Pre- and Post-Wildfire Forest

Management Conference

Sacramento February 9-11, 2010

Forest ownership and wildfire goals and

practices

Gary Nakamura – UC Coop. Ext.

California’s Forest Resources, 2001-2005: Five-year Forest Inventory and Analysis

Report. USDA Forest Service. General Technical Report: PNW-GTR-783. 2008.

Forestland – 10% stocking with trees

Timberland – 20 cu ft wood growth/ac/yr

Projecting climate change impacts on forest growth and yield for California’s

Sierran mixed conifer forests. Battles, Robards, Das, Stewart. Calif. Energy

Commission, CEC-500-2009-047-F. 2009.

USDA Forest Service USDI National Park Service,

BLM and public reserves

Private Industrial Forest Private Family

Forests/Wildland

Urban Interface

WUI

16 million acres in 20

national forests (48 %)

4.2 million acres (13 %)

20 forested parks

4.7 million acres

(14%) 20 major

landowners

8.5 million acres

(26 %)

50,000 landowners

To restore and

sustain the ecological

health of forest,

woodland and

grassland ecosystems,

and the multiple uses

and benefits derived

from them.

Whenever possible,

natural processes

will be relied upon to

maintain native

plant communities

and influence

natural fluctuations

in populations of

these species.

Maintain a healthy

forest that provides a

sustained yield of

forest products in

perpetuity and makes a

profit for the

landowner.

FPA requires long

term management of

other forest values.

Manage fire risks and

benefits to protect

assets.

Create and maintain

a healthy forest for

wildlife, recreation,

aesthetics, economic

(forest products),

watershed, homesite

FPA requires long

term management of

other forest values.

Forest Management Goals

USDA Forest Service USDI National Park

Service, BLM and public

reserves

Private Industrial Forest Private Family

Forests/Wildland

Urban Interface

WUI

To manage fire as an

ecological process

supporting forest

management goals and

Forest Land and Resource

Management Plan

(FLRMP) objectives.

management

objectives—

including allowing

fire to perform its

natural role as

much as

practicable—will

ensure that

firefighter and

public safety are

not compromised.

Minimize wildfire

ignitions and

extent.

Facilitate initial

attack effectiveness.

Maintain effective

fire detection and

reporting system.

Coordinate and

cooperate with

state, federal and

local fire fighting

agencies.

Minimize

wildfire

ignitions and

extent

Fire Management Goals

USDA Forest Service USDI National Park

Service, BLM and public

reserves

Private Industrial Forest Private Family

Forests/Wildland

Urban Interface

WUI

Ecological Restoration

Vegetation Management

Remove hazardous surface,ladder fuels

Overstory stand density reduction

Biomass removal and utilization

Reforestation

Fire Prevention

Including support to local

communities in Community Wildfire

Protection Planning and the

establishment of Firewise

Communities.

1--naturally ignited

wildland fires managed

for resource benefit

2--human-ignited

wildland fires as

management tools

(prescribed fires)

3--manual & mechanical

thinning and biomass

harvest in developed

areas to restore highly

altered forest

communities that cannot

be managed by fire alone

1)biomass harvest

2)thinning

3)herbicides

4)Road access for initial

attack

5)Diverse forest

structure

6)timber harvest

7)Fuel Breaks

8)Intensive treatments

near WUI

9)Prescribed fire (2 for

some companies)

10)restoration activities

biomass harvest

thinning

timber harvest

herbicides

restoration

activities

prescribed fire

(and biomass) –

need financial,

technical

assistance,

liability

protection;

cooperation with

adjacent

landowners,

national forest.

Management Practices to achieve fire goals

In order of priority

USDA Forest Service USDI National Park

Service, BLM and public

reserves

Private Industrial

Forest

Private Family

Forests/Wildland

Urban Interface

WUI

In the WUI on, and

adjacent to, National

Forests System lands, and

on State and Private lands

through grants.

In the general forest as per

the forest FLRMP.

Costs are paid through

regular or supplemental

federal appropriations and

with challenge-cost-share

partner contributed funds

or in-kind contributions.

Within WUI zones,

immediately adjacent to at

risk resource areas (e.g. an

historic backcountry cabin),

along road corridors and

near park boundary areas

as identified and approved

in the park’s Fire

Management Plan.

Treatments can include

manual and mechanical

thinning and biomass

removal, usually followed by

a prescribed fire.

Project costs are covered by

appropriations.

Investments to protect

assets

Cost/benefits analysis

of strategic placement

of fuel treatments.

Opportunistic, market

conditions

Assoc. with timber

harvest

Paid for by company

Public/Private

partnerships

WUI interface

Biomass fuel

thinnings

Grants –Fire Safe

Councils, RCD, BCAP

WUI around home

Grant funds

Paid for by owner

(small landowner land

ethic)

Consider treatment

beyond WUI; treat

during commercial

harvest, increasing

harvest costs to achieve

fuel/fire goals.

Treatments – Why, Where, When, Costs

USDA Forest Service USDI National Park Service,

BLM and public reserves

Private Industrial

Forest

Private Family

Forests/Wildland

Urban Interface

WUI

Unplanned fires located in

WUI adjacent to the forest

are generally suppressed.

