PD-17-00001 Marian Meadows Full Record with Index (2)

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Marian Meadows Rezone and Subdivision Final Environmental Impact Statement 3-147 Fuel  Lighter fuels such as grasses, leaves, and needles quickly expel moisture and burn rapidly, while heavier fuels such as tree branches, logs, and trunks take longer to warm and ignite.  Snags and hazard trees, those that are diseased, dying, or dead, are larger west of the Cascades, but more prolific east of the Cascades. In 2005, about 2.5 million acres of the state’s 21 million acres of forest land contained trees killed or defoliated by forest insects and diseases. Weather  East of the Cascades, summer drying typically starts in mid-June and runs through early September, with drought conditions extending this season.  Passage of a dry, cold front through this region can result in sudden increase in wind speeds and a change in wind direction affecting fire spread.  Thunderstorm activity, which typically begins in June with wet storms, turns dry with little or no precipitation reaching the ground as the season progresses into July and August. Thunderstorms with dry lightning are more prevalent in Eastern Washington. Terrain  Topography of a region or a local area influences the amount and moisture of fuel.  Elevation and slope of landforms affect the spread and intensity of fire, which spreads more easily as it moves uphill than downhill and dries and heats fuels in its path, making it easier to ignite and burn. The fire can create its own winds through convection that further intensifies the fire and increase spread.  Barriers such as highways and lakes can affect the spread of fire depending on their width and location. In an intense fire, wind tends to carry burning debris considerable distance and can jump such fire barriers. All of the factors for creating extreme hazard conditions are present in the Easton area, especially on the slopes surrounding the valley. Adding to the risk is the near constant wind from the west that quickly dries forests after snowmelt (Munroe 2010). 4 How will the proposal and alternatives affect fire protection facilities and services? The addition of residences generally adds to the incidence of fire as well as the demands placed on the fire district to control these fires. If all factors were equal, the risk and need for additional fire protection services would be proportional to the increase. This is not the case, however, because the factors affecting risk differ by location and character of development. In the case of the proposed Marian Meadows development, the addition of 443 residents adds about 30 percent to the number of potential sources of residential fires. The provision of water supply and fire