Glorieta Camps Prescribed Burning to Continue as Soon as January 24

Glorieta Adventure Camps, The Nature Conservancy’s Rio Grande Water Fund, and the Forest Stewards Guild will continue to take advantage of favorable weather conditions in the Santa Fe area for winter pile burning at Glorieta Adventure Camps. This prescribed burn is part of Glorieta’s long-term commitment to improve forest health and reduce the wildfire hazards. The objectives and collaborative commitment of this burn align with the mission and vision of the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition.

Individuals with respiratory health concerns or smoke sensitivity can borrow a HEPA filter for the duration of burn-related smoke impacts through a Filter Loan Program supported by the Coalition.

An Effort Highlighted: The Albuquerque Journal

The Glorieta Pile Burn, which was initiated last Thursday, January 19, after the Camp received 6-8 inches of snow from a winter storm, was one of the State’s first prescribed fires since last year’s Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire. The cooperative effort was featured in Sunday’s edition of The Albuquerque Journal. “This is the first burn of the season for the Forest Stewards Guild in a year where both public and private crews are approaching prescribed burns with extra caution”. Full coverage of crew precautions and what the organizations are trying to accomplish with this burn can be found on the Journal’s website or by clicking on the image.

Questions about the burn may be directed to Eytan Krasilovsky, Carlos Saiz, or Sam Berry with the Forest Stewards Guild.

Wildfire Wednesdays #103: Community Wildfire Protection Plans

Hello and happy Wednesday!

In autumn of 2022, the US Forest Service announced the creation of Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDG). This funding is intended to help at-risk local communities and Tribes plan and reduce wildfire risk by prioritizing at-risk, low-income, disaster-impacted communities. A key requirement for CWDG eligibility is the possession of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for the intended geographic area. For communities just beginning the process of wildland fire hazard planning, creating a CWPP can act as both a roadmap for action and a huge first hurdle to getting started.

This week’s blog offers resources to learn about the history of CWPPs, the key elements for inclusion in a plan, suggestions for forming a collaborative and jumping into the CWPP writing process, and an invitation to attend a CWDG listening session to learn about and inform future CWPP implementation funding opportunities.

Today’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

• CWPPs: the basics

• A listening session series on CWDG funding

• The FAC NM spring webinar series, beginning today (1/18) at 2pm MST!

• Upcoming webinars from the SW Fire Science Consortium

Take care and stay warm,

Rachel

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Community Wildfire Protection Plans

Where it began: the Healthy Forest Restoration Act

In 2001, the National Fire Plan legislation brought renewed focus on engaging communities in federal wildfire mitigation efforts. As a result, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA) directed the Secretary of Agriculture (National Forest System lands) and the Secretary of the Interior (Bureau of Land Management lands) to plan and conduct hazardous fuel reduction projects on Federal lands. HFRA focuses attention on four types of land:

• The wildland-urban interfaces (WUI) of at-risk communities,

• At-risk municipal watersheds,

• Where threatened and endangered species or their habitats are at-risk to catastrophic fire and where fuels treatment can reduce those risks, and

• Where windthrow or insect epidemics threaten ecosystem components or resource values.

Image courtesy of A. Evans, Forest Stewards Guild

The legislation contains a variety of provisions aimed at expediting the preparation and implementation of hazardous fuels reduction projects on federal land and assisting rural communities, States and landowners in restoring healthy forest and watershed conditions on state, private and tribal lands. Through this language, the bill encourages communities to go through the collaborative process of planning, prioritizing and implementing hazardous fuel reduction projects, ultimately resulting in community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) to reduce their wildland fire risk and promote healthier forested ecosystems.

Communities who have developed CWPPs have done so using many different processes, resulting in plans with varied form and content. Due to the vagueness of the legislative language, communities have the freedom to develop CWPPs that are relevant to their local conditions and allows for the development of resource capacities that communities are using to produce diverse plans that build on local context to achieve broad policy goals of wildfire hazard reduction.

Read a summary of implementation actions enabled through the HFRA and how the bill’s language has enabled flexibility with authoring and customizing CWPPs.

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Elements of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan

Click on the image to access FEMA’s CWPP creation template.

