ID Number 2007-31
Fuels Treatment Projects Application
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE PROJECTS
Applicant
Applicant/Organization:
Oregon Department of Forestry/NEO District/Baker Sub-Unit
Type of Applicant:
A (State)
Email:
msmith@odf.state.or.us/mjaques@odf.state.or.us
Phone:
503-945-7341
FAX:
503-945-7416
Please Call Ahead for FAX:
Off
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip):
2600 State Street Salem, OR 97310
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator (Name and Title):
Mary Helen Smith, Grant Coordinator/Mark Jacques, Unit Forester
Organization/Jurisdiction:
Northeast Oregon District/Baker Sub-Unit
Email:
msmith@odf.state.or.us;mjacques@odf.state.or.us
Phone:
503-945-7341
FAX:
503-945-7416
Please Call Ahead for FAX:
Off
Project Information
Project Title:
Continuing High Hazard WUI Area Fuel Reduction in Baker County
Project Location:
Stices,Bulger Flat, East Face Elkhorns, Sumpter
County:
Baker
Congressional District:
2
Latitude:
44.8168
Longitude:
-117.8992
State the desired outcome in relation to NFP Goals and the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). Project Objectives:
This project satisfies one of the main goals of the NFP: Reduce fuels in forests and rangelands at risk, especially near communities. In addition, this project is
an outcome of the Baker County CWPP where wildfire risk should be reduced through treatment of hazardous fuels and utilize widespread and consistent
partnerships with citizens, stakeholders, and agencies in order to accomplish treatments across the landscape. This proposal is a continued effort to treat fuels
in the highest priority WUI areas of Baker County, utilizing existing infrastructure and partnerships built from previous NFP projects. The proposal is to treat
470 acres of private land directly adjacent to federal fuels projects. The WUI areas benefiting from this project are Stices Gulch, the East Face of the
Elkhorns,Bulger Flat, and Sumpter. The landowners in these WUIs have expressed interest in the same type of treatment on private land, accomplishing
community protection for each respective WUI.
Name of CWPP:
Baker County Community Wildfire Protection Plan
Name of Communit(y/ies) at Risk:
Stices Gulch, East Face of the Elkorns, Bulger Flat, Sumpter Valley
Proposed Project Start Date:
10/01/2007
Proposed Project End Date:
12/31/2010
Federal Funding Request:
$184,348.00
Total Project Cost:
$238,398.00
Are you submitting multiple projects?
Yes
If YES indicate the relationship of the projects to one another:
If YES, please list the titles of projects by priority and briefly explain their relationship.
The State of Oregon will be submitting multiple projects.
Name of Federal, State or Tribal contact with whom you coordinated this
proposal:
Organization/Jurisdiction:
1) Noel Livingston, Fire Management Officer
Whitman Unit, Wallowa-Whitman NF
Phone
541-523-4476
Email nlivingston@fs.fed.us
2) Mike Hartwell, Fire Management Officer
Bureau of Land Management-Vale District
Phone
Email mike_hartwell@or.blm.gov
541-473-6265
3) Ken Rockwell, Fuels and Air Quality Manager
Phone
541-523-1262
Wallowa-Whitman NF, Supervisor's Office
Email krockwell@fs.fed.us
S (Sequential)
Project Planning Information
Name of Local Coordinating Group:
Baker County Local Coordinating Group
For this project, explain the level of cooperation, coordination or strategic planning, through a "Local Coordination Group." If you have not worked with a
local coordination group, why not?
This grant was approved by the Baker County Local Coordinating group on January 17, 2006.
List federal lands that are adjacent to the project and proximity.
Adjacent to USFS Baker City and Sumpter watershed projects.
A) Is there a current hazardous fuels treatment or one that is planned in the next three years on federal land that is adjacent to this project?
Yes
B) Specifically is this project adjacent to a current prescribed burn project or one that is planned in the next three years on Forest Service lands?
Yes
Please indicate planned treatments and associated acres:
Treatment
Thinning
Acres
470
Treatment
Biomass Removal
Acres
50
Treatment
Machine Pile
Acres
350
Treatment
Hand Pile
Acres
70
Treatment
Acres
0
If you have a treatment type other than standard types above:
Treatment
Acres
0
Project Evaluation Criteria
Applications for funding must include narrative responses that address the following criteria. Be sure you address every one briefly, yet thoroughly.
