ID Number 2007-56
Fuels Treatment Projects Application
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE PROJECTS
Applicant
Applicant/Organization:
Oregon Dept. of Forestry/Northeast Oregon/Pendleton Unit
Type of Applicant:
A (State)
Email:
msmith@odf.state.or.us/dking@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, Grants Coordinator/David King, Unit Forester/Pendl
Organization/Jurisdiction:
Oregon Department of Forestry/NEO Dist/Pendleton Unit
Email:
msmith@odf.state.or.us/dking@odf.state.or.us
Phone:
503-945-7341
FAX:
503-945-7416
Please Call Ahead for FAX:
Off
Project Information
Project Title:
Tollgate/Mill Creek Collaborative Fuels Treatment
Project Location:
Umatilla County, Oregon
County:
Umatilla
Congressional District:
2
Latitude:
45.78
Longitude:
-118.1
State the desired outcome in relation to NFP Goals and the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). Project Objectives:
Assist landowners needing to protect properties from the risk of catastrophic wildfire. This project would be a continuation of successful NFP defensible
space and shaded fuel break work. Tollgate and Mill Creek are high priority WUI areas in Umatilla Co. and Mill Creek CWPP's. They are unincorporated
areas of dense residential populations intermingled with small woodland ownerships. Mill Creek is directly adjacent to the Mill Creek Municipal Watershed,
the primary source of domestic water for Walla Walla, WA. Both Oregon and Washington are involved in NFP projects in Mill Creek. Tollgate is bounded
on the south by the North Fork Umatilla River Wilderness and on the north by the unroaded Walla Walla River Drainage. Both areas are charaterized by
steep topography, heavy decadent forest fuels, and limited access. The Burnt Cabin fire, 2005, threatened the Tollgate area. Adjacent USFS projects include
Tollgate, Skyline, Table Springs, Deduct, & Mill Cr. trails.
Name of CWPP:
Umatilla County CWPP/Mill Creek CWPP
Name of Communit(y/ies) at Risk:
Mill Creek, City of Walla Walla, Tollgate
Proposed Project Start Date:
10/01/2007
Proposed Project End Date:
12/31/2009
Federal Funding Request:
$136,388.00
Total Project Cost:
$184,066.00
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) Kevin Martin, Umatilla N. Forest Supervisor
USFS/Umatilla NF
Phone
541-278-3716
Email kdmartin@fs.fed.us
2) William Aney, Umatilla N. Forest Fire Staff
USFS/Umatilla NF
Phone
Email waney@fs.fed.us
541-278-3727
3) James Beekman, Walla Walla RD FMO
Phone
509-522-6284
USFS/Umatilla NF
Email jbeekman@fs.fed.us
S (Sequential)
Project Planning Information
Name of Local Coordinating Group:
Umatilla Co. CWPP Steering Committee/Mill Cr. CWPP Steering Comm.
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?
The LCG approved these WUI areas to be included in a grant application on January 18, 2006.
List federal lands that are adjacent to the project and proximity.
Umatilla NF; N. Fk. Umatilla Wilderness; Mill Creek Wtrshed; BLM
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
Biomass Removal
Acres
100
Treatment
Machine Pile
Acres
50
Treatment
Mastication/Mowing
Acres
100
Treatment
Thinning
Acres
200
Acres
10
Treatment
Acres
0
If you have a treatment type other than standard types above:
Treatment
fuel brks/fire trail
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:
Tollgate/Mill Creek are identified CWPP WUI's consisting of dense permanent and seasonal residences and small
woodlands areas directly adjacent to hazardous fuels on National Forest lands. Municipal watersheds for two cities
are affected (Mill Creek for Walla Walla,WA(pop. 30,000+), and N. Fork Umatilla for Pendleton, OR (pop
16,000+)). Local distribution and regional BPA electrical transmission lines are within the proposed areas. State
highways, county roads, and numerous private roads/driveways are included. Creating fuel breaks, defensible space,
water sources are listed CWPP strategies.
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:
Fire behavior would be reduced by removing heavy accumulations of brush, insect damaged trees, and thinning
overstocked lodgepole, true fir, and spruce stands. Ladder fuels would be removed to help prevent fire from reaching
the canopy. Homesite fuel concentrations (flamable plants, wood piles, needle accumulations on roofs, etc.) would be
removed, modified, and re-located as appropriate. Roadways would be brushed out to improve access and egress.
Slash would be chipped or removed from site. Wet soil and snow depth limits the timing of the projects to late spring,
summer, and early fall.
C. Explain how the project is designed to reduce smoke production impacts that affect public health. (10 points)
Response:
Landowners will be encouraged to chip and grind slash and brush rather than burning. In cases where burning is used,
ODF will work closely with landowners to limit burning to times when smoke dispersal won't impact neighboring
areas. Local mills are beginning to use biomass for firing boilers and kilns. ODF will work with landowners and
industry to find opportunities to utilize any biomass created.
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 would create jobs for forest industry workers in lieu of rapidly declining commercial logging work. Many
of these projects are labor intensive jobs, requiring personnel to do hand work rather than machine work. This creates
an opportunity for small business entrepeneurs from the local area to successfully compete for this work. At the same
time, work that can be better accomplished by machine helps maintain a forest industry work force available to assist
with wildfire if needed.
B. Will biomass that is produced by the project be utilized; if so, in what manner and how much? (10 points)
Response:
In light of increasing natural gas prices, local mills are beginning to use biomass to fuel kilns and boilers. Participating
landowners will be provided information to encourage and help them find markets for any biomass created as a result
of fuels reduction work. Oregon's governor has made biomass usage a priority, and has created a statewide task force
to help create a viable economic climate. ODF in northeast Oregon will assist in that effort whenever possible.
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 project has been approved by the Umatilla Co. CWPP steering group, members of the Mill Cr. CWPP steering
group, and USFS representatives up to and including the forest supervisor. While no tribal lands lie directly adjacent
to this project area, the proposal has been discussed with BIA fire staff and acting superintendent. Landowner groups
in the Tollgate area and Mill Creek have been consulted through public meetings and door to door contacts by ODF
personnel.
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:
The landowner is required to find and select a contractor, oversee the work, make full payment to the contractor, and
only then, receive any cost share funds provided by the grant. ODF will provide administrative support and oversite,
as well as evaluation, consultation, and approval. Grant fund recipients will be required to maintain the property at
approved levels for a minimum of ten years. Local RFD's will provide consultation services for structural related
issues as requested.
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:
Or. Dept. of Forestry has a history of providing cost-share and technical assistance to private landowners in Oregon
via federally funded programs. NEO District uses a cost-share model based on previous cost-share programs to
determine the rate per acre for each project. Using these guidelines, a typical cost per acre for this type of work is
about $400 for the Pendleton Unit. This includes thinning and slash treatment. In extreme cases, actual cost may be as
much as $700-$800 per acre. The cost-share model that has been used in NEO provides for a 75% cost share payment
to the landowner. This payment is based on a per acre, per component rate. The payment allows the landowner to
receive 75% of the actual cost to have the work completed, or a maximum payment not to exceed the per acre rate. A
homesite is defined as the one acre surrounding the liveable structure on the property. The average cost to treat a
homesite is $485. Foresters target work adjacent to OWEB and Bark Beetle projects for greater efficiency and
effectiveness. Other costs associated with this project are for the personnel to maintain and promote the project, other
personnel expenses, travel expenses to and from the individual project sites, and miscellaneous operating expenses,
such as mailing supplies and forms. The project areas included in this application are as much as 75 miles distant from
this office, thus requiring a high degree of coordination and pre-planning to make site visits cost efficient.
Project Work Form
Time Frame
Responsible Party
Assist landowners with application, determine
eligibility, evaluate sites, approve application,
provide ongoing technical assistance
Tasks
10/01/2007-10/01/2009
Oregon Department of Forestry Foresters, Northeast
Oregon District, Pendleton Unit
Conduct Fuels Treatment Work
10/15/2007-11/30/2009
Local Contractors, Forest Consultants, Landowners,
Homeowners
Inspect and approve completed work, submit billing
for reimbursement
10/30/2007-11/30/2009
Oregon Department of Forestry Foresters, Northeast
Oregon District, Pendleton Unit
Provide reimbursement payment to landowners
10/30/2007-12/31/2009
Oregon Department of Forestry Salem Finance Staff
Provide accomplishment reports; Coordinate with
Umatilla National Forest
11/30/2007-12/31/2009
Oregon Department of Forestry, Northeast Oregon
District, Pendleton Unit
Provide information to public and news media
concerning project goals, funding, and
acccomplishments
11/30/2007-12/31/2009
Oregon Department of Forestry, Northeast Oregon
District, Pendleton Unit
Coordinate and oversee implementation of Umatilla
County CWPP and Mill Creek CWPP
On-going
Umatilla County CWPP Steering Committee and
Mill Creek CWPP Steering Committee (includes
USFS, BIA, County reps., landowner reps, tribal
reps, others)
Prioritize and coordinate forest restoration work in
Umatilla Co., private and federal lands
On-going
Umatilla NF, BIA and Tribal, Umatilla Co. Natural
Resource Advisory Group
Project Budget
Landowners
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Applicant
Partner 1
Partner 2
Partner 3
Total
Personnel
ODF Forester
$3,801.00
$3,801.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$7,602.00
ODF Forest Officer
$5,321.00
$5,321.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$10,642.00
$9,122.00
$9,122.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$18,244.00
$3,324.00
$4,331.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$7,655.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$3,324.00
$4,331.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$7,655.00
3000 miles x .85
$2,550.00
$2,550.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$5,100.00
6000 miles x .55
$3,300.00
$3,300.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$6,600.00
$5,850.00
$5,850.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$11,700.00
$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
$500.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$500.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$500.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$500.00
thin/treat 300 acres
$97,500.00
$0.00
$24,375.00
$0.00
$0.00
$121,875.00
treat 40 homesites
$16,000.00
$0.00
$4,000.00
$0.00
$0.00
$20,000.00
$113,500.00
$0.00
$28,375.00
$0.00
$0.00
$141,875.00
$4,092.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$4,092.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$4,092.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$4,092.00
$136,388.00
$19,303.00
$28,375.00
$0.00
$0.00
$184,066.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
Subtotal
Fringe Benefits
Other Personnel Expenses
Subtotal
Travel
Subtotal
Equipment
Subtotal
Supplies
misc. forms, postage, etc
Subtotal
Contractual
Subtotal
Other
Salem Admin (3%)
Subtotal
Total Costs
Project (Program) Income 1
(using deductive alternative)
1 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.