“Community Wildfire Protection Plans have become the primary mechanism for evaluating risk due to their emphasis on community involvement and assessment of local resources. CWPPs are also an important planning document used by emergency responders and citizens to plan for and respond to wildfire emergencies. Local leaders and governmental entities find CWPPs valuable for the purposes of identifying critical needs and prioritizing funding” (NM EMNRD, 2021).

A CWPP has five main sections:

1. Community Risk Ratings

2. Priority Fuel Reduction (vegetation treatments)

3. Priority Actions (evacuation planning, education outreach, etc.)

4. Reduction of Structural Ignitability

5. Adoption and Signatures

Community Risk Ratings
Risk ratings are specific to distinct communities. They are usually calculated using a computer-based (GIS) wildfire risk model and must be categorized as either high, medium, or low. Models may include a number of different risk factors, each given a weight which corresponds to their importance, such as:

Fuel hazards (vegetative fuels present)
Risk of wildfire occurrence (locations of previous wildfires)
Essential infrastructure at risk (homes, businesses, power, communication facilities, etc.)
Other community values at risk (areas with scenic, recreational, economic or cultural value)
Local preparedness and firefighting capability (road access, distance from fire stations, distance from water sources)

Where appropriate, these ratings should reflect and align with national Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) objectives and goals.

Priority Fuel Reduction
A CWPP must identify and prioritize areas for hazardous fuel reduction treatments and recommend the types and methods of treatment that will protect one or more at‐ risk communities and essential infrastructure. This identification will likely be based on a combination of community risk ratings and social and economic values (tourism hot spots, areas of cultural importance, business hubs, etc.). Prioritizing fuel reduction creates a collaborative map for which areas will receive treatment in what order and why.

Priority Actions
After identifying the areas at greatest risk and greatest need for action, the next step in developing a CWPP is to select community wildfire risk reduction priorities. These actions may include fuel treatments, restoration projects, outreach and education, evacuation planning, and more.

Reduction of Structural Ignitability
In additional to priority fuel reduction projects and risk reduction priorities, a CWPP should identify actions that homeowners, residents, and communities can take to reduce the ignitability of structures throughout the area. This part of the plan may include guidelines for home hardening, creation of defensible space, and funding mechanisms for this work throughout high-priority communities.

Adoption and Signatures
The HFRA requires local governments, local fire department(s) and the state entity responsible for forest management (EMNRD) to sign off on the final contents of a CWPP. Additional signatories on your CWPP may include collaborators involved in the creation of the plan and key individuals from communities which will be impacted.

Other important CWPP elements may include a 1-2 year Action Plan, accomplishments since the last CWPP (for plan updates), and WUI Mapping, Hazard Mapping, and lots of spatial analysis.

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Upcoming Opportunities

Spring FAC NM Webinar Series

Fire Adapted New Mexico is kicking off its spring webinar series with an informational presentation by Gabe Kohler of the Forest Stewards Guild on FAC NM’s new membership structure.

January 18 @ 2pm MST: Revitalizing Membership in FAC NM

An interactive webinar on the network’s revitalized membership structure and improved tools, resources, and facilitation for peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. This presentation will cover new levels of involvement in the learning network, upcoming workshops and grants available to members, and future plans for network growth and other continual learning opportunities.

Keep an eye on the FAC NM Events webpage for announcements and registration for our mid-March and mid-May webinars!

Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Webinars

What: The CWDG Program will conduct a series of Listening Sessions to solicit feedback and comments on the program and provide opportunities to share recommendations for how to improve CWDG in the future.

When: January 18th, 19th, 20th and 26th.

There are Listening Sessions scheduled for each of four Notice of Funding Opportunities, but you may to attend whichever Listening Session suits your schedule.

Sign up through the Wildland Fire Learning Portal by enrolling in the 2023 Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Listening Sessions course, or visit this link: https://wildlandfirelearningportal.net/course/view.php?id=1908

Southwest Fire Science Consortium Monthly Webinars

January 31 @ 3pm MST: Wildfire and Climate Change Adaptation of Western North American Forests: A Case for Proactive Management

Image courtesy of John Marshall

Three experts will tell the story of forest change since colonization, and share insights and answer questions about how we might steward a legacy of forest change and mitigate climate change impacts. Following their presentations, the speakers will lead a discussion on reframing management direction and current barriers to increasing the pace and scale of forest adaptation.

