UPPER FRASER VALLEY, COLORADO Wildland Urban Interface: Community Wildfire Protection Plan Prepared For: East Grand Fire Fraser, Colorado Submitted By: Anchor Point Group Fire Management Boulder, Colorado DECEMBER, 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS PURPOSE ....................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 THE NATIONAL FIRE PLAN AND THE HEALTHY FOREST RESTORATION ACT ..................... 2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................ 3 OTHER DESIRED OUTCOMES ...................................................................................................................... 3 COLLABORATION: COMMUNITY/AGENCIES/COUNCILS .......................................................... 4 STUDY AREA OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................. 6 VALUES ......................................................................................................................................... 10 LIFE SAFETY AND HOMES ........................................................................................................................ 10 COMMERCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE .......................................................................................................... 10 Economic Values ................................................................................................................................. 10 Critical Infrastructure ......................................................................................................................... 11 Cultural Sites ...................................................................................................................................... 14 Recreation and Life Style .................................................................................................................... 14 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................................. 14 Watershed Concerns ........................................................................................................................... 14 Threat of Insect Loss ........................................................................................................................... 15 Wildlife ................................................................................................................................................ 15 CURRENT RISK SITUATION ....................................................................................................... 16 FIRE REGIME CONDITION CLASS ............................................................................................. 20 FIRE BEHAVIOR POTENTIAL ...................................................................................................... 22 Fire Behavior Modeling Limitations and Interpretation .................................................................... 22 Flame Length ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Rate of Spread ..................................................................................................................................... 23 Crown Fire Activity ............................................................................................................................. 24 SOLUTIONS AND MITIGATION ................................................................................................... 31 ESTABLISHING AND PRIORITIZING FIRE MANAGEMENT UNITS (FMUS) ................................................... 31 ADDRESSING AND EVACUATION FMU ................................................................................................... 31 Addressing .......................................................................................................................................... 31 Evacuation Routes .............................................................................................................................. 33 Other Access Route Recommendations ............................................................................................... 36 PUBLIC EDUCATION FMU ........................................................................................................................ 36 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 37 LOCAL PREPAREDNESS AND FIRE FIGHTING CAPABILITIES FMU ............................................................. 37 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 40 HOME MITIGATION FMU ......................................................................................................................... 42 Defensible Space ................................................................................................................................. 43 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 44 LANDSCAPE SCALE FUELS MODIFICATIONS FMU .................................................................................... 45 Current and Planned Projects ............................................................................................................ 47 Access Route Fuels Modification Recommendations .......................................................................... 50 Other Fuels Modification Recommendations ...................................................................................... 51 WATER SUPPLY FMU ............................................................................................................................... 58 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 59 AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST FMU .......................................................................................................... 61 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 61 ii YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch ..................................................................................... 62 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 62 Crooked Creek Ranch (Young Life) .................................................................................................... 63 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 63 The Devil’s Thumb Ranch ................................................................................................................... 64 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 64 Shelter-In-Place .................................................................................................................................. 65 POST-FIRE REHABILITATION PROCEDURES .......................................................................... 66 GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................... 67 RECOMMENDED READING ........................................................................................................ 70 WEBSITE RESOURCES ............................................................................................................... 72 TABLE OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. HAZARD RANKING OF COMMUNITIES IN THE STUDY AREA .................................... 7 FIGURE 2. SLOPE ............................................................................................................... 8 FIGURE 3. ELEVATION ........................................................................................................ 9 FIGURE 6. USFS FIRE HISTORY 1977-2006 ..................................................................... 17 FIGURE 7. ADJACENT FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS ........................................ 19 FIGURE 8. CONDITION CLASS MAP ................................................................................... 20 FIGURE 9. FLAME LENGTH PREDICTIONS (MODERATE WEATHER CONDITIONS) .................. 25 FIGURE 10. FLAME LENGTH PREDICTIONS (EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS) ................... 26 FIGURE 11. RATE OF SPREAD PREDICTIONS (MODERATE WEATHER CONDITIONS) ............. 27 FIGURE 12. RATE OF SPREAD PREDICTIONS (EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS) ............... 28 FIGURE 13. CROWN FIRE ACTIVITY PREDICTIONS (MODERATE WEATHER CONDITIONS) ..... 29 FIGURE 14. CROWN FIRE ACTIVITY PREDICTIONS (EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS) ........ 30 FIGURE 15. INTERSECTION WITH NO STREET SIGNS ........................................................... 32 FIGURE 16. HOME-MADE MARKER ..................................................................................... 32 FIGURE 17. WOODEN