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+, Sustain wildlife habitat: Large patches of white head the planni moderate Cle Elum Plannin q Area Landscape Evaluation S ummary Figure 1. Wildfire risk to homes, infrastructure & foresfs. Figure 2. Current and future moisture deficit levels. ed wood pecker habitat exist on the south Omak 20 Year Plan Landscape Goals Overarchinq: r lmprove safety and fire protection for people and homes.r lncrease resilience to drought and wildfire by creating open canopy forest with resistant tree species and a large tree component. e Maintain large tree, dense forest in the least fire and drought prone areas to sustain dense forest dependent wildlife species. Reduce wildfire risk: Fire risk is high to very high along most of the northern and southern ridges-that encompass the valley (Fig. 1). As fires are most likely to come from the north, the highest priority treatments are on the lower to upper slopes of Cle Elum ridge (northern ridge), and along the lower to mid slopes of the southern ridge. ln the central part of the valley, the agricultural lands and extensive floodplain forests along the yit<ima river provide a natural fire break. Treatments to reduce fiie risk are low priority .along the north facing, upper slopes of the southern ridge, where dense forest is sustainable. Some areas are predicted to burn as low-intensity ground fires, which will have beneficial effects by consuming fuels. Most of these areas are recently treated areas on DNR and private land. Prepare for climate chanqe: Projected warming will increase moisture stress and thus probability of wildfire and insect outbreaks. By mid-century, 45% of the planning area is projected to have moisture stress levels currently associated with woodland and shrub-steppe (Fig. 2). Treatments to aggressively reduce density and shift to drought- tolerant species on currently high, and future ex- treme, deficit areas will help maintain forest cover on sites for as long as possible. facing slopes of Cle Elum Ridge and in if prescriptions incorporate habitat cons NNTUPNL RESOURCES the far eastern portion iderations. Habitat forng area. Treatments on d ry sites will increase this habitat to closed canopy d ependent species exists on north facing slopes of the southern ridge and in the northwest cornerTreatments are not recommended in most of this area. Fires that burn at characteristic severity in all forest types can benefit habitatby creating snags and stimulating higher understory plant abunda nce and diversity Enhance rural economic development: Reducing fire risk will help maintain recreational opportunities and associated economic activity. Commercial treatments are possible on many of the recommended acres. However, the small size of many parcels, difficult in many the high number of vacation homes, and limited roadaccess on Forest Service land make commercial treatments areas. Non-commercial treatments will require majorinvestments and will provide a major source of work for local contractors. Warming trends will make it i Cle Elum Planning Area The Cle Elum planning area combines high fire risk along the northem and southem ridges with extensive development in the valley and foothills. Ownership of forestland is dominated by small private landowners (56%), along with Forest Service (19%), the Nature Conservancy (14%), and the DNR (8%). Based on current conditions data from 2017, feating an estimated 15,500 - 23,000 acres of dense forest is recommended to reduce fire risk to communities and move the move the landscape into a resilient condi- tion. Community wildfire preparedness efforts are currently scaling up to address the large need to treat parcels with homes. Creating additional defensible space on Nature Conservancy, USFS, and undeveloped private land near communities is also a priority. Mainte- nance treatments on existing open forest are needed on 2,500-5,500 acres. ln sum, tneating 2749% of the forested acres is recom- mended' This planning area will be expanded to include the Cle Elum Lake watershed in the 2020 Landscaoe Hiqhliqhts planning cycle. tsRisk a combination fireof probab ility, fire and to fire.susceptibil itv f E*trut" ffi Moo"t"t" !Iil-"'l-:il*', I 981.201 0 2041-2070 water stress faced by plants, Moisture deficit is a measure I Ls Moislcotd Forost -] Moddarei Ory-Moi3t Forcst ) -.:l Hish' oryFo..s( I Extemerw@dlnndstope Definitions (see Aooendix for data sources and methods)., Dry: Ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir dominated forests that historicatly suppofted ground fires every 5-25 years. Mcisl: forests that histoically had mixed severity fires and were dominated by fire resr.sfanf specles on si/es with more frequent fire (-30-80 years) and fire intolerant specles such asgrand fir on sites with /ess ,Ire. Cold: Upper elevation mixed conifer forests with high seveity fires every 80-200+ years. WdlandlSbppe; Grass and shrublands that may have oak woodlands or up to 1 0/o cover of conifer trees. SLe classes.' Large: overstory diameter (OD) > 20"; Medium: OD 10-20"; Small: oD <10". Canopy cover classes.' Open: <40%' Dense: >40ok. Fuels: shrubs, grasses, small trees, duff , & dead woody material. long term timber production in the eastern and northern portions of the planning area. ncreasingly difficult to sustain