Enclosure 3A - Project Summary Form NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE PROJECTS Application for Wildland Urban Interface Fuels / Education and Prevention / Community Planning for Fire Protection Projects Applicant Applicant/Organization: Oregon Department of Forestry Phone: 541-935-2283 FAX: Email: 541-935-2283 dspiesscha@odf.state.or.us Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip): 2600 State Street, Salem, OR 97310 Project Coordinator Project Coordinator (Name and Title): Gordon Foster, Unit Forester Organization/Jurisdiction: John Day Unit, Central Oregon District, Oregon Department of Forestry Phone: 541-575-1139 FAX: Email: 541-575-2253 gfoster@odf.state.or.us Project Information Project Title: Seneca, Bear Valley Defensible Space & Hazard Fuel Reduction Project Start: Project End: October 2002 September 2005 Federal Funding Request: Total Project Funding: $101,700 $121,700 Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please explain and prioritize: Yes, priority #5 Brief Project Description: Provide assistance to non-industrial landowners in the Seneca, Bear Valley area for vegetation management to create defensible space and to reduce fire hazard and improve forest health in the adjoining timber stands. The funds would be used as a cost share incentive to allow landowners to make a single entry into stands and treat the total stand to meet the objective of reducing the fire hazard and improving forest health. Project Location: County: Congressional District: Seneca, Bear Valley Grant 2nd Walden Project Type: Check appropriate project type. More than one type may be checked. If only Box (4) is checked, use Enclosure 4. (1) X Wildland Urban Interface Fuels Project (2) Wildland Urban Interface Education and Prevention Project (3) (4) Community Planning for Fire Protection Project Fuels Utilization and Marketing Project If the applicant is an unincorporated area, define the geographic area being represented: Enclosure 3B (Page 1 of 3) - 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: project location Address these project implementation items as anticipated outcomes applicable: measures and reporting partners project income project time frames specify types of activities and equipment used amount or extent of actions (acres, number of homes, etc) environmental, cultural and historical resource requirements Response: Project Location: The area is located in and around the community of Seneca in Bear Valley on the timbered fringe of the valley adjoining the Malheur National Forest. Project Implementation: In this area the commercial harvest provides little in the way of profit to the landowner. The landowner can sometimes make a small profit by doing a commercial thinning. This leaves the rest of the activities such as precommecial thinning and reduction of the total fuel hazard undone. This leads to a continued fuel buildup and a decrease in forest health. These funds would be used to cost share with the landowner the total treatment of the site with the objective of reducing the fuel hazard and improving forest health. The cost share would be only on the portion that would not generate a profit from a commercial harvest. Cost share incentives would have a base rate of 80%, with additional incentives up to 95%, for landowners working together, utilization of material and discouraging burning, use of local contractors, and creating defensible space around improvements. Letters will be sent to each timber landowner in the grant area describing the grant and setting up a meeting that will answer additional questions, when a landowner expresses an interest in participating, a Service Forester will meet with the landowner and decide what needs to be done. The landowner will sign an agreement that describes the work to be done. When the work is completed the Service Forester will review and sign off and payment will be made for work completed. Project Outcome: The outcome of this project will be to reduce the fire hazard and improve forest health on approximately 4,000 acres and directly and indirectly protect about 50 rural ranches and fulltime residences. This will also serve as a model for landowners and encourage them to take action to protect their personal investments. Project Measures & Reporting: Each landowner will sign an agreement that will outline the work to be accomplished. ODF Salem will issue a control number obligating the estimated amount of grant funds, when the work is completed the Service Forester will review and sign off on the amount of work completed. ODF Salem will process payment to the landowner. This process will record the work items accomplished and amount of acres and the funds spent. Partners: Partners will be the local landowners. Project Time Frames: This work would be accomplished between October 2002 and September 2005 Activities & Equipment Used: Activities would include pre-commercial thinning, pruning, material utilization, such as poles & posts, chips, hog fuel, firewood, and slash disposal, which would include chipping, piling, and burning. Burning is discouraged but in some cases it may be the only method to dispose of the fuel hazard. Equipment will range from mechanical harvesters, chippers, chainsaws, grapple pilers, and dozer piling. Again piling and burning is discouraged. Extent of Actions: The actions would effect approximately 4,000 acres and directly and indirectly protect about 50 rural ranches and full time residences, and the city of Seneca with a population of about 300 people. Environmental, Cultural, and Historic Resources: This land has been intensively managed for timber and grazing resources. Most stands have had the merchantable timber removed and the stands are in need of thinning and slash cleanup from previous activities. Listed species are Canada Lynx, Bald Eagle, Bull Trout & Mid Columbia Steelhead. Bear Valley is the headwaters of the Silvies River, no known Bald Eagles nest in the area, activities will follow the requirements for fish bearing streams in the Forest Practices Act. Enclosure 3B (Page 2 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria Applications for funding must include narrative responses that address the following four criteria. Within each criterion, subcriteria are listed in descending order of importance. Limit your responses to the areas provided. 