1. Reducing Hazardous Fuels (40 points)
A. Describe the community infrastructure that will be protected. This should include how this project implements all or part of the CWPP strategy. (15
points)
Response:
Each of the communities at risk has individual infrastructure that will ultimately be protected by this project. Roads,
power lines, structures, and watersheds are among the types of infrastructure to be protected in or near each of the
communities previously identified. New projects are planned in the East Face of the Elkhorns (includes the Baker
City Watershed that feeds 11,000 homes),Stices Gulch,Bulger Flat/Rock Creek, and Sumpter Valley(all steep and dry
with high homesite and fuel density).Each of these areas with infrastructure is identified as priority WUI's in the
Baker County CWPP.
B. Explain how the proposal reduces fire behavior in high hazard areas by describing the fuels to be disposed or removed, the techniques and timing of the
treatments, and the treatment location relative to the values to be protected. (15 points)
Response:
Fuels in these high hazard areas vary from those associated with dry Ponderosa pine types to those associated with
cool, wet mixed-species interior forest types with Western larch, Grand fir, Douglas fir and Engelmann spruce.
Treatments in pine stands will occur in the fall and early winter, or use methods of treatment that do not promote Ips
beetle. This will prevent further mortality, increasing fuel hazard. Thinning, chipping, and biomass removal will be
conducted in the named WUI areas in "A" (above), therefore protecting the communities and their values that are
listed at risk.
C. Explain how the project is designed to reduce smoke production impacts that affect public health. (10 points)
Response:
The objective of smoke management is to regulate prescribed burning operations on private forest land while
recognizing the need to maintain fuels treatment activity and the need to maintain air quality in populated areas and
areas sensitive to smoke. Many of the projects being conducted on private lands in Northeast Oregon promote
methods that eliminate the need for burning (i.e., slash buster, chipping). Non-merchantable timber can be utilized in
the Warm Hearts/Warm Homes firewood program. Fuels for Schools is also being explored. Smoke management in
Baker County is on a volunteer basis.
2. Increasing Local Capacity (20 points)
A. How would the implementation of the proposed project improve or lead to the improvement of the local economy in terms of jobs and sustainable
economic activity assuming that these grant funds would be used as "seed monies" for future projects. i.e. How many community supported jobs would be
created and for how long would they expect to last? (10 points)
Response:
This project will create ecological, economical, and socially sustainable forest conditions on 470 acres providing
biomass (fiber, sawlogs) in the short and long-term to the local economy. Thinning/fuel reduction work is designed to
restore the forest ecosystem (fire-resistant), sustained by future thinning/fuel treatments by individual landowners,
thus providing the seed for future work by local contractors. This project is estimated to create and sustain 20
woodland jobs.
B. Will biomass that is produced by the project be utilized; if so, in what manner and how much? (10 points)
Response:
Biomass will be utilized to the fullest extent possible. Baker County is exploring the opportunity of renewable energy
for schools (Fuels for Schools). Right now, biomass larger than 1.5" in diameter is being used for firewood in the
Warm Hearts/Warm Homes program. This project will generate approximately 150 cords, going to low-income
citizens, via a partnership between ODF, Dept. of Human Services, Powder River Corrections, and Community
Connection.
3. Demonstrating Community and Intergovernmental Collaboration (20 Points)
A. Describe how this project has been collaborated and coordinated with adjacent landowners, local/state/Tribal/federal agencies, and community groups
such as neighborhood associations. (10 points)
Response:
This treatment has been coordinated, and will continue to be, with adjacent private landowners and State and Federal
land managers. Treatment projects directly near the federal projects being conducted will receive top priority; federal
projects are scheduled in all three WUI areas mentioned. ODF has selected particular landowners to participate based
on past interest and recommendations of the Baker County LCG. Finalizing projects will be the first task once grant is
awarded.
B. Describe the communities/partners contributions to this project such as: cash or in-kind contributions, cost share agreements, equipment, or labor
(including volunteer work). (10 points)
Response:
Landowners/homeowners have cost-share agreements with ODF for the project. Powder River Correctional Facility
provides a trained work force for interested landowners that want to use them to conduct fuels treatment. They also
provide a labor force for the Warm Hearts/Warm Homes firewood program; Community Connection and Department
of Human Services partner with ODF on coordination and administration. Wallowa-Whitman NF and BLM have
coordinated with us on viable project locations.