Unplanned fires occurring in

general forest areas are

managed according to the

FLRMP.

Suppress fire in WUI within and

adjacent to the National Park

unit as defined in the park’s

approved Fire Management Plan.

Manage naturally ignited and

human-ignited wildland fires as

management tools following

approved procedures in the

park’s approved Fire

Management Plan.

Suppress at all

times and places

Suppress at all

times and places

Immediately – Burned Area

Emergency Rehabilitation to

mitigate risks of increased

overland water and debris

flows to downstream values.

Long Term – Restorative

activities consistent with the

FLRMP, including

reforestation, erosion control,

drainage enhancements, etc.

Immediately – Burned Area

Emergency Rehabilitation to

mitigate fire suppression impacts

that occurred to park resources

and infrastructure.

Minimal long-term management

activities since NPS manages

land for natural processes of

which fire plays a critical role in

ecosystem health.

Salvage harvest,

planted and natural

reforestation

Erosion, flooding,

watershed damage,

long term

protection,

protecting and

maintaining roads

Salvage harvest,

reforestation

Erosion, flooding,

watershed damage

Fire suppression policies, Post-fire concerns, actions

USDA Forest Service USDI National Park Service,

BLM and public reserves

Private Industrial

Forest

Private Family

Forests/Wildland Urban

Interface WUI

Organic Administration Act

National Forest Mgmt Act

Endangered Species Act

National Environ. Policy Act

National Fire Plan

1916 NPS Organic Act

1970 General Authorities Act

1978 amend Park’s Enabling

Legislation

National Environ. Policy Act

National Historic Preservations

Act

1972 Wilderness Act

Endangered Species Act

Clean Water Act

Clean Air Act (class I)

Calif Forest Practices

Act

Porter-Cologne Clean

Water

Federal laws – ESA,

Clean Air, Clean Water

CalFire burn

regulations

Calif Forest Practices

Act

Porter-Cologne Clean

Water

Federal laws – ESA,

Clean Air, Clean Water

County Plans and local

ordinances (can be

prohibitive. e.g. Nevada

Co.)

State, local air, water boards

State Historic Preservation

State Forester

Other federal agencies like the

US Fish and Wildlife Service

State, local air, water boards

State Historic Preservation

Other federal agencies like the

US Fish and Wildlife Service

and neighboring National

Forests

CalFire burn

regulations

CalFire, DFG, USFWS,

RWQCBs, Corps of

Engrs., counties, BOE,

IRS

CEQA for grants

Pertinent Laws and Regulations, Regulatory agencies, for pre- and

post-fire projects

2003 Forest and Range

Assessment, FRAP

Departure from historic fire

frequencies and effects

Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit –

SRA, DPA

Sacramento

The WUI

CalFire Unit

Angora Fire

Angora Fire

Protecting homes from wildfire and

reducing wildfire severity in general forest:

Fuel treatment to:

Slow the fire rate of spread - suppression

Reduce fire intensity- defensible space, fire fighters

Reduce fire severity – tree mortality, ecosystem

damage

Low intensity surface fire,

Blacks Mt Exp. Forest

2002 Cone Fire. Untreated forest.

High intensity crown fire

Cone Fire. Unit 41 –Thinned and prescribe

burned. Surface fire. Scorch.

Angora Fire June 24-26, 2007

2400 ac, 4 hours, 3 miles

“In the first hour of the

fire, we had probably a

total of 10 engines and we

lost a large portion of

those 254 homes,” Lake

Valley Fire District Chief

Michael. “We didn’t have

enough resources.”

Unit 29

Angora Fire, June 2007

Unit 29

Angora Fire, Unit 29 post-fire

Unit 29

2007 Angora Fire

CTC

Angora Fire, October 2007

Mastication, salvage harvest

California Tahoe Conservancy

Angora Fire – October 2007

Salvage harvest, site preparation

Forest Service

Adjacent to CTC lands

1992 Fountain Fire

Salvage harvest, site

preparation for planting

1992 Fountain Fire Shasta Co., CA

Right - 10 years after reforestation

Left – no reforestation

Fountain Fire in 2002

Elliot Ranch

Elliot Ranch

Tahoe NF

1950-2009

Local solutions to wildfire issue

2010 State Strategic Fire Plan – CDF and Board of Forestry

– Vision, Goals, Objectives http://bof.fire.ca.gov

VISION

A natural environment that is more resilient and man-made assets which are more

resistant to the occurrence and effects of wildland fire through local, state,

federal and private partnerships.

GOALS

Through government and community collaboration, the following goals will enhance

the protection of lives, property and natural resources from wildland fire, as well

as improve environmental resilience to wildland fire.

1. Support and participate in the collaborative development and implementation of

wildland fire protection plans and other local, county and regional plans that

address fire protection and landowner objectives.

Fire Safe Councils

Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP)

Gary Nakamura

Forestry Specialist

Center for Forestry (UC Berkeley)

1851 Hartnell Avenue

Redding, CA 96002

530 224-4902

nakamura@berkeley.edu

http://groups.ucanr.org/forest/