Enclosure 3B - Project Summary Form
89
NATIONAL FIRE PLAN COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE AND WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE PROJECTS
Application for Community Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning
Applicant
Applicant/Organization: Josephine
County Board of County Commissioners
Phone:
Type of Applicant: (enter appropriate letter in box)
B
541-474-5426
FAX:
A. State
B. County
C. Municipal
D. Township
E. Interstate
F. Intermunicipal
G. Special District
541-474-5422
Email:
bbartow@co.josephine.or.us
Address (Street or P. O. Box, City, State, Zip):
H. Independent School District
I. State-Controlled Institution of Higher Learning
J. Private University
K. Indian Tribe
L. Nonprofit Organization
M. Other (Specify) _______________________
500 NW 6th Street, Grants Pass OR.97526
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator (Name and Title): Bruce
Organization/Jurisdiction: Josephine
Bartow
County Planning
Phone:
FAX:
Email:
541-474-5426
541-474-5422
bbartow@co.josephine.or.us
Project Information
Project Title:
Josephine/Jackson Fuel Hazard Mapping Project
Proposed Project Start Date:
Proposed Project End Date:
April, 2005
March, 2006
Federal Funding Request:
Total Project Cost:
$250,000
$400,000
Are you submitting multiple projects? If so, please prioritize, and explain if the projects are stand alone, sequential, or other:
This is one of three projects being submitted by Josephine County. This project can stand alone.
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).
Josephine and Jackson Counties will work together with USFS, BLM and ODF to produce a digital fuel model and fire
hazard map of Jackson and Josephine Counties. The map will show details of current vegetation and fuel hazard and be
integrated into all partner’s fire management plans and risk assessments. Detailed vegetation maps will provide insight
for related vegetation management such as forest health projects and promoting biomass opportunities. Remote sensing
imagery will be used to classify vegetation. The data will update existing fire plans and help shape any new fire plans
being produced. The data will provide accurate maps to guide planning of fuel reduction suppression, public outreach
and allow monitoring effectiveness of treatments across broad landscapes.
Project Location:
County:
Federal Congressional District:
Documented methodology applicable to large areas of the western united states.
Jackson/Josephine
Jackson/Josephine Counties OR
2nd & 4th
Name of Federal, tribal, and/or State Official with whom you coordinated this
proposal:
Telephone number of Contact:
Ed Reilly, Bureau Of Land Management, Medford District
541-618-2384
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:
 change fire behavior
 WHO are your collaborators - are they current or potential collaborators?
Address these
through fuels reduction
 describe the relationship of this plan’s desired outcome to NFP Goals
items as
 increase community
and to any existing community fire protection plan.
applicable:
education and awareness
 project time frames and matching or contributed funds
 enhance fire protection
 tools and/or skills needed to complete project
capability
 specific project location, geographic extent, and fire risk assessment
 desired outcome
methodology
For this project, explain the level of cooperation, coordination or strategic planning, through a “Local Coordination
Group.” If you haven’t worked with a local coordination group, why not?
This project’s location is in Jackson and Josephine Counties, Oregon and includes all lands within the two
county area of approximately 2,850,000 acres. Current collaborators include Oregon Department of Forestry;
Jackson County, Oregon; Josephine County, Oregon; US Forest Service, Rogue River - Siskiyou National
Forests; Bureau of Land Management, Medford District; and Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs Association.
This project will provide continuous vegetation cover and fuel hazard mapping covering both Josephine &
Jackson Counties (2,850,000 acres). Maps and data will use agreed upon data standards that allow all partners
to accomplish hazard and risk assessments using the same methodology. Accurate vegetation and fuel maps
are the essential GIS layer needed to produce hazard assessments. All cooperators are actively pursuing the
completion of fire hazard & fire management assessments. Current available vegetation and hazard data is not
of sufficient detail and in some areas is over ten or even fifteen years old. Acquiring new data will enhance all
partners’ abilities to complete and update fire plans across the two county area. It will allow strategic
planning and prioritization of on the ground fuel reduction efforts as well as monitoring the effectiveness of
treatments. Strategic landscape level treatments as well as individual homeowner prevention measures are the
key to successful large scale changes in fire behavior.