Glorieta Camps Prescribed Burning to Begin with Arrival of Snow on January 19

Glorieta Camps Prescribed Burning to Begin with Arrival of Snow on January 19

Glorieta Camps, The Nature Conservancy’s Rio Grande Water Fund and the Forest Stewards Guild plan to take advantage of favorable conditions on January 19th, including snow levels, air quality, wind direction, and weather forecasts, to initiate prescribed pile burning at Glorieta Camps. This is the first of ongoing burns throughout the winter when conditions are favorable.

This burn is part of the Camps’ long-term commitment to improve forest health and reduce the risks of wildfire. Smoke and flames may be visible due to the proximity of the site to I-25 and the town of Glorieta. This prescribed burn is happening in the context of the Greater Santa Fe Fireshed Coalition landscape. The Fireshed Coalition supports a HEPA Filter Loan Program so that smoke sensitive individuals can borrow a filter for the duration of the impacts.

• This will be the third winter of burning at Glorieta Camps with the Forest Stewards Guild and the Nature Conservancy. The previous two winters were successful at burning, mopping up piles, and patrolling until out.

• Up to 50 acres of piles will be treated with hand ignitions by trained and qualified firefighters.

• This burn will be implemented within the parameters of an approved burn plan.

• The burn is in full compliance with County and state of New Mexico Smoke Permits.

• The burn will be implemented with qualified and experienced personnel.

• All burn operations will occur with at least 4” of snow on the ground.

• The burn will be patrolled and mopped up by trained people until it is out.

• Small amounts of piles may be burned each day to limit risk.  

• The burn unit has fireline around it as an additional contingency measure.

• More information on HEPA Filter Loan Program can be accessed here: http://www.santafefireshed.org/hepa-filter-loan-program.   

The AHAL Burn Team is supported by an agreement with The Nature Conservancy.  
The Forest Stewards Guild is an equal opportunity provider.
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Wildfire Wednesdays #102: Wildfire and Wildlife

Hi Fireshed Community,

As we all know, the forest is home to more than just our human communities. These cold winter months when we spend more time at home provide a great opportunity to learn about how we might improve the balance between wildfire management and wildlife management. This is complex and there is no silver bullet to managing wildfire in a way that supports all species in a positive way. There will always be winners and losers with any type of management action — even when we take no action.

This Wildfire Wednesdays will provide some resources for you to better understand the effects of wildfire and wildfire risk reduction treatments, such as thinning and RX Fire, on wildlife.

This newsletter includes:

• An overview of the effects of wildfire on wildlife from The Wildlife Professional

• A New Mexico-Specific Science Synthesis of Forest and Woodland Treatment Effects on Wildlife

• Upcoming and recorded webinars related to fire and wildlife

Stay safe,

Gabe

Wildfire! Toward Understanding Its Effects on Wildlife — from The Wildlife Professional

Wildlife professionals know many North American ecosystems are fire-adapted and require fire to shape their structures, functions and processes, which in turn shape wildlife habitats and populations in important ways. Over the past century, however, synergistic effects of fire exclusion, livestock grazing, timber harvest and land development have led to conditions where many wildfires are larger and burn with greater intensity and severity than they did in the past.

To better understand the overarching effects of wildfire on wildlife species, read this article from The Wildlife Professional.

Assessment of Forest and Woodland Treatment Effects on Wildlife

In 2019, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish worked with the Forest Stewards Guild to complete a science synthesis of the effects of forest and woodland treatments on wildlife species. This guide is helpful to understanding how wildfire risk reduction treatments through thinning and prescribed fire may effect various wildlife species in across a range of forest types.

This guide may be useful for New Mexico landowners that want to manage their forest for a particular species of concern. Click here to access the New Mexico science synthesis.

For specific information about the effect of wildfire on birds, check out this Science You Can Use briefing paper titled “Birds and Burns.”

