Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br /> <br />Community Wildfire Protection Plan 32 September 2018 <br />4.2 Risk Assessment Evaluation Tools <br />Wildfire risk is a measure of both the probability and <br />consequences of uncertain future wildfire events. For any <br />location within Kittitas County, wildfire risk depends on the <br />chances of a fire occurring there, the likely intensity of the <br />fire, and the vulnerability of something of value at that <br />location. Scientists describe these three components of risk <br />using a triangle where the sides are likelihood, intensity, and <br />susceptibility. These three factors, and the resultant wildfire <br />risk, vary across the county. In this section, we describe tools <br />currently available to assess this risk in Kittitas County. This <br />provides spatial context for where different wildfire <br />management and mitigation strategies will be most effective. <br />By understanding the components that contribute to <br />wildfire risk and engaging in a coordinated and <br />collaborative planning effort, the county can take steps to <br />influence each side of the risk triangle in different ways. For <br />example, prevention measures that reduce human-caused <br />fires can reduce the likelihood of fire occurrence, <br />particularly in areas of human activity. Vegetation <br />treatments focused on reducing fuel loads can reduce the <br />intensity of fires that do occur, and efforts to reduce the flammability of building materials and <br />increase defensible space around structures and communities can reduce susceptibility of homes and <br />other structures to wildfire. <br />4.2.1 Landscape Risk Assessments <br />The assessment used for risk analysis is a combination of local and landscape scales. The landscape <br />risk analysis has been provided by Pyrologix LLC via the USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station in a <br />report, Pacific Northwest Quantitative Wildfire Risk Assessment: Method and Results (Pyrologix 2018) <br />The report covers 1.5 million acres of USFS land in Kittitas County and over 100 million acres in all. <br />The report documents the methodology and results of the USFS Pacific Northwest Region Wildfire <br />Risk Assessment (PNRA). This assessment tool provides foundational information about wildfire <br />hazard and risk to Highly Valued Resources and Assets across the geographic area. This information <br />is used to support decisions related to wildfire suppression, fuel management planning, and resource <br />allocation decisions. It is also critical for developing land and resource management plans. <br />Assets are human-made features, <br />such as commercial structures, <br />critical facilities, and housing that <br />have a specific importance or value. <br />Resources are natural features, such <br />as wildlife habitat and federally <br />threatened and endangered plant or <br />animal species. These also have a <br />specific importance or value. <br />Generally, the term “values at risk” <br />has previously been used to describe <br />both assets and resources. For PNRA, <br />the term Highly Valued Resources <br />and Assets is used to describe what <br />has previously been labeled values at <br />risk. There are two reasons for this <br />change in terminology. First, <br />resources and assets are not <br />themselves “values” in any way that <br />term is conventionally defined—they <br />have value (importance). Second, <br />while resources and assets may be <br />exposed to wildfire, they are not <br />necessarily “at risk”—that is the <br />purpose of the assessment.