Project Summary Form
Id Number 2006-180
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN-INTERFACE PROJECTS
Application for Fuels Treatment Projects
Applicant
Applicant/Organization:
Deschutes County
Phone: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
Type of Applicant: (enter appropriate letter in box)
B
541-330-4627
FAX: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
A. State
B. County
C. Municipal
D. Township
E. Interstate
541-385-3202
Please Call Ahead For FAX
H. Independent School District
I. State-Controlled Institution of Higher Learning
J. Private University
K. Indian Tribe
L. Nonprofit Organization
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip):
1300 NW Wall Street, Suite 200 Bend, OR 97756
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator (Name and Title):
Mr. Joe Stutler Forestry Specialist
Organization/Jurisdiction:
Deschutes County
Phone: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
541-322-7117
FAX: (111 111-1111 x 1111)
541-388-2719
Call Ahead For FAX
Email:
joe_stutler@co.deschutes.or.us
Project Information
Project Title:
South County Fuels Reduction Project
Proposed Project Start Date:
07/01/2006
Federal Funding Request:
$ 175,000
Proposed Project End Date:
06/30/2008
Total Project Funding:
$
196,065
Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please explain and prioritize:
Deschutes County is submitting five stand alone applications to the Community Assistance Grant Program, one under the Education and
Prevention category, one under the Community Planning category, and three under the Fuels Treatment category. This project is the
second priority among all five of the applications and the first priority among just the three fuels treatment projects.
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).
The South County Fuels Reduction project continues work begun in 2003 with a previous National Fire Plan Community Assistance grant. The
project seeks to reduce hazardous fuels on publicly-owned property in the Wildland-Urban Interface of the rural, unincorporated community of La
Pine, Oregon in South Deschutes County. The previous grant in the amount of $109,835 enabled the County to treat approximately 30 of the total
acres affected.
The project will create fire-defensible areas surrounding a medium to high density residential neighborhood of approximately 1,800 homes,
commercial structures, and natural open-space areas; improve capability for ongoing vegetation management; produce employment opportunities;
and enhance fuels utilization. In addition, documentation of the model fire-defensible landscape will allow this project to be replicated throughout the
County and in other areas of the Western U.S. facing similar challenges.
Project Location:
Latitude: 43.70912
Longitude: 121.519
County:
Deschutes
Name of Federal, State or Tribal contact with whom you coordinated this proposal:
Lisa Clarke
Federal Congressional District:
2
Telephone number of Contact:
541-416-6864 Ext.
Ext.
Ext.
Project Narrative Description
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:
x project relationship to the community risk assessment and
x project location (e.g., Watershed,
Address
mitigation plan
neighboring community)
these items
as applicable: x anticipated outcomes
x amount or extent of actions (acres, number of homes, etc.)
x project timeline and matching or contributed funds
x community partners and their
role(s)
x 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?
The project was discussed and coordinated with Project Wildfire, the Local Coordination Group.
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 Thinning
Acres 500
Treatment Mastication/Mowing
Acres 0
Treatment Hand Piling
Acres 0
Treatment Hand Pile Burning
Acres 0
If you have a treatment type other than standard types above:
Other 1
Acres 0
Other 2
Acres 0
The South County Fuels Reduction project continues work begun in 2003 with a previous National Fire Plan Community Assistance grant. The
project seeks to reduce hazardous fuels on a large parcel of publicly-owned property in the Wildland-Urban Interface of the rural, unincorporated
community of La Pine, Oregon in South Deschutes County. This goal is consistent with objectives of both the Healthy Forests Restoration Act and
with local Community Wildfire Protection Plans [CWPP] and a preliminary county-wide CWPP. The previous grant in the amount of $109,835
enabled the County to treat approximately 30 of the total acres affected. However, by restructuring the project, streamlining resource use, and
utilizing the value of wood products in the contract valuation, this continuation project seeks to treat the remaining 500 acres during a two-year
period for a total of $175,000 in additional Community Assistance Grant Program funding. The project will also be supported by $21,065 of in-kind
support from Deschutes County for staff time, facilities, travel, and operational supplies necessary to plan, coordinate, manage, monitor, and
evaluate the project.