Much of the knowledge, tools and skills to complete this effort are present among the cooperating agencies
and groups. Remote sensing image processing will be required to be contracted. After award of grant in early
fiscal year 2005, a Request For Proposal will be let for a remote sensing contractor. Existing contractors with
proven methodologies and performance records for this work are available. The cooperators have already met
and agreed on basic data standards. Continued coordination between the cooperators will take place as the
project progresses. Fieldwork would be conducted during the summer of 2005. Image processing would be
done after field season in the fall of 2005. Final maps and data sets would be delivered to all cooperators
approximately one year from receipt of funds and the start of this effort.
The hazard mapping and risk assessment methodology will use proven remote sensing vegetation
classification methods. Extensive ground samples will be performed to stratify fuel loadings and plant
communities. The maps produced will be used in outreach and public education efforts. Having up to date
and reliable data for discussion with public and cooperators is a key to developing trust and effective short
and long term fuel reduction suppression strategies. This project is being developed with methods that will
allow for low-cost updates approximately every five years.
The members of the local Jackson / Josephine County wildfire coordination group support this effort and
letters of support are on file. The Fuels Mapping project allows all land management agencies within the two
counties, to plan and discuss treatments and activities using the same maps and standards. Using the same
maps and methodologies enhances community trust and support and can greatly improve both public and
agency communication as we continue to develop a combined strategy for fuels reduction and suppression.
Enclosure 3B (Page 2 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
Applications for funding, must include narrative responses that address the following four criteria. Be sure you address every one
briefly, yet thoroughly. Limit your responses to the area provided.
1. Planning for Action (40 points)
A. Describe your desired plan outcome and how the outcome will be measured.
B. How will the plan address :
 Fire behavior changes through fuels reduction
 Community education and awareness
 Enhanced suppression capability
C. How will the completed plan be implemented, and by whom? OR How does this plan enhance or complete
previous fire planning by the community?
D. How will the plan address landowner responsibility for implementation of this plan?
E. Describe your ability to complete project in one year of receipt of funds
Response:
A: A digital fuel model and fire hazard map of both Jackson and Josephine counties used by the Forest Service, BLM,
ODF and the two counties to plan and monitor fuels reduction and fire suppression seamlessly over the two county area.
B: The Fuel Hazard Maps will be used to identify the areas with the highest fuel hazard. The highest risk and hazard
areas will be targeted for fuels reduction work and public outreach. Existing fire plans will be updated or completed
based on the up to date accurate maps. Landscape level strategic planning guided by fuel hazard maps is key to making
a significant change in fire behavior. The results of this fuels mapping project will be made available to all cooperating
agencies. Fuel hazard maps will be the foundation for public discussion and outreach efforts. Fire modeling can be done
for local area residents as well as the agencies involved with fire suppression efforts.
C: The maps produced will update existing agency fire management plans as well as initial attack strategies for FS,
BLM, ODF and rural fire departments. GIS/planning units of both Josephine and Jackson counties as well as State and
Federal partners will utilize this data. Josephine County has the expertise to administer contracts and has in-house GIS
professionals. In conjunction with Jackson County, the USFS, BLM and ODF partners all have a high level of expertise
available. USFS and BLM cooperators have direct experience with similar mapping efforts and will provide support.
D: Landowners will see how their properties affect overall strategies. High fuel areas can be targeted for strategic work.
E: The Counties, State and Federal Partners all have sufficient personnel, experience and proven history of completing
large scale assessments like this.
2.
Enhancing Community Collaboration and Local Capacity. (30 points )
A. Describe your strategy for collaboration to develop this plan across multiple ownerships.
B. Identify the interested partners and members of the community who are involved in this project, and the level of
their involvement.
C. How will this project enhance local community collaboration and local capacity for cooperative action?
D. Describe skills or experience the community will gain through development of this plan.
Response:
A: County, State and Federal government partners are all currently working together and are committed to this project
and will work to assure its success. They represent all land management agencies in the two county area.
B: Josephine County; Jackson County; US Forest Service, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests; Medford District
Bureau of Land Management; Oregon Department Of Forestry, Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs Association. Financial and
schedule oversight will be provided by the Planning Department of Josephine County. Specialists within the counties
along with BLM, USFS, ODF and local city/county Fire Departments will provide technical expertise.
C: All cooperators and users of the products will employ common standards, terminology and methodology to map and
plan fire hazard reduction projects. The fire hazard maps will provide a baseline for organizations in the two county
area developing localized fire plans. Subsequent updates of fire hazard maps can be generated at reduced costs. The
remote sensing data collected for this project, coupled with the extensive field measurements can be used for other wild
land and environmental applications; forest inventory, bio mass opportunities, wildlife habitat, delineation and mapping
of wetland and riparian plant communities, environmentally sensitive areas, tree mortality analysis, and more.
