RES. 2021-80 Mariposa County Community Wildfire Protection Plan FEBRUARY 2021 TBA Page 1 Signature Page 6B3E6D14AD 02/17/2021 Mike van Loben Sels Date Unit Chief CAL FIRE, Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit Mariposa County Fire Department 6B3E6D14C1 02/18/2021 Marshall Long Date Chairperson Mariposa County Board of Supervisors 6B3E6D14D5 02/18/2021 Steve Engfer Date Chairperson Mariposa County Fire Advisory Committee Approved as to Legal Form: _____________________________6B3E6D14A3 Steven W. Dahlem, County Counsel Acknowledgments The following organizations and agencies provided invaluable time, input, and feedback to ensure the contents of the Mariposa County Community Wildfire Protection Plan update, and its associated outreach activities, were accurate and met the needs of the planning process: • Mariposa County Fire Safe Council – Barbara Cone, Executive Director • Mariposa County Planning Department – Steve Engfer, Senior Planner • Mariposa County Fire Department – John Morgan, Battalion Chief • Mariposa County Resource Conservation District – Melinda Barrett, Program Manager • Mariposa County Fire Advisory Committee • Mariposa County GIS – Ben Ogren • CAL FIRE MMU GIS – Jim Pearce Funding for this project was provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as part of the California Climate Investments Program. Funding was also provided by Mariposa County, California. This plan update was led by a consulting team, consisting of Wildfire Planning International LLC, Wildland Professional Solutions, Inc., and Anchor Point Group LLC. Internal review was provided by Atlas Planning Solutions. Photo credits are listed below: Cover, Executive Summary – Chief Bernie Quinn (CAL FIRE, retired) Introduction, Local Environment, Cohesive Strategy Approach, Action Plan and Implementation, Appendices – Molly Mowery (Wildfire Planning International) All other image credits are listed next to figures. Mariposa County CWPP Final – February 2021 Page i Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Minimum Plan Requirements .................................................................................................. 4 Mariposa County CWPP Goals............................................................................................... 5 PART 1: UNDERSTANDING THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT ...................................................................... 7 Area Description ..................................................................................................................... 7 Demographic Information ....................................................................................................... 7 Local Economy ....................................................................................................................... 8 Land Management and Ownership ......................................................................................... 9 Land Use and Development ................................................................................................... 9 Critical Infrastructure and Communications ............................................................................ 9 Infrastructure ....................................................................................................................... 9 Communications ................................................................................................................10 Public Safety Power Shutoffs .............................................................................................10 Historic and Cultural Resources ............................................................................................10 Natural Environment and Ecosystem .....................................................................................11 Yosemite-Mariposa Watershed ..........................................................................................11 Threatened and Endangered Species ................................................................................11 Fire Environment ...................................................................................................................11 Topography ........................................................................................................................15 Climate (Weather) ..............................................................................................................15 Vegetation (Fuels) ..............................................................................................................15 Influence on Other Natural Hazards ......................................................................................17 Relevant Plans ......................................................................................................................18 PART 2: RISK ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................................... 22 Understanding the Wildfire Risk Triangle ...............................................................................22 Parcel-Level (Structure Ignition Zone) Susceptibility Assessments ....................................23 Updated Risk Assessment Approach ....................................................................................23 Assessment Methodology ..................................................................................................25 Defining the Wildland-Urban Interface ...................................................................................26 Integrating a SIZ Assessment Program .................................................................................28 Using the Wildfire Risk Assessment Results for Decision Making ..........................................28 Mariposa County CWPP Final – February 2021 Page ii PART 3: TAKING A COHESIVE STRATEGY APPROACH ...................................................................... 30 Resilient Landscapes ............................................................................................................30 Restoration and Maintenance Strategies ...........................................................................30 Increasing Resiliency of Landscapes .................................................................................32 Fire-Adapted Communities ....................................................................................................33 Property Scale ...................................................................................................................34 Neighborhood / Subdivision Scale .....................................................................................35 County Scale .....................................................................................................................36 Increasing Community Fire-Adaptation ..............................................................................36 Response and Suppression Capabilities ...............................................................................37 Interagency Cooperation ....................................................................................................39 Community Limitations .......................................................................................................39 Increasing Community Fire Response ...............................................................................39 PART 4: ACTION PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................. 42 Action Plan ............................................................................................................................42 Tracking and Monitoring ........................................................................................................46 Plan Updates .........................................................................................................................47 Crosswalk with Other County Plans .......................................................................................47 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................. 49 APPENDIX A. KEY TERMS DEFINED ..................................................................................50 APPENDIX B. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION .........................................52 Overview ............................................................................................................................52 Public Survey Summary .....................................................................................................52 Public Workshop Outcomes ...............................................................................................56 Public Comments ...............................................................................................................57 APPENDIX C. RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY ........................................................58 APPENDIX D. LOCAL WUI COMMUNITY GROUPS ............................................................66 Mariposa County WUI Community Map Tile #1 ..................................................................70 Mariposa County