Webinars Related to Wildfire and Wildlife

Upcoming

Fueling Collaboration: Fire and Wildlife

8:00 Pacific / 9:00 Mountain / 10:00 Central / 11:00 Eastern  (1.5 hr)
The third panel discussion of season 3 of the “Fueling Collaboration” series from eastern JFSP Fire Science Exchanges and USFS Northern and Southern Research Stations will be moderated by Lauren Pile Knapp (register).

Recorded

The Effects of Prescribed Fire on Wildfire Regimes and Impacts

Presenter: Dr. Molly Hunter, USGS SW Climate Adaptation Science Center, Research Manager / Joint Fire Science Program, Science Advisor

To access the webinar, click here.

Prescribed fire can result in significant benefits to ecosystems and society. Examples include improved wildlife habitat, enhanced biodiversity, reduced threat of destructive wildfire, and enhanced ecosystem resilience. Prescribed fire can also come with costs, such as reduced air quality and impacts to fire sensitive species. To plan for appropriate use of prescribed fire, managers need information on the tradeoffs between prescribed fire and wildfire regimes.

Science and Management of Wildfire, Fish, and Water Resources in the Western US

Presenter: Dr. Patrick Belmont, Utah State University

To access the webinar, click here.

Wildfire has increased 20-fold in the last 30 years in the Western U.S., partly due to climate change and partly due to forest and fire management practices. At the same time, many water resources are drying up. And fish populations throughout the western US are struggling due to water diversions, instream barriers, invasive species, and dwindling flows. This talk integrated across these three big, converging problems, reframing the role of wildfire in western ecosystems, discussing how wildfire, fish, and water resource problems are interrelated, and proposing solutions that match the scale of the problem.

Wildfire Wednesdays #101: Winter Means Preparing for Wildfire

Happy Wednesday and Happy Solstice, FAC NM readers!

As we celebrate the longest night of the year and the official start to winter, next year’s summertime wildfires may feel like a far-flung dream. However, it is never too early to start gearing up for fire mitigation, both around your home and in your community. While fire preparedness is year-round, winter is actually one of the best times to tackle heavy duty fire preparedness tasks.

Today’s Wildfire Wednesday features information on:

• Creating defensible space

• FAC Net’s Guide to Starting a Chipping Program in Your Community

• A funding opportunity for FAC NM members to kickstart your community’s fire preparedness

• Fire guides: information on home hardening, fire preparedness checklists, and yard tips

• A video series on 7 Saturdays to a More Fire Resistant Home

Take care, happy holidays, and we look forward to connecting with you in the new year.

Rachel

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Creating Defensible Space

Don’t disregard it: defensible space requires maintenance

Winter is often the best time to take steps to defend against fire, such as thinning out dense patches of trees, removing flammable brush and weeds, and pruning the limbs of mature trees to reduce contiguous fuels. Thinning and pruning during the cold winter months can also help reduce pest and disease infection in your trees and shrubs.

Image courtesy of Western Fire Chiefs Association

Maintenance tasks such as clearing flammable debris from gutters and around the home, making sure there are no flammable materials like firewood or patio furniture near your structures, and keeping grass and weeds mowed to less than 4 inches are all things you can do in these winter months and as part of spring cleaning to keep your home protected.

Whether you are a homeowner, renter, or transient temporary resident, your home is located in an environment that is dynamic and constantly changing. Trees and shrubs continue to grow, plants die or are damaged, new plants establish and grow, and needles and leaves drop to the ground, forming duff. Like other parts of your home, defensible space requires upkeep and conscious decision-making about your space, such as the choice to plant native grasses.

New Mexico State University ACES college, Firewise®, and Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) are just a few of the entities which offer information and checklists to guide your creation of defensible zones and upkeep of defensible space.

Checklist from NMSU and Firewise® on defensible space actions that can be taken annually

“Defensible space is the buffer you create between a building… and the grass, trees, shrubs, or any wildland area that surrounds it. This space is needed to slow or stop the spread of wildfire and it helps protect your home from catching fire—either from embers, direct flame contact or radiant heat. Proper defensible space also provides firefighters a safe area to work in, to defend your home.”

