Fired Up About Fuel Reduction:

How landowners, conservation organizations, and local, state and federal partners are making a difference in the Chumstick Watershed

By Annie Schmidt, Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition 

Ideas volley back and forth across the large conference table inside Chelan County Fire District 3 in Leavenworth, Wash., as members of the Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition discuss effective ways to distribute $100,000 of fuel reduction funds.

 “We came together to protect our lives, homes, and livelihoods,” said coalition chairman Ross Frank. “This is truly a grassroots effort, instead of being complacent, landowners are taking action."

The Chumstick Watershed is comprised of approximately 50,000 acres of dry forest north of Leavenworth with a historic fire frequency of five to 15 years. Fire suppression has resulted in 98 percent of the forest with a higher than normal fuel load.

The coalition began in 2005 when local neighborhood groups and Community Wildfire Protection Plan organizers came together to address local wildfire issues. It's a unique collaborative of landowners and representatives:

The Coalition's mission is to protect lives, property, and infrastructure in the Chumstick Watershed from wildfire, through collaborative partnerships utilizing outreach and strategic planning, leading to actions on public and private lands that benefit people, wildlife, forest health, and the community.

Members of the coalition and the Wenatchee River Ranger District worked closely to develop a proposed action for the 20,000-acre Chumstick Hazardous Fuels Reduction project. A Decision Notice is expected this spring with implementation this fall.

“In this particular process, it seemed like everyone listened to one another; the listening was one of the best things about this project,” Chumstick resident Dick Jones said. “There really wasn’t a confrontational feel, and that is why I stay involved.”

And the $100,000 for fuel reduction? 

The money will be distributed as part of a Private Lands Cost-Share program developed and implemented by the coalition for defensible neighborhoods and private lands treatment adjacent to Forest Service fuel reduction projects.

Through collaborative efforts, forest health is improving, fire resilience is increasing, and trust is building. In short, it’s working.

Annie Schmidt is director of the Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition.