organize and manage these projects. We hope to organize a number of the smaller projects above in a similar manner, which is the fastest and most efficient way to implement smaller project where large amounts of local or federal funding are not required. 3. We anticipate that if the Chipping Program described above (Section IV.E.1) will start early in 2007. We hope that the experience during the first year of this program will lead to continued local support and the local and federal funding needed to continue this program on a long term basis. 4. Grants will be pursued for larger projects where federal funding is required. For example, the California Fire Safe Council requests Concept Paper annually for their Grants Clearinghouse for federal grants from the Bureau of Land Management and other federal wildfire prevention grant programs. Concept Papers submitted in early 2007 may be chosen for funding in late 2007 or early 2008.

3. SCFSC Funding

SCFSC does not break out expenditures for the Croy Fire Area or other geographic areas of Santa Clara County but the following will help identify the anticipated 2007 funding for our projects and programs.

a. Community Outreach and Education

SCFSC spent about $29,600 on Community Outreach and Education programs in calendar 2005 and about $64,100 on these programs in 2006. This very significant increase for these programs was made possible by a federal grant from the Department of Homeland Security, Assistance to Firefighters Fire Prevention and Safety Grant.

For 2007, funding from the DHS grant and local sources is projected to provide about $31,700 for these programs and funding from the hazardous fuel reduction grants (there is a second small grant for other parts of the County similar to the chipping grant discussed above) should provide about $17,100. Thus the total for Community Outreach and Education programs in calendar 2007 is anticipated to be about $48,800. This is, of course, a significant decrease from 2006.

There are now 14 Communities at Risk from wildfires on the California Fire Alliance list of Communities at Risk in Santa Clara County82 and only a portion of the funding received by SCFSC will be used for the Croy Fire Area which includes part of the Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin Communities at Risk.

82 See http://www.cafirealliance.org/communities_at_risk/communities_at_risk_list. Filter the results by County Name and Search for Santa Clara to see the Communities at Risk in Santa Clara County.

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b. Hazardous Fuel Reduction

The Chipping Program discussed above that includes this area and the similar program for other parts of the County, and their associated local matching funding, will provide a total of about $111,600 starting in late 2006 and ending in mid-2008.

Of this total, approximately $23,500 is allocated for Community Outreach and Education (COE) and about $88,100 is for starting and implementing the Hazardous Fuel Reduction Chipping Programs. This is a significant amount, especially for a startup program, but it is only a small part of what is needed for the County. Both the local fire agencies and SCFSC need to do more Community Outreach and Education because it is the most leveraged and effective use of our funds and time.

Our current (early 2007) forecast for expenses from these two Chipping Program Grants is shown in Table IV-2. Table IV-2: Forecast SCFSC Hazardous Fuel Reduction Expenses Chipping Related Year Comments Programs COE 2006 $1,500 $0 Planning and Other Startup Expenses 2007 $60,100 $17,100 Startup, Chipping and Related COE 2008 $26,500 $6,400 Chipping and Related COE, Program Evaluation Total $88,100 $23,500

While we would like to do more Hazardous Fuel Reduction activities in 2007 than these two Chipping Programs, it is unrealistic to anticipate that we can manage more activities, especially during a startup year for these two projects. Also, we do not expect to receive any further funding for 2007 since the next federal grant applications are for 2008 funding.

c. Hazardous Fuel Assessment and Strategy

SCFSC spent about $24,100 on the development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans during late 2005 and 2006 and expects to spend about $13,200 in 2007 to complete our current grant. We do not have any additional grants for this activity. The two Community Wildfire Protection Plans we are developing under this grant cover all or parts of five Communities at Risk from wildfires in Santa Clara County. As noted above, there are 14 Communities at Risk in the County and we hope to obtain additional funding for these activities in future years.

4. Timeline

Smaller projects which do not require federal funding will be implemented starting in 2007 (some work started on this in 2006 during the development of the Community Wildfire Protection Plans). Our primary activities in 2007 will be the Chipping Program and Community Outreach and Education as described above. Other projects will be addressed starting in 2008 as funding is available.

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5. Funding Requirements

The funding requirements for the projects identified in this CWPP are being investigated and a complete estimate is not yet available. As noted above, project identification and implementation is an on-going process and additional projects will be added as needed.

