CFLRP Annual Report: 2018 CFLR Project (Name/Number): Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project National Forest(s): Deschutes National Forest 1. Match and Leveraged Funds: a. FY18 Matching Funds Documentation Fund Source – (CFLN/CFLR Funds Expended) Total Funds Expended in Fiscal Year 2018 CFLN17 $108,487.33 CFLN 18 $803,937.69 This amount should match the amount of CFLR/CFLN dollars obligated in the FMMI CFLRP expenditure report. Include prior year CFLN dollars expended in this Fiscal Year. Fund Source – (Funds expended from Washington Office Total Funds Expended in Fiscal Year funds (in addition to CFLR/CFLN) (please include a new row 2018 for each BLI)) NFRR $0.00 This value (aka carryover funds or WO unobligated funds) should reflect the amount expended of the allocated funds as indicated in the program direction, but does not necessarily need to be in the same BLIs or budget fiscal year as indicated in the program direction. Fund Source – (FS Matching Funds Total Funds Expended in Fiscal Year (please include a new row for each BLI) 2018 CMTL $12,734.07 NFHF $534,541.23 NFTM $220,713.42 SSCC* $60,269* This amount should match the amount of matching funds obligated in the FMMI CFLRP expenditure report, minus the Washington Office funds listed in the box above and any partner funds contributed through agreements (such as NFEX, SPEX, WFEX, CMEX, and CWFS) listed in the box below. *SSCC was not included in the gPAS report as FS matching funds because workplans were consolidated for all reforestation activities across the Forest. Fund Source – (Funds contributed through agreements) Total Funds Expended in Fiscal Year 2018 NFXN (Trout Unlimited and Upper Deschutes Watershed $58,853.27 Council contributions to aquatic restoration) Please document any partner contributions to implementation and monitoring of the CFLR project through an income funds agreement (this should include partner funds captured through the FMMI CFLRP reports such as NFEX, SPEX, WFEX, CMEX, and CWFS). Please list the partner organizations involved in the agreement. Partner contributions for Fish, Wildlife, and Watershed work can be found in WIT database. 1 CFLRP Annual Report: 2018 Fund Source – (Partner In-Kind Contributions) Total Funds Expended in Fiscal Year 2018 DCFP Volunteer Time $28,199.25 DCFP Collaborative Travel Expenses $851.58 DCFP Collaborative Supplies and Equipment $436.50 Forest Volunteer Program $710,138.72 Total partner in-kind contributions for implementation and monitoring of a CFLR project on NFS lands. Please list the partner organizations that provided in-kind contributions. Service work accomplishment through goods-for services funding within a stewardship contract (for contracts Totals awarded in FY18) Total revised non-monetary credit limit for contracts awarded in FY18 $40,030 Revised non-monetary credit limits for contracts awarded prior to FY18 were captured in previous reports (FY16 and FY15). This should be the amount in contract’s “Progress Report for Stewardship Credits, Integrated Resources Contracts or Agreements” in cell J46, the “Revised Non-Monetary Credit Limit,” as of September 30. Additional information on the Progress Reports is available in CFLR Annual Report Instructions document. b. Please fill in the table describing leveraged funds in your landscape in FY2018. Leveraged funds refer to funds or in-kind services that help the project achieve proposed objectives but do not meet match qualifications. No leveraged funds were applied to the FY18 CFLR Program of Work. 2. Please tell us about the CFLR project’s progress to date in restoring a more fire-adapted ecosystem as described in the project proposal, and how it has contributed to the wildland fire goals in the 10-Year Comprehensive Strategy Implementation Plan. FY2018 Overview FY18 Activity Description (Agency performance measures) Acres Number of acres treated by prescribed fire 2,364 Number of acres treated by mechanical thinning 8,229 Number of acres of natural ignitions that are allowed to burn N/A under strategies that result in desired conditions Number of acres treated to restore fire-adapted ecosystems 69 which are maintained in desired condition Number of acres mitigated to reduce fire risk 2,364 2 CFLRP Annual Report: 2018 Narrative Please provide a narrative overview of treatments completed in FY18. How was this area prioritized for treatment? Please tell us whether these treatments were in “high or very high wildfire hazard area from the “wildfire hazard potential map.” The Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project (DCFP) landscape provides countless ecosystem services to the residents and visitors of central Oregon and the region more broadly, including clean air, clean water, strong sense of place, and a robust economy based on forest products, tourism and recreational opportunities. The DCFP landscape also incorporates a significant proportion of the Deschutes National Forest (NF) Wildland- Urban Interface (WUI) and numerous high use recreation areas. Treatments within the DCFP boundary were focused around the communities of Bend and Sisters and as a result nearly all of the