Wildfire Today

Deadline nearing for wildfire defense grants

Hunter BasslerOctober 16, 2023Preventiongrants, wildfire defense1 Comment

The USFS Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program helps communities and tribes reduce their wildfire risk and become more fire-resilient. The program prioritizes its grant funding to low-income communities in high or very-high wildfire hazard potential areas, or those that have been affected by a severe wildfire that has increased its wildfire risk.

The program’s two goals are to develop and/or revise Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) and to implement projects from said plans. The program also helps communities restore and maintain landscapes, create fire-adapted communities, and improve wildfire response.

Eligible at-risk communities include:

- - Local governments representing communities at risk of wildfires
  - Native American/ Indigenous Tribes
  - Non-profit organizations that assist at-risk communities
  - State forestry agencies
  - Alaska Native Corporations

Interested applicants can read details at grants.gov and find instructions in the “notices of funding opportunities” to apply. Applications are accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET on October 31. To apply, follow the instructions online or search for the grant opportunity number specific for your notice (USDA-FS-2023-CWDG-TRIBES, USDA-FS-2023-CWDG-CWSF, USDA-FS-2023-CWDG-NEMW, USDA-FS-2023-CWDG-SGSF).

Check here to see whether your community is eligible to apply.

The maximum amount of funding that a community can receive is $250,000 for creating or updating CWPPs and $10 million for a project described in a community’s CWPP that is less than 10 years old.

Applicants are highly encouraged to coordinate with their state forestry agency in proposal development. Forest Service staff are also available to assist with coordination, can provide liaison support for Tribes, and can assist with application submission if needed.

A virtual information session is scheduled for October 25 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET and you can register [HERE].

The USDA recently selected 100 applicants for funding, including applicants across seven tribes and 22 states. Every applicant selected was in a high or very high wildfire hazard potential area, and 86 percent of applicants met the definition of an “underserved community.”

Kansas launches wildfire risk tool

Hunter BasslerOctober 14, 2023Wildfirefire risk, Kansas, prevention tools1 Comment

Kansas residents can now easily find their local wildfire risk through a new tool released by the state’s Forest Service.

The Kansas Wildfire Risk Explorer at kansaswildfirerisk.org allows residents to enter an address, city, or specific coordinates into an interactive map to see whether their current risk is low, moderate, high, or extreme. Residents can then generate a report specific to their area, along with precautions they can take to be prepared if a wildfire burns nearby.

“As a homeowner, you are not powerless in your defense against wildfires,” the website says. “By taking a proactive approach to wildfire mitigation, you can significantly increase your safety and your home’s likelihood of survival during a catastrophic wildfire event.”

Wildfire in Kansas, photo courtesy State Fire Marshal's Office — Wildfire in Kansas, photo courtesy State Fire Marshal’s Office

The tool began development in 2018 in conjunction with Kansas State University as an evolution of the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS), which uses National Weather Service forecasts to predict fire danger.

In addition to wildfire risk, residents can also use the tool to evaluate “Wildfire Effects,” or areas where drinking water, infrastructure, and multiple environmental factors would be adversely affected by wildfires. This layer also shows areas where wildfire suppression would be especially difficult because of steep terrain or very dry vegetation.

The risk viewer also shows historical ignition patterns. This layer doesn’t map probability, but shows where ignition rates and frequency have been higher. The map shows that most ignitions have happened on the outskirts of the state’s most populated cities.

Kansas recorded more than 8,000 wildfires in 2022, about 3,000 more than the state’s yearly average. The last time the state hit its average of ~5,000 wildfires was in 2021 when two people died, 20 people were injured, and over 185,000 acres were burned, according to the Kansas Fire Marshal. Around 95 percent of the state’s wildfires were caused by humans.

GOATs help with fire prevention

Hunter BasslerOctober 12, 2023Preventionfuels management, goats7 Comments

New teams of wildfire prevention experts are sprouting up across the world, but they aren’t made up of hotshots or forest managers — they’re herds of goats.

Michael Choi is the creator of Fire Grazers Inc., a fire brush management company that deploys free-range goats in fire-prone areas around California to clear dead vegetation and prevent wildfires.

“Our goal is to assist in the management of fire-hazardous zones through fuel modification, thereby addressing an accelerating regional problem that threatens the livelihood and prosperity of many residents of California,” Choi said on his website. “Our grazing goats can clear an unbelievable amount of brush and weeds. A well-sized herd can complete a job in a single day that would take two or three times as long with a landscaping crew.”

Before and after views with GoatsRock fire prevention. — Before and after views with GoatsRock fuels reduction.

Goats’ mountain climbing expertise gives them a leg up on other wildfire managers. Some areas that may be treacherous for humans are easily scalable for goats, including steep hillsides and canyons.