6. Contractor Specifications and Bid Package Preparation

Contractor Specifications and Bid Package Preparation and related subjects, including environmental concerns, monitoring contractor progress and final inspections, will be addressed for the larger projects in 2007 and 2008. This material is not required to complete this Community Wildfire Protection Plan. In general, environmental issues are not a significant concern for most of these projects because they do not involve work in biologically sensitive areas near streams and creeks.

7. Importance of Long-term Maintenance

Long-term maintenance is essential for any Hazardous Fuel Reduction Program because the maintenance cost is almost always much less than the initial fuel reduction cost. For example, a significant amount of state grant funding was used for the first year of the Crothers Road Fuel Break in the East Foothills Community at Risk (east of San Jose) even though some fuel reduction work had been done in this area previously. Annual maintenance is handled as on ongoing activity by SCFSC participants in that area and is not a significant expense. If this annual maintenance was not done, the fire danger would increase and, within a few years, another project similar to the initial project would be required.

Just as long-term maintenance is essential for any Hazardous Fuel Reduction Program, long-term maintenance is also essential for this Community Wildfire Protection Plan. SCFSC plans to update this plan annually with fuel reduction progress, new observations and threats, and new projects to address problem areas.

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 82 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

V. Conclusions and Next Steps

A Community Wildfire Protection Plan has been developed for the Croy Fire Area west of Morgan Hill. This area includes parts of the Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin Communities at Risk from wildfires. All of the area covered by the Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan is in unincorporated Santa Clara County. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) provides wildland fire protection in the Croy Fire Area and has mutual aid agreements with many departments in the area. The Uvas and Casa Loma Volunteer Fire Departments also respond to fires in this area. No direct structural fire protection is provided by the county or local fire departments.

This Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was prepared following the California Fire Alliance CWPP Planning Process and meets the general objectives for CWPPs as well as the specific objectives established for this CWPP (see Section I.A.5). The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council would like to acknowledge the assistance and participation of many organizations, companies and people in preparing this CWPP as summarized in Section I.A.8.

Ten field survey trips were made and field survey forms were complied for the Croy Fire Area CWPP (see Section II.G.5 and Table II-2).

A. Conclusions

The conclusions of this CWPP include: x Fire History Warns of Reoccurrence of Wildfires. Several fires have burned the Croy Fire CWPP area. The most recent sizable fire was the Croy Fire, which occurred on the west side of this CWPP area in 2002 and demonstrated the potential for large, uncontrollable wildfires to occur in this area. The Croy Fire started on September 23 and was not contained until September 28. This fire is on the CAL FIRE list of 2002 “Top Five Fires” with 3,127 acres burned and 34 structures lost (see Section II.G.8 and Figure II-7). Even so, it burned only a fraction of the Croy Fire Area, leaving heavy fuels and high fire risk for most of the area. The burned areas are already recovering and fuels are accumulating. x Fire Risk Assessment Results in Vulnerable Areas. Based on existing vegetation, topography and typical weather conditions, the Croy Fire CWPP area is considered vulnerable to wildfire. The proximity of open space to residential structures and to scenic roadways increases the likelihood of anthropogenic ignition from discarded cigarettes, automobiles, fireworks, and electrical transmission lines, etc. Additionally, the potential for spotting (burning embers entering blowing into unburned vegetation) is high during dry, Santa Ana wind-driven conflagrations (see Section II.G.9). The south, southwest and west-facing slopes in this area provide a good example of where the existence of small, flashy fuels beneath shrubs and trees, especially in the interface areas, also increases the potential for vertical fire spread. The presence of highly flammable, unmaintained shrubs and trees, specifically peppers, eucalyptus, pines,

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 83 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

palm trees, and other non-native trees near interface and intermix residential structures, increases the potential for canopy fire and structural ignition (see Section II.G.9). x Valuable Assets at Risk in Croy Fire Area. In addition to people and homes, there are other important assets in or near the Croy Fire CWPP area including reservoirs, large parks and open space areas such as Calero, Chesbro Reservoir, Mt. Madonna, Uvas Canyon and Uvas Reservoir County Parks and the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority properties in this area as well as smaller parks and open spaces near Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin (see Section II.G.10). x Fire Fighting Resources are Significant. CAL FIRE has very significant capabilities to fight and control wildland fires in this area (see Section II.H.1). Mutual aid from nearby fire departments is available when needed (see Section II.H.4). Volunteer Fire Departments are ready to serve as first responders and to assist CAL FIRE (see Sections II.H.2 and II.H.3). However, given the uncontrollable factors such as terrain, weather, and fire behavior and how they affect fire response, fuel reduction by residents may be what ultimately saves their homes.