4. Managing Cost Efficiency (20 points)
Discuss the process you used to arrive at your cost structure for the main Project Budget areas such as personnel, equipment, supplies and other (i.e.
overhead). In your response please justify: cost per acre, purchase of equipment, percent of overhead, percent of partner or matching funds, and portion of
administration cost. (20 points)
Response:
Oregon Department of Forestry has a history of providing cost-share and technical assistance to private landowners in
Oregon via federally funded programs. ODF-Baker Sub-Unit uses a cost-share model based on previous cost-share
programs, to determine the rate per acre for each project. Using these guidelines, an average cost per acre for what is
considered medium-level work (moderate to heavy fuel load/less than 35% slope) is $460. This includes both the
thinning and the slash treatment. In extreme cases, cost-share rates may be as much as $600 per acre. The cost-share
model that has been used in Northeast Oregon provides for a 75% cost share payment as a reimbursement to the
landowner. This payment is based on a per acre, per component rate. The payment allows for the landowner to receive
75% of the actual cost to have the work completed, or a maximum payment, not to exceed the designated per acre rate.
Hence, 470 acres at 75% (covered by the grant) = $162,150 and 25% the landowner contributes for 470 acres total =
$54,050. The other costs associated with this project are: personnel to maintain and promote the project and other
personnel expenses related to maintaining the above mentioned position ($22.75 x 400 hours = $9100 + OPE (48% of
9100) = Total of $13,468). Travel is mileage to and from project areas at $1.25/mile (this includes mileage, wear and
tear and replacement value) = $2,000. Supplies include forms and reports used for each project.
Project Work Form
Time Frame
Responsible Party
Assist landowners with applications, determine
eligibility, evaluate site, approve applications,
provide on-going technical assistance.
Tasks
10/01/2007-10/01/2008
Oregon Department of Forestry foresters Northeast
Oregon District, Baker Sub-Unit
Conduct Fuels Treatment Work
10/15/2007-11/01/2010
Local Contractors, Forest Consultants, and
Landowners (Powder River Corrections where
applicable)
Inspect and approve completed work; submit for
reimbursement and issue payments.
10/30/2008-11/30/2010
Oregon Department of Forestry Foresters Northeast
Oregon District, Baker Sub-Unit; Oregon Dept. of
Forestry-Finance Staff
Provide annual accomplishment reports to Baker
County LCG group for CWPP monitoring and
evaluation
On-going
Oregon Dept. of Forestry - Northeast Oregon
District
Provide information to public and news media on
project
On-going
Oregon Department of Forestry Northeast Oregon
District
Project Budget
Private
Landowners
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Applicant
Partner 1
Partner 2
Partner 3
Total
Personnel
ODF Forester
$9,100.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$9,100.00
Salem Admin (3%)
$5,530.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$5,530.00
$14,630.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$14,630.00
$4,368.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$4,368.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$4,368.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$4,368.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$2,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$1,200.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$1,200.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$1,200.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$1,200.00
$162,150.00
$0.00
$54,050.00
$0.00
$0.00
$216,200.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$162,150.00
$0.00
$54,050.00
$0.00
$0.00
$216,200.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$184,348.00
$0.00
$54,050.00
$0.00
$0.00
$238,398.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Subtotal
Fringe Benefits
Other personnel expenses
Subtotal
Travel
State Vehicle - $1.25/mi.
Subtotal
Equipment
Subtotal
Supplies
Misc forms, postage, etc.
Subtotal
Contractual
Thin/treat fuel 470 acres
Subtotal
Other
Subtotal
Total Costs
Project (Program) Income 1
(using deductive alternative)
Program income is the gross revenue generated by a grant or cooperative agreement supported activity during the life of the grant. Program income can be
made by recipients from fees charged for conference or workshop attendance, from rental fees earned from renting out real property or equipment acquired
with grant or cooperative agreement funds, or from the sale of commodities or items developed under the grant or cooperative agreement. The use of Program
Income during the project period may require prior approval by the granting agency.
1