Collaborative Community Wildfire Protection Plans

A shining example of collaboration resides with SW Oregon's Josephine and Jackson Counties use of a multi-tiered approach to reduce risks of large scale wildfires. Their Integrated Fire Plans serve as national models for collaborative community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs). Providing leadership and coordination, the Josephine Jackson Local Coordination Group supports the efforts of the CWPP committees in each county ensuring the plans are being implemented with a focus on the highest priority work; a variety of funding streams; and the support of a broad base of stakeholders.

The landscape encompasses more than 2.8 million acres with over 1.7 million acres identified as Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Local populations surpass 268,000 with many communities having experienced nearby large wildfires. Active CWPP partners include over 30 federal and state agencies (including the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Department of Forestry), local governments, fire districts, non-profit organizations, businesses and individuals.

Accomplishments in 2007 included:

• FUELS TREATMENTS: Federal land management agencies treated 23,258 WUI acres. Various grants supported private land treatments of 1,551 acres. Total 2007 grant funding for projects was 1.2 million dollars through National Fire Plan, Western States Fire Managers, Secure Rural Schools & Community Self Determination Act, Woody Biomass Utilization, National Forest Foundation, Volunteer/Rural Fire Assistance, DHS Assistance to Firefighters, and U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Lab. These funds helped support the development of five BLM and U.S. Forest Service stewardship projects in Josephine County. In Jackson County, standards for small diameter timber treatments have been developed.
• EDUCATION: CWPP partners have galvanized outreach with a fire prevention team, wildfire safety speaker's bureau, educational school kits and standardized home assessment training.
• HELPING PEOPLE: Facilitated by the Rogue Valley Council of Governments, agencies are strengthening assistance to special needs citizens living in the WUI.
• MAPPING: A National Fire Plan grant helped fund a two-county fuels mapping project to update risk assessments using LANDFIRE technology.

Contact: Paul Galloway, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Partnership Coordinator, (541)471-6755

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