x Survey Results Support Fire Behavior Models, Projects Identified. The two most important results of the field surveys are: 1) More than adequate field observations and surveys were completed to support the fire behavior models, and 2) A number of large and small projects were identified which will reduce the danger from wildfires in various areas (see Section III.A.3 and Attachment E).

x Advanced Fire Hazard Assessments. Two separate fire hazard assessments were conducted in the preparation of this CWPP: a Geographic Information System (GIS)- generated fire hazard overlay map and an assessment of fire behavior potential using BehavePlus software (see Sections III.B and III.C).

x Risk Assessment Points to WUI Areas. The risk assessment points to fires in the WUI as representing the highest risk to residents and their property. WUI area fires include wildland fire in the direct vicinity of interface or intermix residences and other structures. Fires in these areas have the potential to move from wildland fuels into urban fuels such as landscape plantings, outbuildings, decks, and homes. Fires in these areas also create risk with regards to relocation of people in emergency situations. As such, this CWPP focuses on the WUI areas and the following section identifies the specific priority areas of the Croy Fire Area WUI (see Section IV.B).

x Evacuation of Some Croy Fire CWPP Areas a Concern. Higher elevation areas of the Croy Fire CWPP area include narrow, winding roads abutting dense vegetation. A key to reducing the risk in these areas includes improving communications with CAL FIRE and

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 84 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

developing an evacuation plan among residents, CAL FIRE and the volunteer fire departments (see Section IV.C.2). x Fuel Reduction is Key to Reducing Risk. The fuel reduction recommendations presented in this CWPP are critical fuel modification techniques that are part of an overall vegetation management program designed to reduce the continuity of fuels that promotes fire spread from open space areas into adjacent residential and developed areas (see Section II.G.9).

Recommendations are provided to reduce hazards within the Croy Fire Area priority WUI areas. These recommendations are based on known procedures that are specifically implemented to reduce fuel loading, break up fuel continuity, and reduce the likelihood that fire will affect valuable resources including residences (see Section IV.C).

Many of the residential structures within the Croy Fire Area are not built to current codes, which have been adopted statewide and are based on intelligence gained from large wildfire events that included structure loss. It is not realistic to retrofit existing homes with enhanced ignition resistant construction, although the existing code can trigger upgrades to current code requirements for certain home additions. Based on the type of development in the Croy Fire Area, the existing fuels and terrain, structural ignition reduction will primarily be realized through implementation of fuel modification as described in this CWPP. Residential structures and other combustible structures within the WUI areas of the Croy Fire Area will require fuel modification areas incorporating design that includes irrigated, low growing, non-flammable vegetation in the nearest 30 feet from structures, eliminates flammable vegetation and reduced fuel volume in the next 70 feet with heavier thinning the closer to the structure (see Section IV.D.4).

x Priority Risk Reduction Projects Identified. General and specific high and medium priority projects were identified during this CWPP development process (see Section IV.E.1). Completion of these projects will result in significant reduction in wildfire risk for the immediately adjacent areas.

x Community Outreach Top Priority. Even more important than addressing priority area projects, Community Outreach and Education to educate and enable property owners and residents to create effective Defensible Space around their homes and communities is our most important and effective project (see Section IV.E.1).

x Growing Number of At Risk Communities. There are now 14 Communities at Risk from wildfires on the California Fire Alliance list of Communities at Risk in Santa Clara County and only a portion of the funding received by SCFSC will be used for the Croy

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 85 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Fire area which includes part of the Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin Communities at Risk (see Section IV.E.3).

x Commitment to Long-Term Maintenance Critical. Long-term maintenance is essential for any Hazardous Fuel Reduction Program because the maintenance cost is almost always much less than the initial fuel reduction cost. If this annual maintenance is not done, the fire danger will increase in as short a time as one year and, within a few years, another costly project similar to the initial fuel reduction project will be required (see Section IV.E.7).

