June 30, 2019 Fremont County, Wyoming This plan developed by the Fremont County CWPP Operating Group in cooperation with: Technical Forestry Services, LLC 6628 W Riverside Drive Casper, Wyoming 82604 www.wytfs.com This Page Left Intentionally Blank Fremont County 2019 CWPP Update Table of Contents Section Page 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 2 2.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 4 2.1 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................ 9 2.1.1 Public Outreach in Fremont County ............................................................................................................................ 9 2.1.2 Emergency Management Capabilities ........................................................................................................................ 10 2.2 DEFINITIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2.1 Wildland-Urban Interface .......................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2.2 Other Values at-risk ................................................................................................................................................... 15 2.2.3 Fuels Hazard .............................................................................................................................................................. 15 2.2.4 Fuels ........................................................................................................................................................................... 15 2.3 INSECT AND DISEASES (FOREST HEALTH) .......................................................................................... 16 2.4 FIRE REGIME AND CONDITION CLASS ................................................................................................ 18 2.5 RELEVANT FIRE POLICIES ................................................................................................................... 23 2.5.1 State Policies .............................................................................................................................................................. 23 2.5.2 Federal Policies ......................................................................................................................................................... 25 2.5.3 Other Polices and Coordinating Groups ................................................................................................................... 29 2.5.4 Fremont County ......................................................................................................................................................... 29 2.5.5 Guidance Documents ................................................................................................................................................. 30 2.6 FREMONT COUNTY CHARACTERISTICS .............................................................................................. 32 2.6.1 Population and Demographics ................................................................................................................................... 32 2.6.2 Geography and Climate ............................................................................................................................................. 32 2.6.3 Land Ownership ........................................................................................................................................................ 35 2.6.4 Natural Resources ..................................................................................................................................................... 35 2.6.5 Biota ........................................................................................................................................................................... 36 2.6.6 Hydrology .................................................................................................................................................................. 37 2.6.7 Air Quality ................................................................................................................................................................. 38 3.0 COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION ....................................................................................................... 40 3.1 “AT-RISK” COMMUNITY (CAR) DELINEATION PROCESS .................................................................. 40 3.2 COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................. 41 ● SAGEBRUSH/ STEPPE ................................................................................................................................ 44 ● AGRICULTURE .......................................................................................................................................... 56 i Fremont County 2019 CWPP Update ● TIMBER ..................................................................................................................................................... 77 ● LANDER/SOUTH PASS .............................................................................................................................. 79 4.0 COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT ...................................................................................................... 111 4.1 2019 FCCWPP FINAL WUI RATING ................................................................................................ 112 4.1.1 Community Assessment ............................................................................................................................................ 112 4.1.2 Fire Behavior Modeling ........................................................................................................................................... 113 4.1.3 Community Rating Analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 114 4.1.4 Values-at-risk ........................................................................................................................................................... 118 4.2.1 2019 FCCWPP Final WUI Rating Map ................................................................................................................... 121 5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDUCING RISK OF CATASTROPHIC FIRE .................... 122 5.1 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LAND TREATMENTS AND DEFENSIBLE SPACE ....................................... 122 5.1.1 Fuels Treatments ..................................................................................................................................................... 127 5.1.2 Shaded fuel breaks ................................................................................................................................................... 128 5.1.3 Selective Tree Harvest / Shelterwood / Commercial Thinning (Improvement Cut) ................................................. 130 5.1.4 Salvage/Sanitation Cut ............................................................................................................................................ 131 5.1.5 Clearcut/Patch Cuts/Group Selection ...................................................................................................................... 131 5.1.6 Coppice Cut: Aspen Release / Aspen Stand Conversion .......................................................................................... 132 5.1.7 Protecting Sagebrush-Steppe Habitat ...................................................................................................................... 134 5.1.8 Prescribed Fire ........................................................................................................................................................ 134 5.1.9 Miscellaneous ........................................................................................................................................................... 137 5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDUCING STRUCTURAL IGNITABILITY/DEFENSIBLE SPACE ............... 138 6.0 MONITORING AND ASSESSING FOREST AND RANGELAND HEALTH ........................ 143 7.0 DECLARATION OF AGREEMENT AND CONCURRENCE .................................................. 144 8.0 LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................... 145 9.0 APPENDIXES ................................................................................................................................... 146 ii Fremont County 2019 CWPP Update LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1. Area Map ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 2-2. 2019 FCCWPP Base Map .............................................................................................................. 7 Figure 2-3. Fremont County Surface Area Map (Land ownership 2017) .......................................................... 8 Figure 2-4. This structure occurs in what