1. Reducing Fire Risk. (40 points)) A. Describe how the proposal promotes reduction of risk in high hazard areas or communities. B. Describe how the proposed project benefits resources on federal land or adjacent non-federal land, or how it protects the safety of communities. C. To what extent does the project implement or create a cooperative fuels treatment plan or community fire strategy (include evidence of the plan if it already exists)? D. Explain to what extent the affected community or proponent has been involved or plans to involve the affected community in a qualified fuels education program (e.g., FIREWISE). E. Explain how the proposal (a) leads to, enhances or restores a local fire-adapted ecosystem, and/or (b) mitigates or leads to the mitigation of hazardous fuel conditions. F. How will the proposed treatments be maintained over time? This project will reduce the fire risk directly by reducing the amount of fuel in the affected area. First priority will be to create defensible space, the next will be to work in the area directly beyond defensible space. This will reduce the basal area to appropriate level for the given site class, by reducing that level and getting the stand into a healthy state in will be more able to withstand a moderate intensity fire. This project will directly reduce the risk of high intensity fire and thereby reduce the risk to the affected communities. The potential for removal of bio-mass will depend on the specific site. Estimates range from 50 to 100 tons per acre, the material would be used for pulp or fuel for the co-generation plants. Coordination has taken place with the Malheur National Forest, this project covers the fringe of private timberlands that is between the valley and the National Forest. Similar grants are funded directly to the north of this grant proposal. This community has been involved in the Firewise and Living with Fire programs. Public meetings, demonstrations, newspaper articles, fair displays have all recently publicized the issues. Currently there are seven other funded grants of this same type in the John Day Unit that are tied directly to the Communities At Risk that are recorded in the Federal Register. It is estimated that in this dry site Pine and Mixed conifer ecosystem this fuel hazard mitigation will be good for 10 plus years, during which landowners will be encouraged to maintain the mitigation work. Response: 2. Increasing local capacity. (30 points) A. How would the proposal improve or lead to the improvement of the local economy in terms of jobs and sustainable economic activity? How many jobs are expected to be created or retained and for how long (please distinguish between essentially yearround and seasonal jobs)? B. To what extent will this project be offered to serve as a model for other communities? C. biomass or forest utilized; if so, in manner and how much? TheWill project would fall fuels underbethe guidance ofwhat the Oregon Forest Practices Act. Response: This grant will stimuate the landowners to explore alternatives for the treatment of their land. The local community is very aware of the fire potential and have a concern. This will be the boost to help them make a positive change in reducing the fire hazard and improving forest health. One of the methods of treatment will be to grind the fuel on site and supply it to the local co-generation plant in Prairie City which is 30 miles to the northeast. Utilization will be the preferred and recommended method of treatment for the biomass. This project will help a sagging economy in Grant County. The lumber industry will be in the final stages of decline, if there is not an improvement in the supply of timber or other forest related products. The diversification would come from the ability to utilize smaller material and assistance to make it economical to treat these private non-industrial lands This projects could potentially be the seed money to keep 50 to 75 people seasonally employeed for approximately 3 years. Enclosure 3B (Page 3 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria 3. Increasing interagency and intergovernmental coordination. (15 Points) A. Describe how this project implements a local intergovernmental strategy plan, or creates such a plan. Describe the plan if it already exists. B. Explain the level of cooperation, coordination or strategic planning among federal, state, tribal, local government and community organizations. List the cooperators. This grant proposal fits into a strategy in the John Day Unit to apply for grants to cover all the identified Communities at Risk. Currently seven grants have been funded. This has been coordinated with the County Courts in Grant, Wheeler, and Harney Counties, County Fire Chiefs in Grant and Wheeler Counties, Grant and Wheeler County Soil Water Conservation Districts, Malheur and Umatilla National Forests, Prineville District BLM, North Fork of the John Day Watershed Council, Grant County Economic Development. The Umatilla and Malheur National Forests and Prineville BLM are working to connect their fuel hazard mitigation projects to the work that is being done on private lands. Response: 4. Expanding Community Participation. (15 Points) A. To what extent have interested people and communities been provided an opportunity to become informed and involved in this proposal? B. Describe the extent of local support for the project, including any cost-sharing arrangements. C. What are the environmental, social and educational benefits of the project? There have been a series of Firewise workshops in Central Oregon, in which we have had participants from Grant, Harney, and Wheeler Counties. Locally we have had Living with Fire presentations to the Small Woodland Owners, and other groups. There were displays at the county fairs, direct mailings to the landowners in the grant areas, public meetings, newspaper articles, Living with Fire newspaper inserts, and meetings with service providers for the grants. Local government, economic development, state and federal agencies have met to coordinate opportunities with the National Fire Plan grants. The counties have grant money and are working in coordination with this effort as well and the National Forests, BLM, and the Oregon Department of Forestry. The benefits of this project are direct fire hazard reduction, improved forest health, local economic stimulation, bio-mass utilization, and local government coordination. These projects have proved a stimulus to getting local agencies to working together. Grant and Wheeler Counties are economically depressed and will benefit from this project. Response: Enclosure 3C - Project Work Form Tasks Time Frame Responsible Party Identify specific landowners and direct mail the grant information and set up a meeting for landowners in the grant area. October 2002 John Day Unit Forester Sign up landowner in the program, arrange for a site visit with the landowner and do a hazard assessment, determine what activities need to take place, sign an agreement for the work, assign a control number and authorize the work to start. October 2002 and ongoing Service Forester Monitor work projects, document activities for future educational opportunities, check for compliance with agreement, verify work has been accomplished, process final payment record and submit for payment. October 2002 and ongoing Service Forester Use projects as an example of fire hazard reduction and improved forest health. October 2002 and ongoing Service Forester & Unit Forester Enclosure 3D - Project Budget Cost Category Description Federal Agency Personnel Service Forester 2 mths Office Specialist .5 mths Subtotal Fringe Benefits OPE 37.23% Subtotal Applicant Partner 1 Partner 2 Total $7,400 $1,100 $8,500 $7,400 $1,100 $8,500 $3,200 $3,200 $3,200 $3,200 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $500 $500 $500 $500 Travel Subtotal Equipment Vehicle Subtotal Supplies Service & Supply Subtotal Contractual Landowner Cost Share Agmts Subtotal Other Agency Administration Subtotal Total Costs $85,000 $20,000 $105,000 $85,000 $20,000 $105,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $101,700 $121,700 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.