B. Next Steps

The following priorities and next steps are recommended for stakeholders and others involved in this Community Wildfire Protection Plan. These recommendations recognize that, while fire agencies and the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council can provide education and recommendations, private and public property owners have the primary responsibility for preventing wildfire-related losses to their homes and properties.

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 86 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

- Contact your local fire agency for specifics for your area or property (see Page ix for Contact Information). Utilize the user-friendly information available from your CAL FIRE, SCFSC, FireWise, and other sources to protect your home and community.

C. CWPP Finalization

This CWPP will be finalized following reviews by the participants, the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Officers and Directors and the stakeholders and decision makers. Comments and suggestions from these sources, as well as comments and suggestions from the public, will be integrated into the final version.

Community participation is also essential for this CWPP and future fuel reduction projects. Please e-mail any comments to Fire Captain Nick Ciardella at [email protected] or call (408) 206-3704.

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 87 DUDEK Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Photos provided by Dudek

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 88 DUDEK

Attachments A-1- A-3 and B

Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Attachments A-1 – A-3 and B are distributed separately and can be downloaded from the links below.

Attachment A-1: “Taming Natural Disasters,” Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Multi-Jurisdictional Local Government Hazard Mitigation Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area (http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/ABAG_Report.pdf) Attachment A-2: Santa Clara County Annex to Attachment A-1 (http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/ABAG_Report_SCC_Annex.pdf) Attachment A-3: Santa Clara County Infrastructure Mitigation Strategies for Attachments A-1 and A-2 (http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/ABAG_Report_SCC_Mitigation_Strategies.pdf) Attachment B: Santa Clara County Structural Ignitability Policies and Practices (http://www.sccfiresafe.org/CWPP/SCC_2001_CFC_Amendments.pdf)

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Attachments A-1- A-3 and B

Attachments C

Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Field Assessment Results

The two most important results of the field surveys (see Section III.A.3) are: 1. More than adequate field observations and surveys were completed to support the fire behavior models. 2. A number of large and small projects were identified which will reduce the danger from wildfires in various areas. More information on these projects is in Section IV.E and Attachment E.

The field survey results and forms for each area are available. If you are interested, please e- mail Fire Captain Nick Ciardella at [email protected] or call (408) 206-3704.

The field surveys resulted in the following high and medium priority plans (which are the last two sections of the survey form).

1. High Priority Plans

Uvas Canyon Structures Plan Educate property owners to create Defensible Space around their homes. Priority* High priority to create Defensible Spaces due to the fuel loading and the response times to this area.

Casa Loma Road Structures Plan Educate property owners to create Defensible Space around their homes. Priority* High priority to create Defensible Spaces due to the fuel loading and the response times to this area.

Loma Chiquita Road Structures Plan Educate property owners to create Defensible Space around their homes. Priority* High priority to create Defensible Spaces due to the fuel loading and the response times to this area. * Priority for additional fuel reduction or other treatment as part of this plan

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 1 Attachment C

Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Field Assessment Results (Cont.)

2. Medium Priority Plans

Uvas Canyon County Park Plan Limb up and trim back large, overhanging trees, remove hazardous small trees, fire prone underbrush and weeds and maintain this shaded fuel break along the road that connects to Summit Road Priority* Medium priority for both residents and fire apparatus ingress and egress through this area.

Uvas Canyon Road Plan Limb up and trim back large, overhanging trees, remove hazardous small trees, fire prone underbrush and weeds along Uvas Canyon Road Priority* Medium priority to create a safe route of travel for first responders and residents.

Casa Loma Road Plan Limb up and trim back large, overhanging trees, remove hazardous small trees, fire prone underbrush and weeds along Casa Loma Road Priority* Medium priority to create a safe route of travel for first responders and residents.

Loma Chiquita Road Plan Limb up and trim back large, overhanging trees, remove hazardous small trees, fire prone underbrush and weeds along Loma Chiquita Road Priority* Medium priority to create a safe route of travel for first responders and residents.

Casa Loma, Landing Zones and Staging Areas Plan Identify and clear areas where large groups of fire response equipment or aerial firefighting equipment could occupy during a fire emergency without being in danger from an advancing fire front. Priority* Medium priority to provide a safe area where fire crews will not be in danger of an advancing fire front.