The project will be implemented in Deschutes County, a 3,055 square mile region of Central Oregon notable for its arid high desert climate,
abundant sunshine, strong winds, dry stands of timber and other vegetation, and frequent summer lightening strikes that often result in large, fastmoving, and devastating wildfires. Compounding these problems, Deschutes County's population is growing at a much faster pace than elsewhere in
the state and in most of the nation. Currently estimated at 130,500, the population has grown by 13% since 2000, a rate nearly 4 times Oregon's
average of 3.5%. Many of these new residents moved to the region specifically to experience the blend of city and country life that can be found in
the marginal forest and farmland of the WUI. The Oregon Department of Forestry has identified Deschutes County as one of two pilot counties for
implementation of the Oregon Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act of 1997 ensuring that replicability to other "wildland-urban interface
areas" as defined by statute will be built into the Public Lands Fuel Reduction Project.
Under the direction of the Deschutes County Forestry Program, the South County Fuels Reduction project will use a combination of thinning,
pruning, piling, burning, removing shrubs, and mowing to create fire-defensible areas that surround a medium to high density residential
neighborhood of approximately 1,800 homes, commercial structures, and natural open-space areas. The project will also improve the County's
capability for ongoing vegetation management and reduce noxious weeds throughout the target area while producing employment opportunities, and
enhancing fuels utilization.
The planning and initial implementation phases of this project were accomplished during the previous grant period. Under the continuation project,
most of the work will be performed by qualified local contractors. As a result, the County can begin clearing the remaining acreage immediately after
conducting a public bid process and will continue for the full 24 months of the new project period as conditions permit. The tasks that will be
accomplished include: Removing excess fuels and vegetation from the target property. Inspecting and monitoring work performed. Reporting
project results to community, funders, and other interested stakeholders. Making the project available for replication to other agencies through site
visits, speaking engagements, and published reports.
Project Evaluation Criteria
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:
The subject property consists of approximately 540 acres within the Wildland-Urban Interface [WUI] that surrounds 1,800 homes,
commercial structures, and natural open-space areas. The site is adjacent to an additional 19,500 acres on which scattered
residences and vacant, undevelopable lots are prevalent. Much of the area borders Bureau of Land Management [BLM] forested
lands. Reducing hazardous fuels on the affected land will decrease the risk that a fire will ignite and will help protect neighboring
land, structures, and amenities from spreading flames and sparks by acting as a containment barrier if a fire does start nearby.
The property to be treated in the South County Fuels Reduction project primarily features small ponderosa pine, douglas fir,
lodgepole pine, sagebrush, bitterbrush, mountain shrub, and various bunch-type grasses. While many of these vegetation types
are naturally volatile due to inherent pitch, oils, and resins, recent drought conditions have significantly increased their susceptibility
to fire through desiccation and disease. In many cases, the ground is littered with fallen debris and dead limbs and logs. This
debris will be removed through a combination of thinning, mowing, burning, and reclamation which will take place during the
months of late Fall through early Spring when the weather is cool and the risk of wildland fire is at its lowest.
The South County Fuels Reduction project was designed to be completed within the two-year grant period. During that time, the
Deschutes County Forestry Program and its contractual partners will remove all potential wildland fire fuels in compliance with
established standards. Once this has been accomplished, only minimal maintenance will be required to ensure that the land does
not revert to an overgrown and hazardous state. Those efforts will be the responsibility of Deschutes County and will be sustained
through the existing Deschutes County Forestry Program and its future budget appropriations.
Throughout the fuels reduction project implementation period, Deschutes County will monitor and evaluate progress by conducting
regular site visits, tracking the number of acres treated, and maintaining information in the County's existing GIS database. This
monitoring process will be coordinated with the Oregon Department of Forestry as the agency charged with enforcing the Oregon
Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act [SB 360] within Deschutes County. This collaborative approach will ensure that the
evaluation is conducted in a balanced and impartial manner and will facilitate future efforts to replicate the project's success on a
wider scale and within other communities throughout the State.