D: Having up to date accurate maps will provide assistance with creating and updating fire plans, insight into landscape
level patterns of vegetation, hazard reduction and fire suppression strategies and will greatly enhance the partner’s
ability to effectively collaborate across boundaries. It will allow more effective interaction with interested publics.
Enclosure 3B (Page 3 of 3) - Project Evaluation Criteria
3.
Expanding Community Participation. (30 Points)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Explain the level of cooperation, coordination and/or involvement of the Local Coordination Group. List the
cooperators/members (in a broad way) of the local area coordination group.
Describe your strategy for leveraging funding. Who are the partners and what is their commitment to the
plan’s completion, including any existing or proposed cost-share agreements and their status.
Describe the extent of local support or opposition for the project.
Describe your strategy for post-plan marketing and collaboration for the successful implementation of the
next steps described in the plan.
To what extent will this project be offered to serve as a model for other communities in your sub-geographic
area, state-wide area?
Response:
A: The local coordination group has been briefed on this project. They acknowledge the value it will have for
integrating and strengthening the many independent fire hazard reduction projects currently in process. The
Josephine County Integrated Fire Plan Wild fire Risk Assessment Committee, which includes representation
from all the partners, have been working on their fire risk assessment over the past year. These preliminary
efforts and existing working group relationships will provide a head start in the risk assessment over the twocounty area.
B: Jackson and Josephine counties are expecting to provide up to $100,000 of Title III funds towards this
project during the 2005 fiscal year. ODF, USFS and BLM will all provide paid staff time and technical
expertise to assist in this effort.
C: Local support is very strong for this effort. The two counties have some of the highest fuel hazard in the
western states (as illustrated by the Josephine County Fire Plan Risk Assessment (2004) and the OSU study
conducted by John Session in 2003). Recent large scale wildfires in the Jackson and Josephine counties have
heightened awareness of fuel loading and fire suppression issues with the public, local, state and federal
government. All cooperators are working on fuel hazard assessments and fire management plans and expect
this work to be integral to their future operating plans for many years to come.
D: These maps will become an integral part of each agencies basic data for fuel reduction and fire
management planning. After completing this project, all partner agencies will be utilizing the same data and
standards to define fuel hazard and risk. Common standards will allow enhanced collaboration across
boundaries. The design of the project will produce methodology for producing low cost updates in the future.
Effectiveness monitoring and methods for detecting changes in fuel loading and distribution over time will be
available.
E: This project will have direct application to fuel model classification, fire hazard mapping and risk
assessment for any western US locality. Southern Oregon is quite diverse representing three major biomes,
the temperate rain forest of the Pacific Northwest, the high desert plant communities of eastern Oregon and
the Northern California coastal and Montane environments to the south. The methodology used here can be
adapted for other regions of the western states.
Enclosure 3C - Project Work Form
Tasks
Time Frame
Responsible Party
Secure Grant
Prepare Request for Proposal Contract
Choose Contractor
Award Contract
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
Josephine County
Work with partners and contractor to
finalize mapping and classification
standards
March-June 2005
All Cooperators
Obtain remote sensed imagery
Initial image processing
Prep for classification
Ecological masking
June 2005
Josephine County
Field Data Collection
June-September 2005
Contractor
Image classification
October-December 2005
Contractor
Review and refine map products
November 2005 – January 2006
All cooperators and contractor
Final Product delivery
Digital maps
All ground collected data
Distribute to cooperators
February – March 2006
Contractor and Josephine
County
Cooperators will provide
technical assistance
Image processing contractor
Enclosure 3D Project Budget
Cost Category
Description
Federal
Agency
Applicant
Partner 1
Partner 2
In kind staff time
In kind staff time
Jackson/Josephine From ODF &
from
Josephine
County
Counties
USFS / BLM
Fire Chiefs
Personnel
Subtotal
$35,000
$35,000
$15,000
$15,000
Total
$50,000
Fringe Benefits
Subtotal
Travel
Subtotal
Equipment
Subtotal
Supplies
Subtotal
Contractual
Subtotal
$225,000
$100,000
$225,000
$100,000
Other
10% Administration costs
Subtotal
Total Costs
$25,000
$25,000
$250,00
$100,000
Project (Program) Income1
(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.
$400,000