Loma Chiquita, Landing Zones and Staging Areas Plan Identify and clear areas where large groups of fire response equipment or aerial firefighting equipment could occupy during a fire emergency without being in danger from an advancing fire front. Priority* Medium priority to provide a safe area where fire crews will not be in danger of an advancing fire front.

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 2 Attachment C

Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Field Assessment Results (Cont.)

Uvas Canyon, Landing Zones and Staging Areas Plan Identify and clear areas where large groups of fire response equipment or aerial firefighting equipment could occupy during a fire emergency without being in danger from an advancing fire front. Priority* Medium priority to provide a safe area where fire crews will not be in danger of an advancing fire front. * Priority for additional fuel reduction or other treatment as part of this plan

It should be noted that not all of the Croy Fire area was surveyed and the plans above are representative examples rather than an exhaustive list of problem areas.

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 3 Attachment C

Attachment D

Fire Resistant Plants

Fire resistant plants are less likely to burn as easily or rapidly as combustible plants. Examples of combustible plants include Italian Cypress, Junipers, Brooms and many exotic Grasses (see the Undesirable Plant List below). Fire resistant plants should receive routine care and be watered as directed to maintain their fire resistance.

The following is a sample list of deer, drought and fire resistant plants. Indicates erosion control, Not deer resistant, and “spp.” indicates more than one species are commonly grown. For specific selections appropriate to your area, contact your local nursery or visit the National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Program at www.firewise.org.

Ground Covers Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) Evergreen with tiny white flowers. Sun to part shade. Cape Weed (Arctotheca calendula) Spreads quickly. Yellow daisy-like flowers. Full sun. Gazania (Rigens leucolaena) Silver-gray foliage with white, yellow or orange flowers. Full sun. Rosea Ice Plant (Drosanthemum floribundum) Succulent, grows on steep slopes. Bright blooms. Full sun. Wooly Yarrow (Achillea tomentosa) Bright yellow blooms with fernlike fuzzy leaves. Sun to shade.

Woody Ground Covers Aaron’s Beard (Hypericum calycinum) Bright yellow blooms. Semi-deciduous. Sun to shade. Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) Bright green leaves with white to pink flowers. Full sun. Dwarf Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis) Billowy with small green leaves. Grows on steep slopes. Full sun. Dwarf Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Tiny blueflowers. Grows on steep slopes. Full sun. (Maintenance needed to reduce dead plant material)

Shrubs Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus) Full sun. Shiny green foliage with blue blossom clusters. Escallonia (Escallonia spp.) Sun to partial shade. Flower clusters with waxy green leaves. Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) Large green leaves with flower clusters. Sun to part shade. Oleander (Nerium oleander) Blooms year round. Green dense foliage. Poisonous if ingested. Full sun. Rockrose (Cistus spp.) Most varieties with gray-green foliage & 2” blooms. Full sun. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) Dark green leathery leaves with white blooms. Sun to part shade.

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 1 Attachment D

Fire Resistant Plants (Cont.)

Perennials California Fuchsia (Zauschneria californica) Dark red trumpet blooms, re-growth in spring. Full sun. Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) Semi-evergreen with large bright blooms. Sun to part shade. Lavender (Lavandula spp.) Fragrant with silver-gray foliage. Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus spp.) Smooth green foliage with blue, violet or white blooms. Sun to shade. Sage (Salvia spp.) Most varieties herbaceous foliage with varied blooms. Sun to part shade. Sticky Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus) Green narrow leaves, profuse blooms & colors. Sun to shade.

Evergreen Trees African Sumac (Rhus lancea) 15-20’. Full weepy branches with berry-like clusters. Sun to part shade. California Pepper (Schinus molle) Grows to 40’. Full sun. Graceful branches with clusters of berries. (Regular pruning and maintenance needed) Catalina Cherry (Prunus lyonii) Shrub/tree to 30’. Showy white flowers followed by red fruits. Full sun. Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) Grows to 40’. Shiny texture leaves with dark bark. Sun to part shade. Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) Up to 40’. Bears dark “fruit pods” with dark green leaves. Sun to part shade. Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) Shrub/tree to 18’. Color dramatically changes with seasons. Deciduous. Full sun.

Evergreen Vines Cape Honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) Fine dark green foliage with red-orange clusters. Sun to shade. Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) White fragrant blooms with glossy leaves. Sun to part shade.