Project Evaluation Criteria
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:
One objective of the South County Fuels Reduction project is to enhance the local economy by providing jobs to private contractors.
Activities that will be assigned to commercial contractors will involve thinning, pruning, piling, burning, removing shrubs, and mowing.
The two-year project period is expected to help support an estimated 20 jobs within the local economy. Many of these jobs will be
entry-level allowing unskilled laborers an opportunity to develop an employment history and valuable work skills. In the longer term,
this project could help lead to new jobs in additional, more diverse, professions as well, including arborists, landscapers, landscape
material suppliers, builders, developers, and renovators as neighboring landowners and communities recognize the importance of
treating fuels and maintaining properties to reduce fire risk.
The project will also make use of the biomass that results from removing fuels from privately-owned lands in a manner that benefits
both the County and the local contractors hired to perform the work. The County Forestry Program will negotiate contractual fees at
a reduced rate in exchange for the wood products that will be removed from the sites. In particular, the ponderosa pine, douglas fir,
and lodgepole pine are desirable for lumber, poles, firewood, wood chips, mulch, and compost material. These products can be sold
at retail or wholesale market bringing additional dollars into the community.
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:
The project will be implemented alongside development of a County-wide Community Wildfire Protection Plan [CWPP] which will be
prepared pursuant to Public Law 108-148 and Deschutes County Resolution 2004-093 establishing minimum standards for
CWPPs. The document will incorporate all communities within the County, and will be coordinated with neighboring counties due to
overlap in the WUI. Concurrently, one neighborhood [Upper Deschutes Coalition] has already completed a CWPP, and three other
localities have initiated CWPP efforts. The proposed project addresses priorities established in each of these situations.
The Public Lands Fuels Reduction project was also described in its conceptual stage to members of the Bureau of Land
Management [BLM], Oregon Department of Forestry [ODF], local fire suppression and prevention agencies, area governmental
entities, and various community organizations through a variety of meetings and committee gatherings. However, for the purposes
of completing the Public Lands Fuels Reduction Project, the Deschutes County Forestry Program will work most directly with ODF,
BLM, and the La Pine Fire District.
As the project was initiated during 2003 under a previous grant, adjacent property owners have already been contacted and
informed about the proposed project goals, methodologies, and impacts. Deschutes County also held over 50 meetings,
workshops, and public hearings regarding the affected site and the fire-mitigation practices that would be implemented. The project
has been featured in several newsletters and on a County website. Public support for the project is high and the ongoing
communication has served to raise awareness about the importance and value of reducing fire fuels and maintaining properties in a
safe condition.
Project Work Form
Tasks
Time Frame
Select contractors through public bid process.
Responsible Party
Deschutes County Forestry Program
Months 1-2
Perform fuels reduction work on target
property.
Deschutes County Forestry Program
and Private Contractors
Months 3-24
Project Budget
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Applicant
Partner 1
Partner 2
Total
Partner 3
Personnel
Forestry Specialist
Subtotal
$0
$10,070
$0
$0
$0
$10,070
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$10,070
$0
$0
$0
$10,070
$0
$5,036
$0
$0
$0
$5,036
$0
$0
$5,036
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$5,036
$0
$1,460
$0
$0
$0
$1,460
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$1,460
$0
$0
$0
$0
$1,460
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$3,000
$0
$0
$0
$3,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$3,000
$0
$0
$0
$3,000
$175,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$175,000
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$175,000
$0
$0
$0
$175,000
$0
$1,500
$0
$0
$0
$1,500
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$1,500
$0
$0
$0
$1,500
$175,000
$21,066
$0
$0
$0
$196,066
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
Fringe Benefits
Forestry Specialist
Subtotal
Travel
Auto Use/Mileage
$0
Subtotal
Equipment
Subtotal
Supplies
Operation/Office/General
Subtotal
Contractual
Fuels Reduction
Subtotal
Other
Facilities
Subtotal
Total Costs
Project (Program)
Income1
___________________________________
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.