- (CAL FIRE, Ready for Wildfire)

Graphic from WFCA’s webpage on How to Create a Firewise® Defensible Space for Your Home

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A Chip Off the Old Block

A Guide to Starting a Chipping Program in Your Community

From FAC Net: “As we say farewell to summer and winter settles in, and FAC practitioners start planning for next year, some of you may have chipping programs on your mind. Indeed, a chipping program is an important part of many fuels mitigation projects. To help you plan and dream, we have collected some insights from the field and a few practitioners to share here with you. This is hardly a comprehensive roundup, and it is not a prescriptive document as the thing that works best for you may be very different from some of your peers in the field.

When starting or revamping a chipping program, there are several things to consider, including  assessing need, funding, staffing, outreach and marketing, chipper selection, access and functional needs, chip dispersal and use, and program improvement year over year.”

• Assessing Need

• Funding

• Staffing

• Outreach and Marketing

• Chipper Selection

• Access and Functional Needs

• Chip Dispersal and Use

• Programmatic Involvement

Visit http://fireadaptednetwork.org/ under ‘blog’ or click the button below to learn more about starting a chipper program in your community.

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Funding Opportunity

Application Period Open Now Through January 15:
FAC NM Microgrants for Fire Adapted Activities

FAC NM Leaders and Members are eligible to apply for grants of up to $2,000 for financial assistance with:

• convening wildfire preparedness events

• enabling on-the-ground community fire risk mitigation work

• developing grant proposals for the sustainable longevity of their Fire Adapted Community endeavor.

Applications for Round 1 are open now and close on January 15th! Visit the FAC NM Resources page or https://facnm.org/microgrants to learn more and apply now.

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Tips and Tasks

Guidance on making your space fire adapted this winter

Home Hardening

Home hardening brochure courtesy of Santa Clara County FireSafe Council’s home hardening webpage

Defensible space splits the area around your home or structure into treatment zones; you can think of internal and external home hardening and yard tasks as additional zones which are prime candidates for wintertime fire preparedness.

Fire hardened does not mean fireproof; it means your home is prepared for wildfire and ember storms. Home hardening addresses the most vulnerable components of your house with building materials and installation techniques that increase resistance to heat, flames, and embers that accompany most wildfires.

Priorities text courtesy of Santa Clara County FireSafe Council

Yard Preparation and Considerations

Image courtesy of the ‘Tips and Tricks for the Yard’ webpage from SCC FireSafe Council. Visit the website for additional resources related to each yard area.

An extension of defensible space, the tips and tasks are presented below can be done to prepare your yard and property for wildfire season now and throughout the year.

Property areas and considerations include:

• borders, hedges, and dry vegetative debris

• slash chipping and mulch

• pests, disease, and vegetation spacing

• attics and crawl space vents

• considerations for birds

• holiday tree safety

• and more.

Inside and Outside the Home

Property protection booklet cover image courtesy of FEMA.

“Owning a property is one of the most important investments most people make in their lives. We work hard to provide a home and a future for ourselves and our loved ones... While you can’t prevent all wildfires from happening, there are some ways to secure your property to minimize damage and keep your home and your future safe.”

Click the image or download the PDF from FEMA to learn simple tricks for how to fortify your space this winter, inside and outside of the home.

Additional resources

Colorado State University and New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department offer an applicable collection of Fire Preparedness Resources for homes, pets, and family, and a Living with Wildfire Guide, respectively. Throughout the cold season, set aside some time to click through and visit these resources. An excerpt of topics includes:

• Avoiding Wildfire Damage: A Checklist for Homeowners (FEMA)

• Build a Kit (Ready.gov)

• Disaster Preparedness for Seniors by Seniors (Red Cross)

• Emergency Preparedness for Kids (Red Cross)

• Emergency Preparedness Starts at Home

• Farm and Ranch Family Stress and Depression: A Checklist and Guide for Making Referra

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7 Saturdays to a More Fire Resistant Home

A video series on easy and affordable steps to better prepare for wildfires

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) released a 7-part series with helpful information on and recommendations for how to prepare to live with fire. View episode 1 on defensible space below then visit PG&E’s YouTube page to learn more about affordable home hardening, preparing for evacuation, fire resistant landscaping, resilient interiors, and resilient communities.