Res-2018-158 Wildfire Protection Plan

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Although reducing the risk of high intensity wild land fire is the primary motivation behind this plan, managing the wild lands for hazardous fuels reduction and fire resilience is only one part of the larger picture. Residents and visitors desire healthy, fire-resilient wild lands that provide habitat for wildlife, recreational opportunities, economic stimulation, and scenic beauty. In keeping with the strategy of the original Kittitas County CWPP, the Subcommittee revisited the planning outline in Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan: A Handbook for Wild/and-Urban Interface Communities (Communities Committee et al. 2004). That document provides an eight-step process for updating a CWPP. Below are eight steps and the achievements of the Subcommittee in taking each of the steps outlined. • Step one: Convene the decision makers. The Kittitas County CWPP Subcommittee reconvened in April 2018 to review the work completed within and adjacent to the WUI boundary on public and private lands and to reevaluate the priorities for future fuels reduction treatments. The Subcommittee is comprised of the Program Director from Project Wildfire; Fire Marshals from local fire districts; representatives from DNR; representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM); the Kittitas County Forester, other stakeholders, and members of the public. • Step two: Involve state and federal agencies. HFRA directed communities to collaborate with local and state government representatives, in consultation with federal agencies and other interested parties in the development of a CWPP. The Subcommittee recognized the importance of this collaboration and involved not only members from the USFS, but DNR and Kittitas County representatives as well. Each agency brought a wealth of information about fuels reduction efforts planned and completed, along with educational information based on current research across the nation. • Step three: Engage interested parties. The Subcommittee included representatives from the Communities at Risk, members of local businesses, road districts, homeowner/neighborhood associations, and other organizations and individuals. The Subcommittee encouraged a collaborative environment for the stakeholders to accomplish the 2017 revision of the Kittitas County CWPP. Collaboration and coordination between agencies, community members, and landowners is the fundamental goal of the Cohesive Strategy. • Step four: Establish a community base map. The Subcommittee reviewed the previous maps and boundaries from the 2009 CWPP. The group approved the 2018 CWPP boundary, which now has nine rating areas that replaced the previous eight. The Subcommittee was able, with this change to the base map, to accurately assess the risk in two areas, which were in one rating area in the previous plan, each with two distinctly different vegetation types. Community Wildfire Protection Plan 7 September 2018