Pacific Northwest Wildfire Coordinating Group
Fuels Management Working Team
Meeting Notes
Date: 9-23-2010 0900-1200 at NWCC
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Leanne Mruzik – BLM
Laura Mayer - FS
Alan McGuire-Dale - FS
Darrel Johnston – WA DNR,
Vice-chair
Lauren Maloney - BLM
Cyndi Sidles – FWS, Chair
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X
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Mary Helen Smith - ODF
Pam Ensley – FWS, Liaison
Dee Townsend - NPS
Gene Lonning - BIA
Kristin Babbs – ODF(*)
Bill Aney - FS
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Dennis Fiore - BLM
Guests
Mark Gray, WDNR for DJ
Loretta Duke–NPS for DT
X= attended
C= Call In
Topics:
 FY11 Grant Proposal Funding Recommendations - Pam discussed presentation
of FY11 Grant Proposal recommendations to PNWCG Steering Committee; Steering
Committee “blessed the Fuels WT recommendations for funding” with one change,
switching funding from the #4 priority in Washington to the #5 priority (see
prioritization spreadsheets in working team notes). Alan: no notifications to
Grantees until budgets are funded.

FY12 Grant Process – delay discussing process to see what will happen with the
12 budget; also delay discussion on taking grant proposals from entities other than
states.

Christmas in July Grant History Briefing Paper – FMWT will coordinate with GIS
and Communications Working Teams to provide Grant History 2001-10; a hand out
for PNWCG Steering Committee members to congressional, constituents, leaders,
partners, RDs, etc.
a. Page One:
i. Grant history broken down by state, amounts by year, agencies
contributing $;
ii. Possibly a separate table breaking out $ by State/County/Year
iii. Pie chart or bar graph by year that will illustrate funding trends
iv. Success story or two – examples of how grant funded treatments
contributed to wildfire control efforts, while minimizing
property/resource damage, reducing fire fighter exposure, etc. These
stories need to clearly describe fuels project(s), partners, funding, etc.
b. Page Two: Simple map(s) by state, showing county boundaries and;
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c.
d.
e.
f.

i. Location points for projects
ii. Location points for CWPPs/Community Assistance (unless they can’t
be readily distinguished.)
Former Grants Working Team maintained maps from NFP inception to 2008
for funded projects; unsure if updated after 2008.
Barb Kennedy had accomplishment reports since inception (?) that she
passed on to Lauren Maloney
Recommend pulling together maps, accomplishment reports, other
related grant docs & setting up a Fuels WT file to capture & maintain a
grant history. Laura, Alan, Lauren, Dennis to work on
Document will be completed by 15 July – get with Pam on # of copies
needed. Focus on something simple that tells a story; doesn’t have to be
perfect, JUST AVAILABLE by the deadline. Need to able to illustrate
declining budgets, but still emphasize successes.
Big Picture History Map(s) of Fuels Projects for all 5 Fed Agencies + States –.
Map to show all fuels treatments in PNW, Federal and non-Federal, 2005 to current
using polygons where possible and utilizing a standardized geodatabase. This will
be a complete story of fuels treatments in the PNW that can feed into other national
efforts as needed (ie., Landfire, etc.)


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Pam: need to work toward a briefing type paper, with maps that is simple &
illustrates fuels treatment history for R6; target is back to 2005 if possible,
with goal back to inception
GIS Data Layer Standard – currently still in draft form at NWCG
 Linked to NFPORS data
Status of States:
 WDNR: mapped to data standard, but don’t have link to NFPORS
treatment IDs
i. BIA, Gene to get Mark all treatment IDs for BIA funded projects;
Mark to link to their d-base to NFPORS treatment ids.
ii. Other Fed Partners: is there a need to work on how other feds
will get treatment ids to WDNR so data can be linked?
 ODF: raw d-base in NFPORS structure, back to 2004 & mapped as
points (Mary Helen’s best guess). Do have grant proposals with
identified polygon maps.
i. BIA, Gene to get ?? Mary Helen?? all treatment IDs for BIA
funded projects; ODF, ??? to link their d-base to NFPORS
treatment ids.
ii. Other Fed Partners: is there a need to work on how other feds
will get treatment ids to ODF so data can be linked?
 Gene Lonning (BIA), Dee Townsend (NPS), Dennis Fiore (BLM/FS)
and Cyndi Sidles (FWS) identified as contacts for ODF and WA DNR
to provide NFPORs IDs for State treatments, providing a common link
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
for projects in geodatabase (all projects identified by NFPORS ID,
which in turn provides link to all project metadata/
Status of Feds:
 BIA: Yakama completed 2005-10; goal is to have all other NW region
Tribes completed by 30 Sept, all to GIS Data Layer Std.
 NPS: linking polygons to NFPORS, not sure how far back at this time
 FWS: mapping polygons for 2010, dots for previous years for now
 BLM/FS: caught up, not sure if back to 2005
Action Item(s):
 Cyndi, Alan, Dale, Laura to get together to discuss:
o GIS assigned tasks/role in developing this history
o Get clarification of what exactly Dale has & to what standard
 Bring to Oct Meeting: status & any mapping that each partner could brief to
 Lead Contacts for mapping issues:
o BLM/FS: Dennis Fiore
o FWS: Cyndi Sidles
o NPS: Dee Townsend
o BIA: Most likely Kim Kelly
o WDNR: Nicki Eisfeldt NICHOLENE.EISFELDT@dnr.wa.gov
o ODF: Teresa Vonn tvonn@odf.state.or.us


Work with Communication, Prevention, Investigations WT – Need to work
on developing a “joint message” or one where fuels information rolls into an
“annual” Prevention type message. Cyndi to talk to Lauren about this, get
ideas and recommendations.
Success Stories
Fuels Treatment Effectiveness web based data program: www.NWPortal.fs.usda.gov
i. NW portal – shows 9 wildfires that bumped into fuels treatments in
2010
ii. e-authentication process to access d-base
iii. Not sure about states being able to access
iv. All fed partners should be reporting “successes” thru this d-base
b. There is a need to consolidate all success stories developed by all partners in
R6 & be able to present, develop briefing papers, etc.
c. NPS, with in house folk, put together success stories, with the intent to help
justify need for additional fuels $
d. In WA, prevention teams ordered up thru IMTs for public education & to pass
on message for need for fuels treatments & home owner responsibilities.
Would like to support these efforts on future fires, but can only be ordered up
for fed. fires.
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e. FIREWISE – recommend using as a pathway for prevention related
messaging
Action Items:
a. Alan to work with Laura – getting states access to Fuels Treatment
Effectiveness d-base
b. Need to work on a strategy for use of Fuels Treatment Effectiveness by all
feds (& states), the primary need is making the portal known to firefighters on
the ground and encouraging use.
c. Need to develop a “clearing house” to pull together region wide success
stories & develop briefing papers, regional summaries, annual success story
pamphlet, etc
Dates to Remember:
October 25, 2011
next scheduled FMWT meeting
Note Taker for Next Meeting: TBD