fiscal year 2018 (FY18) treatments were located in areas rated “high” on the Wildfire Hazard Potential map. Bend is ranked 4th and Sisters is ranked 20th on “The 50 communities in Oregon with greatest cumulative housing-unit exposure to wildfire” (Exposure of human communities to wildfire in the Pacific Northwest.) In addition, approximately 110,000 people permanently call central Oregon home, and a 2016 “Visit Bend” survey recorded over 3 million visitor trips to the Bend area, with numbers steadily increasing every summer. Several prescribed fires were implemented within the DCFP landscape in FY18. Two of these projects involved cross-boundary burning under participating agreements using Wyden Amendment authorities. On May 23, 2018 the Deschutes NF and High Desert Museum successfully completed a 121 acre mixed ownership prescribed fire that included 47 acres of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) managed land and 74 acres of High Desert Museum owned property. Located just a few miles south of Bend, Oregon, the High Desert Museum is one of central Oregon’s top attractions. The two primary objectives of the project were improving defensible space surrounding the museum and providing an educational opportunity for the public to learn about fire-adapted ecosystems. Successful implementation was dependent upon a collaborative effort that included assistance from Oregon Department of Transportation, City of Bend Fire Department and the Nature Conservancy. In addition, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) provided firefighters and equipment under an existing Prescribed Fire Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreement. 3 CFLRP Annual Report: 2018 (Figure 1) Dan Leonard, Bend Fort Rock Ranger District Silviculturist, assisting with the Shevlin Park/USFS prescribed fire, 2018. FY18 also marked the third year of implementation for the Shevlin Park Prescribed Fire project (Figure 1). To date, 475 acres of cross-boundary prescribed burning has been completed with 198 of the burned acres within Shevlin Park, (a popular park northwest Bend) and 277 acres within the DCFP landscape adjacent to the park. The project is being implemented under a participating agreement between the Deschutes NF and the Bend Park & Recreation District using Wyden Amendment authorities. Objectives of the project include returning fire to the ponderosa pine forests surrounding the City of Bend, reducing fuels in the WUI and providing a highly visible place for the public to learn about the important role of fire in dry forest systems. It is anticipated that it will take another two years to complete all of the work. The City of Bend Fire Department and ODF have been key partners in implementation of the project. Successful implementation has been attributable to a solid relationship between the Park District and local Forest Service personnel, based on common goals and consistent communication. The primary challenge with this project however, has been finding windows to apply prescribed fire without impacting the numerous events hosted in the park. 4 CFLRP Annual Report: 2018 What have you learned? Over the last several years, the Deschutes NF has focused its prescribed fire program in the WUI surrounding the communities of Bend and Sisters which is important because of the high number of socioeconomic values at risk. The per acre cost of implementing a WUI prescribed burn is typically 3-4 times higher than non-WUI prescribed burning. For example, on May 22, 2018 the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes NF implemented two prescribed burns; a 77 acre prescribed burn within the DCFP boundary adjacent to the City of Bend and an 800 acre prescribed burn in a remote area of the District. These burns had comparable implementation organizations and occurred under similar weather conditions, but in this case approximately 10 times more acres were accomplished on the non-WUI burn. Fuels “acres treated” is the generic metric used to reflect fuels reduction accomplishment. However, it is important not to view every treatment acre the same, as the associated complexity and relative resource benefit is quite different. Prioritizing fuels reduction treatments in the WUI is the best investment of limited resources, time and funding and it is clear the Forest Service (FS) needs the expanded capacity of a partnership based approach to treat these critical acres. We are also dependent upon a strong outreach and education campaign before, during and following implementation of prescribed fires in close proximity to communities to enhance public understanding and increase social license (Figure 2). The DCFP Community Outreach and Engagement Planning Subcommittee progressively invests a significant amount of time and resources in developing short videos about the benefits of active forest management and particularly the application of prescribed fire. The following video “Restoration in a Fire Forest: The Benefits of Burning” highlights the historic context of fire suppression and the importance of reintroducing prescribed fire to restore ecological function in fire-adapted ecosystems.