Jackson(County(Community( Wildfire(Protection(Plan( September 2015 ! Process for Revision and Updates This CWPP is a living document that should be reviewed annually and updated as needed. The core individuals are encouraged to track projects and record needed revisions in an addendum section of their copy of the CWPP. It is requested that these revisions be submitted to Jackson County Administrator’s Office once a year for inclusion in the Jackson County master CWPP. Jackson County will maintain a single master CWPP in which all revisions and updates will be tracked. The revised CWPP will be submitted for approval to all signatories as needed. ! ! The following mutually agree with the contents of this Jackson County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP): James A. Murphy Date Board of County Commissioners, Jackson County Charles B. Clayton Date Board of County Commissioners, Jackson County Betsy Blecha Date Board of County Commissioners, Jackson County Kent Crowder Date County Administrator/Emergency Management, Jackson Cty Jeff Benson Date Fire Chief, North Park Fire & Rescue Authority Gary L. Cure Date Sheriff, Jackson County ! ! John Twitchell Date District Forester, Colorado State Forest Service Jeremiah Zamora Date District Ranger, Parks Ranger District Routt-Medicine Bow National Forest Stephanie Odell Date Field Manager, Kremmling Field Office Bureau of Land Management ! ! TABLE&OF&CONTENTS& INTRODUCTION)....................................................................................................................................................)3! OVERVIEW)...................................................................................................................................................)3! REVIEW)TEAM)&)MEETINGS)......................................................................................................................)4! BACKGROUND)AND)HISTORY).....................................................................................................................)5! GENERAL)FIRE)INFORMATION)........................................................................................................................)7! FIRE)ECOLOGY).............................................................................................................................................)7! FIRE)BEHAVIOR)...........................................................................................................................................)8! VEGETATIVE)TYPES)....................................................................................................................................)8! LODGEPOLE!PINE!............................................................................................................................................!8! SUBALPINE!FIR!................................................................................................................................................!9! ASPEN!............................................................................................................................................................!10! SAGEBRUSH!...................................................................................................................................................!10! GAMBEL!OAK!.................................................................................................................................................!11! GRASSLAND–GRASSES/FORBS!..................................................................................................................!12! FIRE)STATISTICS).......................................................................................................................................)12! HISTORICAL)WILDFIRES)...........................................................................................................................)14! WILDFIRE)RISK)ASSESMENT))REPORT).....................................................................................................)16! COMMUNITY)INFORMATION)..........................................................................................................................)17! GENERAL)INFORMATION)...........................................................................................................................)17! TOPOGRAPHY/SLOPE)...............................................................................................................................)18! METEOROLOGY).........................................................................................................................................)19! HYDROLOGY)..............................................................................................................................................)21! HOMES,)BUSINESSES)AND)ESSENTIAL)INFRASTRUCTURE)AT)RISK).........................................................)22! OTHER)COMMUNITY)VALUES)...................................................................................................................)25! EMERGENCY)SERVICES)..............................................................................................................................)26! NORTH!PARK!FIRE!RESCUE!AUTHORITY!................................................................................................!26! US!FOREST!SERVICE!(PARKS!RANGER!DISTRICT)!................................................................................!27! BLM!(KREMMLING!FIELD!OFFICE)!.........................................................................................................!27! COMMUNICATIONS)....................................................................................................................................)27! MITIGATION)AREAS)&)STRATEGIES)............................................................................................................)29! DESIRED)FUTURE)CONDITIONS)AND)GOALS)............................................................................................)29! GOALS!............................................................................................................................................................!29! OBJECTIVES/STRATEGIES!..........................................................................................................................!29! FIREFIGHTER)RESPONSE)GUIDE)...............................................................................................................)30! PLANNING)AREA)BOUNDARIES).................................................................................................................)30! NORTHEAST)JACKSON)COUNTY)................................................................................................................)31! NORTHWEST)JACKSON)COUNTY)...............................................................................................................)34! SOUTHEAST)JACKSON)COUNTY).................................................................................................................)38! SOUTHWEST)JACKSON)COUNTY)................................................................................................................)41! COMPLETED)PROJECTS).............................................................................................................................)44! FUTURE)PROJECTS)SUMMARY)..................................................................................................................)46! ! 1( ! APPENDIX)A:))MAPS! APPENDIX)B:))CO)WILDFIRE)RISK)ASSESSMENT! APPENDIX)C:))OTHER)INFORMATION! APPENDIX)D:))ANNUAL)PROJECT)UPDATES)AND)ADDENDUMS! APPENDIX)E:))EXISTING)CWPPS! ! 2( ! Introduction Overview( Members of the Jackson County community, in cooperation with local, state and federal agencies and other interested parties have collaboratively developed this Jackson County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). This CWPP was created according to the guidelines of Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, A Handbook for Wildland-Urban Interface Communities, March 2004, Communities Committee, National Association of Counties, National Association of State Foresters, Society of American Foresters, Western Governors’ Association. The handbook was designed to lead the community through a process that includes eight steps to completion of a CWPP. The Jackson County, Wildland Fire and Fuel Management Plan was completed in 2003. All resource materials used are included or listed in the Appendix.( The Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA) passed by congress on November 21, 2003 directs the federal agencies to collaborate with communities in developing hazardous fuel reduction projects, and in the prioritization of treatment areas as defined by a community’s CWPP. It identifies strategies for reducing wildfire fuels while improving forest health, supporting local industry and economy, and improving fire fighting response capabilities. More recently in 2009, Colorado Senate Bill 09-001 was passed, signed and went into effect. This bill’s purpose was to establish CWPPs at the county level, most notably, determining fire hazard areas within the unincorporated portion of the county. The wildland/urban interface is defined as an area or zone where structures and other human development meets or intermingles with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.1 An analysis by Colorado State Forest Service in 1990 showed that an estimated 3,310 acres of wildland/urban interface exist in Jackson County with 3 subdivisions in the affected area. Obviously, many