Source: Santa Clara County FireSafe Council Living With Fire in Santa Clara County, Page 17.1 This document also provides recommendations for Fire Safe Landscape Design (Page 14) and Planting Trees Near Power Lines (Page 15).

1 See http://www.sccfiresafe.org/FireSafe/LivingWithFire.htm Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 2 Attachment D

Undesirable Plant List

This undesirable plant list includes examples of plant species that are not desirable in a wildland urban interface landscape. The local Fire Authority has ultimate approval on which plants are appropriate for fuel modification areas.

Trees

Fir Trees Abies species Acacia Acacia species Juniper Myrtle Agonis juniperina Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria species Bottlebrush Callistemon species Cedar Cedrus species False Cypress Chamaecyparis species Camphor Tree Cinnamomum camphora Japanese Cryptomeria Cryptomeria japonica Cypress Cupressus species Eucalyptus Eucalyptus species Juniper Juniperus species Larch Larix species Olive Tree Olea europaea Palms Palm species Pine Pinus species Fern Pine Podocarpus species Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii California Pepper Tree Schinus molle (unless properly maintained) Brazilian Pepper Tree Schinus terebinthefolius Tamarix Tamarix species Cypress Taxodium species Yew Taxus species Hemlock Tsuga species California Fan Palm Washingtonia filifera

Groundcovers, Shrubs and Vines

Acacia Acacia species Chamise Adenostoma fasciculatum Red Shanks Adenostoma sparsifolium Mayweed Anthemix cotula Madrone Arbutus menziesii Manzanita Arctostaphylos species (other than uva-ursi) Giant Reed Arundo donax Saltbush Atriplex species Coyote Bush (other than Dwarf varieties) Baccharis pilularis Bamboo Bambusa species Bougainvillea Bougainvillea species Black Mustard Brassica nigra Yellow Mustard Brassica rapa Noary Cress Carderia draba Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 3 Attachment D

Hottentot Fig Carpobrotus species Wild Artichoke Cirsium vulgare Horseweed Conyza canadensis Prostrate Coprosma Coprosma pumila Pampas Grass Cortaderia selloana Artichoke Thistle Cynara cardunculus Scotch Broom Cytisus scoparius Hopseed Bush Dodonea viscose Common Buckwheat Eriogonum species Flannel Bush Fremontodendron species English Ivy Hedera helix Telegraph Plant Heterotheca grandiflora Juniper Juniperus species Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica Mahonia Mahonia species Eulalie Grass Miscanthus species Deer Grass Muehlenbergia species Indian Tobacco Nicotania bigelevil Tree Tobacco Nicotania glauca Fountain Grass Pennisetum setaceum Russian Sage Perronskia atriplicifloria Chaparral Pea Pickeringia montana Laurel Sumac Rhus laurina Pink Flowering Sumac Rhus lentii Castor Bean Ricinus communis Russian Thistle Sacsola austails Black Sage Salvia mellifera Purple Nightshade (toxic) Solanium xantii Milk Thistle Sylibum marianum Arborvitae Thuja species Poison Oak (worker/firefighter safety) Toxicodenderon diversiloba Burning Nettle Urtica urens Periwinkle Vinca major

Notes:

1. Please use this list as a guide in selecting plant material. Remember that all plant material will burn under various conditions. 2. The absence of a particular plant, shrub, groundcover, or tree from this list does not necessarily mean it is fire resistive. 3. The local Fire Authority has ultimate approval on which plants are appropriate for fuel modification areas. 4. Landscape architects may submit proposals for use of certain vegetation on a project specific basis. They should also provide justifications as to the fire resistivity of the proposed vegetation.

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 4 Attachment D

Attachment E

Croy Fire Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Fuel Reduction Projects

The following specific Croy Fire Area Fuel Reduction projects support the plans from the field surveys in Attachment C (see Section III.A.3). The general projects (Community Outreach and Education Programs and Chipping Programs) referenced in the tables below are summarized in Section IV.E.1.

1. High Priority Projects

These projects support the High Priority plans from the field surveys in Attachment C. Example project plans are available on request.

2. Medium Priority Projects

These projects support the Medium Priority plans from the field surveys in Attachment C. Example project plans are available on request.

Santa Clara County FireSafe Council 1 Attachment E