Illinois Valley News

It is difficult to think about fire season when it“s raining, but home owners might want to start lopping dead tree branches after viewing Jack Cohen“s video, Protecting Your Home from Wildfire.

The video is available online at  www.fs.fed.us/rm/publications/titles/videos/protecting.html.

“Most of the houses I“ve examined very likely ignited from small spot-ignitions on or adjacent to the home, not from the big crown fire flames,“ said Cohen. “That means a home owner can easily perform fuel reductions that can potentially save their homes.“

Added Aaron Nauth, Lomakatsi Restoration Project (LRP) program coordinator. “It is an overwhelming responsibility for rural property owners to take on the hard work of selectively removing overcrowded trees and shrubs.

“If left untended, it can pose a fire risk not only for land owners, but for the entire community and adjacent land,“ he said.

With a few months between now and fire season, home owners are encouraged to take advantage of  National Fire Plan (NFP) funding to help create a safe community.

A coordinated effort for concentrated community fire planning has been developed as a continuing partnership involving LRP,  Illinois Valley Fire District (IVFD), Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF), Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCDO), and the Bureau of Land Management.

IVCDO Director Robert Schumacher has administered four NFP grants, and has treated nearly 1,200 acres since 1994. He currently is overseeing a county-wide special needs grant plus the South I.V. Fire Grant.

There is no cost to home owners who qualify for special needs grants. A home owner must qualify on two counts: low income (defined as living below 200 percent of the federal poverty level), and must be identified as having “special needs.“

Those who cannot take care of themselves in an emergency due to physical or mental issues, as well as most citizens 60 and older will qualify, said Schumacher. He can be phoned at 541-592-4440.

The South I.V. Fire Grant focuses on defensible space around homes and driveways in a specific zone south of Rockydale Road to the California border. Kamron Ismaili, IVFD prevention director, will come to locations and set up a prescription of tasks necessary to provide Firewise clearance.

Said Ismaili, “Our goal is lean, clean and green for at least 30 feet from houses. Eliminate flammable material within 10 feet of houses. Remove pine needles from gutters and the roof.

“Staple metal window screening over any gaps and vents. Firewood should be stacked at least 30 feet from the home. Reduce or eliminate flammable materials within 100 feet of houses, and prune lower limbs of trees at least 8 feet above the ground. If you can walk around it and under it, you“re pretty much there.“

Lomakatsi is the Hopi word for “life in balance,“ and that is the LRP goal, which will implement 225 acres of fuels reduction and forest restoration treatments in strategically selected locations around the Takilma community area with funding from the National Fire Plan.

This project aims to increase community wildfire safety, and will take place on more than 20 properties, that will be chosen due to the severity of their forest fuel loads and neighborhood locations.“

LRP is scheduling meetings with private landowners to evaluate their properties to see if they qualify for the program. Once a private landowner is accepted into the program and an agreement is reached, LRP forestry technicians will perform an assessment to develop fuels reduction plans.

Detailed ecologically-based prescriptions will be developed by LRP and the landowner that will meet the fuels reduction objectives while improving the diversity and health of the forest.

The focus for this project is neighborhood-wide treatments to create fire management zones for community wildfire protection. Locations to be emphasized are along ridge tops that divide sub-watersheds, on slopes above high ignition sources such as driveways that serve as entry/exit locations for residents and firefighters, and along secondary logging roads that will serve as fuel breaks. These fuel reduction activities will create safer and more effective anchor points for fire suppression efforts in the event of a wildfire, as well as contributing to the overall forest health of a functioning ecosystem.

Highly trained LRP forestry crews will begin the actual on-the-ground work in fall 2010. Contact Aaron Nauth through Lomakatsi at 541-488-0208 or e-mail info@lomakatsi.org.

Land owners not located in the zones covered by these grants may still qualify for ODF countywide assistance.

South I.V. and Lomakatsi are share-of-cost programs, but under the South I.V. grant the work can be done by home owners or sub-contracted. Lomakatsi contractors do the work under their program.

While the South I.V. grant is more concerned with defensible space around houses, Lomakatsi focuses on landscape clearance on larger acreage. Each program covers a different territory, and fills a different niche, but they are all pieces of a puzzle toward a common goal of a fire-safe community.

These grants have limited funds, and are one-time deals, meant to give homeowners a jump-start on clearing the property, and to demonstrate what a Firewise site should look like. After that, it is up to homeowners to maintain their property.

Land owners interested in NFP grants should contact Ismaili at 541-592-2225 to see which program would best suit their location and needs.

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