GEORGETOWN LOOP RAILROAD ® COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 1 2 CWPIP Certification The Georgetown Loop Community Wildfire Protection Implementation Plan (CWPIP) was developed in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (2003) and the Colorado State Forest Service’s Minimum Standards for Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) (Revised 2010). This plan was completed 8/4/2011. This plan is under the umbrella of the Clear Creek County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). As such it provides local analysis and implementation recommendations for the Georgetown Loop Railroad area. The plan: • was collaboratively developed –interested parties and state and federal land management agencies managing land in the region were consulted; • identifies and prioritizes areas for hazardous fuels reduction treatments and recommends the types and methods of treatment to reduce the wildfire threat to values at risk in the area; • recommends measures to reduce the ignitability of structures. The following entities mutually agree with the contents of this Community Wildfire Protection Implementation Plan: ______________________________________________________________________________ Colorado Historical Society Date ______________________________________________________________________________ Historic Rail Adventures Date ______________________________________________________________________________ Clear Creek County Office of Emergency Management Date ______________________________________________________________________________ Clear Creek County Fire Authority Date ______________________________________________________________________________ Colorado State Forest Service, Golden District Date 3 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................7 1.1 Planning Authority .....................................................................................................9 1.2 Goals and Objectives .................................................................................................9 1.3 Georgetown Loop ......................................................................................................10 1.4 Past Wildland Fire Planning and Mitigation Efforts ..................................................13 2 FIRE AUTHORITIES ................................................................................................14 3 VALUES AT RISK TO WILDLAND FIRE ............................................................15 4 FORESTS ....................................................................................................................16 5 WILDLAND FIRE RISKS AND HAZARDS ..........................................................17 5.1 Assessment Approach ................................................................................................17 5.2 Wildfire Risks ............................................................................................................18 5.3 Vegetation-Fuel Hazards ...........................................................................................18 5.3.1 Forest Vegetation ....................................................................................................18 5.3.2 Mountain Pine Beetle-Killed Trees .........................................................................20 5.3.3 Chinese Clematis ....................................................................................................20 5.4 Structures ...................................................................................................................21 6 MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................22 6.1 Mitigation Techniques to be Applied ........................................................................22 6.1a Structure Defensible Space ......................................................................................22 6.1b Fuelbreaks................................................................................................................24 6.1c Fire breaks ...............................................................................................................26 6.1d Chinese Clematis Eradication .................................................................................27 6.2 Recommended Mitigation Treatment Actions ...........................................................28 6.2a #1 Georgetown Loop Track Route ...........................................................................29 6.2b #2 Pohle House ........................................................................................................31 6.2c #3 Lebanon Mine......................................................................................................32 6.2d #4 Protection of Bridges ..........................................................................................33 6.2e Devils Gate ...............................................................................................................34 6.2f Silver Plume ..............................................................................................................36 7. IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW UP ............................................................37 APPENDIX A: Forest Management Plan ......................................................................40 APPENDIX B: Clear Creek County CWPP Recommendations ...................................47 APPENDIX C: Mundus-Bishop Design Recommendations .........................................50 APPENDIX D: Grant Opportunity Listing from CCC CWPP ......................................56 5 LIST OF ACRONYNMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CCC Clear Creek County CCFA Clear Creek Fire Authority CCRD Clear Creek Ranger District CDOW Colorado Division of Wildlife CHS Colorado Historical Society CSFS Colorado State Forest Service CWPP Community Wildfire Protection Plan CWPIP Community Wildfire Protection Implementation Plan EPA Environmental Protection Agency FBFM Fire Behavior Fuel Model FRCC Fire Regime Condition Class GFD Georgetown Fire Department GLRP Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park ® HDPLC Historic District Public Lands Commission HRA Historic Rail Adventures, LLC NFPA National Fire Protection Association WALSH Walsh Environmental Scientists and Engineers, LLC USFS United States Forest Service 6 GEORGETOWN LOOP RAILROAD COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 1: INTRODUCTION The Georgetown Loop Railroad Community Wildfire Protection Implementation Plan (CWPIP) provides an assessment of area wildfire risks and hazards and outlines specific mitigation treatment recommendations designed to make the historic railroad area a safer place for its employees and visitors and adjacent land owners. The recommendations are designed to aid those involved to live with fire as a natural part of the landscape. The plan provides information for the railroad and its surrounding land and included home owners to create defensible space and achieve fire resistant structural integrity. There are specific, prioritized recommendations concerning rail and road corridor and public use area mitigation treatments to achieve risk reduction and improve the area’s capability to withstand wildfire. The CWPIP discusses the importance of creating Defensible Space around train stations, historic structures and private residences within the area. This can be done while still leaving the area attractive. Areas do not have to be clear cut to achieve defensible space against wildfire. But without action the damage to a home or other buildings can be significant. There are many values at risk for this area. Some of those include life, property, historic sites and the railroad itself, recreation, vegetation, and wildlife. Once the CWPIP is finalized and adopted it is the responsibility of the CWPIP team (Georgetown Loop Railroad management, Colorado State Historical Society officials, and others) involved to move forward and implement the action items. This may require further planning at the project level, acquisition of funds and assistance through grants or other means. It should be emphasized that the CWPIP is a living document to be revisited on a regular basis and revised as needed. A countywide Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) was prepared for Clear Creek County (CCC) by Walsh Environmental Scientists and Engineers, LLC in August 2008. The CWPP assessed wildland fire risks and hazards throughout the county and proposed vegetation- fuel treatments and other practices to reduce the threat of wildfire. This Georgetown Loop Forest Management Plan will tier to the CCC CWPP. Much of the background data on fire hazards and conditions in the county relate to this area and some mitigation recommendations in the CCC plan deal with areas adjacent to the Georgetown Loop Railroad. To gain detailed understanding of the county and its wildfire conditions and activities it is recommended this plan be studied. The county plan can be found on both the CCC and Colorado State Forest Service websites. 7 The Team – Georgetown Loop, Clear Creek County, agency, and historical district representatives: Representatives of Historic Rail Adventures – Loop Railroad o Mark Graybill o Tom Hill Georgetown/Silver Plume Historic District: Frank Young Colorado State Historical Society: Andy Stine, Spydr Wren Southern Rockies Conservation Alliance: John Chapman, Team Facilitator US Forest Service: