2006-064
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN-INTERFACE PROJECTS
Application for Fuels Treatment Projects
Applicant
Applicant/Organization:
State of Oregon Department of Forestry, NEO, La Grande Unit
Phone: (111 111-1111 x 1111) Type of Applicant: ( enter appropriate letter in box )
503-945-7341
FAX: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
503-945-7416
Please Call Ahead For FAX
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip) :
2600 State Street Salem, OR 97310
A. State
B. County
C. Municipal
D. Township
E. Interstate
A
H. Independent School District
I. State-Controlled Institution of Higher Learning
J. Private University
K. Indian Tribe
L. Nonprofit Organization
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator (Name and Title):
Ms. MaryHelen Smith Grant Coordinator/Mark Jacques, Unit Forester
Organization/Jurisdiction:
Northeast Oregon District/La Grande Unit
Phone: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
503-945-7341
FAX: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
503-945-7416 Call Ahead For FAX
Project Information
Project Title:
Continuing Critical Area Fuel Hazard Reduction Union County
Proposed Project Start Date:
10/01/2006
Email: msmith@odf.state.or.us
Proposed Project End Date:
12/31/2008
Federal Funding Request:
$ 207,479
Total Project Funding:
$
471,474
Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please explain and prioritize:
Brief Project Summary: Who, What, Where, Desired Outcomes in relation to NFP Goals and Community Risk Assessment and
Mitigation Plans (This should summarize page 2).
Private landowners/homeowners in the highest priority areas identified in the Union County Community Wildfire Protection Plan will be provided assistance through Oregon Department of Forestry to continue thinning, fuel hazard reduction, and treating homesites in these areas [Mt. Emily,
Cove, Morgan Lake]. These areas have had 4,082 acres and 161 homesites treated using previous NFP grants, which have expended nearly all of their funds. More work is needed to complete these community fuelbreaks. This proposal will treat 425 acres and 25 homesites. Landowner interest is high. Current infrastructure already in place and built with previous NFP grants will be used including: trained labor force, technical guidelines, tracking and reporting systems, local coordinating group, and federal, state, county, and private partnerships. Some work [$40,000] 80 ac/15 homes will be initiated in new high priority areas. Federal project work [USFS and BLM] is planned adjacent to this proposal's work.
Project Location:
Latitude: 45.33 Longitude: 118.085
County:
Union
Federal Congressional District:
2
Name of Federal, State or Tribal contact with whom you coordinated this proposal: Telephone number of Contact:
Jeff Blackwood, Umatilla National Forest
Kurt Wiedemann, Wallowa Whitman National Forest
Dale Eckman, Bureau of Land Management
541-278-3720 Ext.
541-962-8582 Ext.
541-523-1256 Ext.

Applications for funding must include a narrative response that describes the proposal. Please do not submit responses longer than one page, single space, 12-pitch font.
Describe project including, but not limited to:
Address these items x project location (e.g., Watershed, neighboring community) as applicable: x anticipated outcomes x community partners and their role(s) x x x x project relationship to the community risk assessment and mitigation plan amount or extent of actions (acres, number of homes, etc.) project timeline and matching or contributed funds proponent’s ability to complete project
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?
Union County Local Coordination Group has identified this as their highest priority fuels work.
Is this project adjacent to a current prescribed burn project on federal lands or to one that is planned within the next three years? (Yes/No)
Yes
Please indicate planned treatments and associated acres:
* Treatment Acres Treatment Acres 100
0
If you have a treatment type other than standard types above:
Project work will be located in three WUI interfaces: Mt. Emily [La Grande, Summerville], Cove, and Morgan Lake [La Grande] in Union County, which is in the Grande Ronde River watershed. Previous NFP work in each interface area will be continued to build community fuel breaks. These complement fuel hazard reduction work planned and being done on adjacent federal land [USFS and BLM]. Thinning and fuel hazard reduction work will be completed on 425 acres and 25 homesites on private land. Infrastructure built with previous NFP grants and currently in place will be used to conduct this work, including skilled workers, specialized contractors, spacing and fuel treatment technical guidelines, local media, and federal [USFS and BLM], Oregon Department of Forestry [ODF], Union County, and private partnership roles and communications. The Local Coordination Group, comprised of a representative from the Union Co. Forest Restoration Board, county commissioners, USFS, BLM, environmental interests, ODF, and public representatives, developed the Community Widlfire Protection Plan [CWPP]. Through hazard and risk assessment, the areas mentioned above are high priority and in need of mitigation work. Given the LaGrande Ranger District's NFP priority project work area of Medical Springs/
Catherine Creek, and the Walla Walla Ranger District's of Palmer Junction, we would like to use a small amount [$40,000] of this proposal to begin work in those areas with private landowners adjacent to federal lands. This will enable us to begin the leadwork to establish good working relationships and momentum in these next priority areas. The Union County CWPP also identifies Medical Springs, Catherine Creek, and Palmer
Junction as high priority areas for hazardous fuel reduction work. About 80 acres and 15 homesites would be treated for $40,000 in these next priority areas. Due to private landowners having a very diverse set of circumstances, this lead time and funding is needed to communicate, establish infrastructure, demonstrate success, and generate interest among private landowners. Current ODF cost-share incentive program structure will be used to implement this project work. This incentive program reimburses private landowners 75% of actual costs for thinning/fuel hazard work done to pre-determined specifications developed for each ownership. Landowners select their own contractor and/or complete their own work, keeping track of actual costs. The maximum cost per acre is pre-determined depending on the difficulty of the work, and ranges from $280 to $700 per acre, with an average of $500/acre. This includes a variety of treatment methods and equipment, including hand and machine thinning, slashbusting, chipping, and removal of biomass tailored to each individual site. Biomass in the form of fiber and/or chips is taken to pulp and co-generation facilities as an alternative to burning. Due to long haul distances and depending on market conditions, this biomass removal is usually cost-deficit. Biomass will be utilized as much as is feasible. Depending on current costs/prices, about 7,500 tons of fiber will go to regional energy co-gen plants with current infrastructure. About 750 cords of firewood will be generated, with about 150 cords going to low income people needing it through an existing local non-profit, if feasible. Efforts by Union County are currently underway through a separate utilization application to determine feasibility of a local biomass facility which would increase biomass utilization and improve efficiency of this proposal if completed during the same timeframe. ODF foresters will implement this grant on private lands using current programs for allocation, technical specifications, approval, payment, and accomplishment tracking and reporting. Technical specifications are developed using OSU Extension guidelines and local USFS recommendations to move fuel hazard class from condition class 3 to class 1, while meeting individual landowner objectives. Private forest consultants and contractors are used by landowners to complete this work. When feasible for the work, at-risk youth and inmates are also used. Project work will begin upon award of grant funds [10/01/06] and be complete by 12/31/2008. Landowners will contribute 25% of the actual costs of doing the work, which ensures they have a vested interest in the success of the work, and they will maintain it for at least ten years, which is in the cost-share agreement.
This level of cost-share generates a high interest and participation level among landowners in eligible areas. Homesite work will be maintained by homeowners as ODF begins implementation of the Oregon Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act [SB 360]. Contractors and forest consultants will continue in their roles of coordination of work, contacting landowners, and participating in local coordination groups, an estimated
100 hours at $30/hour for $3,000 matching. Union County will continue implementing the Union County Community Wildfire Protection Plan and participating in the Union County Forest Restoration Board and local coordination group, an estimated 140 hours at $20/hour for $2,400 matching.
Current progress on previous NFP grants by Oregon Department of Forestry in Union County shows proven success in our ability to complete this type of project.

Applications for funding must include narrative responses that address the following three criteria. Be sure you address every one briefly, yet thoroughly.
Limit your responses to the area provided .
1.
Reducing Hazardous Fuels (50 points)
A. Describe the community infrastructure that will be protected.
B. Explain how the proposal reduces fire behavior in high hazard areas by describing the fuels to be disposed or removed, and the techniques and timing of the treatments.
C. How will the proposed treatments be maintained in future years?
D. How will you use multi-party monitoring to improve this and future projects?
Response:
A. This proposal will tie in with previous fuel hazard reduction work done in the wildland urban interface areas around the communities of Cove [pop. 700], La Grande [pop. 13,000] and Summerville [pop. 180] in Northeast Oregon. The infrastructure typical to these sized communities will be protected. In addition the infrastructure associated with low density rural residential areas around these towns will also be protected [roads, powerlines, structures, etc.]. Significant resources protected include watersheds, historical and archeological sites, stores, schools, churches and grange halls dispersed throughout these rural residential areas.
Rural Fire Districts in these areas have about 1,234 residents. We would like to initiate work in the WUI areas of Medical Springs
[RFD of 144], Catherine Creek, and Palmer Junction, which would begin the protection of the cities of Elgin [pop 1,720] and Union
[pop 2,200] and their associated rural residential area infrastructure.
B. Fuels in these high hazard areas vary from those associated with dry Ponderosa pine types to those associated with cooler, wetter mixed-species interior forest types with Western larch, Grand fir, Douglas fir, and Engelmann spruce. Stands also vary greatly, with a significant amount of overstocked, small diameter, high fuel-load stands. These stands will be thinned, generally from below, to reduce stocking levels, reduce crown density, and reduce risk of bark beetle mortality. This will also significantly reduce the risk of extreme fire behavior. Fuels will be manipulated to create discontinuity in the fuel load both vertically and horizontally, and some fuels will be removed, further reducing risk of extreme fire behavior.
The exact treatment will be site-specific as determined by ODF foresters, designed to move these fuels from condition class 3 to condition class 1 while meeting landowner objectives. Treatments will be a mix of hand and machine thinning, slashbusting, piling, chipping, and removal of biomass as determined by feasibility.
Treatments will take place year round, except when sites are too wet to avoid excessive soil damage and when snow loads are too deep. Treatments in pine types from January to August must immediately remove or masticate slash over 3" diam to avoid Ips beetle buildup. Small ownerships will be grouped together as much as possible to increase efficiency. This type of treatment has worked very well for prior project work done in these areas. Homesites will also receive site-specific prescriptions and treatment to create defensible space. There are currently specialized fuel treatment contractors available in this local area.
C. Individual forest stand and fuel prescriptions are designed to create sustainable forest conditions with stand closure not to occur for at least ten years. These stands will be sustained by future periodic, economically-viable thinning/fuel treatments by individual landowners. Landowners sign a 10 year maintenance obligation as part of the cost-share agreement. Homesite treatments will be maintained by homeowners through regulation as implementation of the Oregon Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act
[SB 360] begins.
D. The Union County Local Coordination Group will coordinate monitoring of this project work so feedback can be used to improve this and future projects. Since this group includes local USFS, BLM, RFDs, ODF, county, and other participants this monitoring will be multi-party. We currently use GPS/GIS to map and track progress of this work, providing periodic progress reports to the USFS/
BLM for NFPORS, as well as frequent tours and demonstrations as organizations request. Our cost-share programs have periodic field spot checks on a sampling [about 10%] of individual projects.

2. Increasing Local Capacity (25 points )
A. How would the proposal improve or lead to the improvement of the local economy in terms of jobs and sustainable economic activity?
B. How many jobs are expected to be created or retained and for how long? (Please distinguish between essentially year-round and seasonal jobs).
C. What tools and skills will be gained or utilized as a result of this project?
D. Will biomass be utilized; if so, in what manner and how much?
Response:
A. This project will create ecological, economical, and socially sustainable forest conditions on 425 acres providing biomass [fiber, sawlogs] in the short- and long-term to the local economy. Thinning/fuel reduction work is designed to restore forest conditions to fuel class 1, sustained by future periodic, economically-viable thinning/fuel treatments by individual landowners.
B. We expect 15 skilled year-round jobs to be retained, with 10 seasonal jobs created for 2 years; 10-15 year-round jobs will be retained for at least 25 years.
C. Tools and skills to be utilized and gained include skilled thinning/fuel reduction work for maximum sustainability using efficient equipment [eg. slashbuster, singlegrip harvester] and current technology. Specialized contractors are available in the county. OSU
Extension guidelines for spacing will be used, as well as those for moving from fuel condition class 3 to class 1.
D. Biomass will be utilized as much as economically feasible. Depending on current costs/prices, about 7,500 tons of fiber will go to regional energy co-gen plants with current infrastructure. About 750 cords of firewood will be used, about 150 cords will go to low income people needing it through an existing non-profit. Efforts by Union County are currently underway with a seperate Utilization application to explore feasibility of a local biomass facility, which would increase biomass utilization and improve efficiency if completed during this timeframe.
3. Demonstrating Community and Intergovernmental Collaboration (25 Points)
A. How will this project implement a community risk assessment and mitigation plan? Include name of plan, date it was prepared, and local contact to get a copy of the plan if requested.
B. How has this treatment been coordinated with adjacent landowners and local/State/Tribal/Federal agencies?
C. Identify the cooperators/partners involved in implementation of this project.
D. Describe the extent of current local support for the project, including any cost-sharing agreements.
Response:
A. This proposal will continue implementation of the Union County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, draft prepared in 2004. Cochair, Dara Decker, Union Co. Emergency Serv., [541] 963-1009, or Co-Chair, Angie Johnson, ODF, [541] 963-3168. A copy can also be downloaded from http://www.odf.state.or.us/areas/eastern/northeast/unionco_cwpp.htm. This proposal will continue to implement hazard mitigation in a coordinated manner on private lands in these high priority areas, and begin implementation in the next high priority areas.
B. This treatment has been coordinated [and will continue to be] with adjacent private, State, and Federal landowners using the
Union County Forest Restoration Board which includes these entities as well as county, public and environmental interest representatives. Th Union Co. Forest Restoration Board will continue to be a partner with the local coordination group that developed the CWPP. Neighborhood meetings will continue to be held to coordinate work on private land in each local area.
C. Cooperators and partners involved are private land/home owners, Union County Commissioners and Emergency Services, OSU
Extension, Oregon Department of Forestry, Rural Fire Districts, LaGrande RD Wallowa-Whitman NF, WallaWalla RD Umatalla NF,
BLM Northeast Oregon, forest consultants, contractors, local non-profit Neighbor-to-Neighbor, and local private industry.
D. Current local support and interest in this project is very high. There is more demand from private land and homeowners in the target areas than existing funds can meet. Each individual land and homeowner has a cost-share agreement with ODF for the project work on their property. Local contractors and forest consultants are asking for more cost-share funding to continue this type of work.

Tasks Time Frame
Assist landowners with application, determine elibgibility, evaluate site, approve application, provide ongoing technical assistance
10/01/2006-10/01/2008
Conduct fuel treatment work
10/15/2006-11/30/2008
Inspect and approve completed work, submit for reimbursement
10/30/2006- 11/30/2008
Provide payment
10/30/2006 - 12/31/2008
Provide accomplishment reports
Coordinate with Umatilla and Wallowa
Whitman National Forests 11/30/2006- 12/31/2008
Provide information to public and news media on project
11/30/2006 - 12/31/2008
Coordinate and oversee implemention of
Community Wildfire Protection Plan
Ongoing
Prioritize and coordinate forest restoration work in Union County, private and federal lands Ongoing
Responsible Party
Oregon Department of Forestry foresters Partridge, Wagner,
Chandler
Contractors, forest consultants, landowners, and homeowners
Oregon Department of Forestry foresters
Oregon Department of Forestry
Salem Vandekoppel, Finance staff
Oregon Department of Forestry
Northeast Oregon District
Oregon Department of Forestry
Northeast Oregon District
Union County Local Coordinating
Group
Union County Forest Restoration
Board

Private landowners Contractors Union County
Cost Category
Description
Personnel
Federal
Agency Applicant Partner 1 Partner 2 Partner 3
Total
ODF forester
ODF MATCH
Subtotal
Fringe Benefits
Other personnel expenses
$15,480
$0
$15,480
$15,480
$170,000
$185,480
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$30,960
$170,000
$200,960
$6,200
$0
$6,200
$6,200
$0
$6,200
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$12,400
$0
$12,400
Subtotal
Travel
0.75 x 8,000 mi $3,000
$0
$3,000
$3,000
$0
$3,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$6,000
$0
$6,000 Subtotal
Equipment
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
Subtotal
Supplies
Misc forms, postage, etc
Subtotal
Contractual
Thin/Treat fuel 425 acres
Treat homesites 25 sites
Subtotal
$1,600
$0
$1,600
$159,375
$9,375
$168,750
$1,600
$0
$1,600
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$53,125
$3,125
$56,250
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$3,200
$0
$3,200
$212,500
$12,500
$225,000
Other
Technical assistance
Admin 6%(Prot+Financ)
Subtotal
$0
$12,449
$12,449
$0
$5,665
$5,665
Total Costs
Project (Program)
Income
1
$207,479
$0
$201,945
$0
$0
$0
$0
$56,250
$0
$3,000
$0
$3,000
$3,000
$0
$2,800
$0
$2,800
$5,800
$18,114
$23,914
$2,800 $471,474
$0 $0
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.