SEELEY LAKE – “There was a lot of dead timber and dead trees standing and it was quite a mess,” said Sandi Pisauro during a presentation about the Clearwater Resource Council’s Fuels Mitigation Program. “We knew right away we wanted to get something taken care of.”
The Pisauroes moved onto three and a half acres on the Double Arrow last summer and received a grant to help mitigate their fuels. They worked with logger Jaylund Rammell and completed the project in about three months.
“It worked so well and the property looks fabulous,” said Pisauro.
For more than 15 years, the Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) has worked with private landowners to make their property more resilient to wildfire through home site assessments and offering grants to subsidize the cost of fuels mitigation. Since the Rice Ridge fire of 2017 threatened the Seeley Lake community, interest in the Fuels Mitigation Program and grant requests have increased.
On June 30, CRC hosted an online presentation to discuss the Fuels Mitigation Program with interested landowners. Currently CRC has less than $20,000 in available grant funding for the rest of 2020. While they are still working to secure more grant funding, CRC Executive Director Caryn Miske encourages property owners who are interested to apply since the funding is allocated on a first come, first served basis.
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In 2003, one of CRC’s first projects following its inception was spending $15,000 in partnership with Swan Ecosystem Center for fuels mitigation work. CRC also took a lead role in creating a Fire Plan for the valley.
In 2004, CRC started the Fuels Mitigation Task Force to coordinate across agencies to allocate fuels mitigation grants. In 2010, CRC took over the grant program entirely and has been administering the program since.
“We live in a fire prone landscape. We know we are going to have fire and it just makes sense to be as prepared as we can for when fires come,” said Jon Haufler, CRC’s president. “The purpose is to help the community address fire and fuels mitigation to keep the community safer.”
CRC applies for federal funding through several Forest Service programs. When their proposal is approved, they administer the funding through the grant program.
Some of the criteria for the fuels mitigation projects include 10-foot spacing between tree crowns, removing down and dead timber and reducing ladder fuels - smaller trees in the understory that allow surface fire to transition into the tree canopy. In some cases there are merchantable logs. However, often the project focuses on removing the smaller trees in an effort to reduce the amount of flammable vegetation surrounding the property to increase the chances a home will survive a wildfire when exposed to embers or surface fire. Species preference is often given to ponderosa pine and larch over lodgepole and young Douglas fir because they are more fire resistant.
“These are not designed to be restoration projects [for example to inherently benefit wildlife or improve riparian corridors],” said Miske. “These are designed first and foremost to protect life and property and to prevent catastrophic wildfire or, if not prevent, to limit the damages associated with catastrophic wildfire.”
Once the grant is approved, the landowner receives a list of pre-approved loggers from whom they can choose to do the treatment on the property. The contractors have a range of specialties and types of equipment. Some contractors have heavier equipment for large-scale projects while others have smaller equipment that cause less disturbance to the land. Miske said it is the landowner’s responsibility to make sure the logger they contract with is licensed and insured and who also cleans their equipment prior to beginning the work so they do not transport weed seeds onto the property.
“We provide a list of contractors who have said they are interested in working in this area,” said Haufler. “Beyond that it is up to the landowner to decide which would be the best for their particular work.”
Miske said it is up to the landowner to contact the contractors and get bids for the projects. Once they select a logger and bid, that is submitted to CRC who will allocate a certain amount of grant funding per acre, which usually requires a 50% match from the landowner. CRC determines a completion date for the project at which point the grant funds can no longer be applied to that project.
Rammell has specialized in residential forestry since opening his business Crimson Peak Timber Management in 1991. Benefits of fuel mitigation work that he has seen during his more than 30-year career include fire resilience, improved stand health and increased property value if the logging is done well.
Property owners are asked to take pre and post photos of the property. When the logging is finished, CRC will do a post-site visit to ensure the work is done according to the requirements of the contract. The slash must be disposed of prior to reimbursement so Miske said landowners should consider this when scheduling their project.
Rammell said that winter is a great time to log because the snow insulates the ground and there is very little impact. However, he said mitigating ladder fuels and down fuel must happen before the snow. Summer is not a very good time because typically open burning is closed from July 4 – Oct. 1 and the slash cannot be burned.
In addition to fuels mitigation funding, CRC also provides home site assessments which gives other tips on reducing the risk of property damage.
“It is good to think about what you can do above and beyond simply thinning your trees to reduce your risk of wildfire,” said Miske.
When asked when someone should start a project Rammell replied, “Do it sooner than later. You never know what the next fire season will bring or the next disease that will be in the valley. The sooner your forest is thinned, the more likely it will be able to survive whatever presents itself - whether it be fire or a forest insect.”
To watch the full presentation or to apply for funding visit the Clearwater Resource Council’s website http://crcmt.org/fuels
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