Fire Grazers Inc. has been around since the early 2010s, but Choi’s technique is getting noticed across the world. Chile’s goat brigades have prevented both wildfires and erosion in the country’s forests, Nevada deployed goats in Reno through a state-funded program, and the City of Quesnel in central British Columbia announced in June it had deployed a herd of 132 goats to eat vegetation in and around designated Fuel Management Trails.

Quesnel’s strategy has been a success. While multiple wildfires burned around the area of the city in 2023, none threatened the city’s residents. The Quesnel Cariboo Observer reported that multiple wildfires west of Quesnel in August triggered evacuations in the nearby town of Eliguk Lake in August. Two other evacuations in July were triggered by the Townsend Creek Fire. British Columbia had its worst fire season on record in 2023, with over three million hectares burned.

Quesnel still stands. The city sits in one of the lowest-priority fire danger areas of the province, according to Canada’s Government. The goats are looking to keep it that way.

https://goatsrock.com/uploads/3/5/2/6/35260684/img-8939_orig.jpg — Some of GOATSROCK’s herd — Michael Choi

Deadline extended for Hawai’i disaster assistance

Kelly AnderssonOctober 10, 2023October 10, 2023WildfireFEMA, Hawaii, Maui

KA ‘OIHANA PILI KAUA
Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency

The FEMA deadline for private nonprofit groups and government agencies to apply for disaster assistance has been extended to October 25.

“The extension gives applicants two more weeks to complete their requests,” said James Barros, administrator of the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA). “Many nonprofits have been deeply involved in the disaster response, but they’ve been busy helping the people of Maui to apply for these federal funds; the extension gives them a bit more time to seek these vital resources.”

The disaster declaration covering the August wildfires authorizes funding to reimburse and pay for protective measures and hazard mitigation, including fire mitigation and environmental and historic preservation projects. Private nonprofit organizations — including houses of worship and community groups — may be eligible for financial reimbursement for emergency protective measures, debris removal, or restoration of facilities.

Eligible organizations include those that have provided services during the wildfire response, or those that want to participate in recovery/mitigation efforts, including environmental and historic preservation.

“HI-EMA is the state agency that serves as the connection between FEMA and applicants for Public Assistance funds,” said Barros, “and our personnel can answer questions about the types of expenses and projects that may be eligible.”

To learn more about available grants, check the FEMA assistance page and the Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency site. For details, contact Brian Fisher with HI-EMA’s Resilience team at brian.j.fisher@hawaii.gov.

UPDATE:
The Lahaina Banyan seems to have survived.
This is a DHS photo from Wikipedia.

Lahaina Banyan tree, DHS photo from wikipedia.

The 2-acre Banyan tree in October 2014:
(by Nvvchar – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Hotshots working under an ‘unsustainable system’

Hunter BasslerOctober 8, 2023October 8, 2023Hotshot historyhotshots, recruitment14 Comments

The first-ever review of the interagency hotshot crew program found that hotshots have been working under an “unsustainable system” and recommended 50 changes to improve current labor conditions.

The review, requested by the National Interagency Hotshot Crew Steering Committee, began on July 16, 2021, and the report was finalized in August.

Geronimo Hotshots on the Big Windy Complex, Oregon, 2013. USFS photo by Lance Cheung.

“The hotshot program is at a crossroads. In a time where more wildland firefighting capacity is needed, applicant lists for hotshot crews are less robust and the workforce is diminishing,” the report says. “If these challenges are not addressed in a timely manner, the current unsustainable system may leave crews unable to provide the leadership, expertise, and capabilities required in today’s wildland fire environment.”

The report summed up its recommendations in 12 points, which included:

- Develop a specific wildland firefighter job series and increase pay
- Provide a $40,000 minimum annual supply budget to each crew
- Require a three-day rest and recuperation period
- Allow crewmembers to attend personal events
- Modify the hiring process
- Start an outreach program to increase recruitment
- Create a 30-day process to fill key vacancies
- Update and clarify the Standards for Interagency Hotshot Crew Operations (SIHCO) so they are no longer misinterpreted by host units
- Create an annual charter and program of work for the hotshot crew program to further limit gaps between leadership and the field
- Update the repair and procurement processes for hotshot vehicles
- Develop a minimum facility standard for hotshot crew facilities
- Add housing, modify housing costs and create a consistent housing policy

The review addressed potential challenges to meeting the recommended changes, including lack of investment, systemic pushback, and cultural norms. Hotshot crew superintendents also said they’d prefer freedom and flexibility to make decisions for their own crews.

Without the recommended changes, the committee said agencies may not be able to sustain the current number of crews.

“It is important to acknowledge that while the fundamental reasons hotshot crews exist have not changed, the environment they operate in has,” the report said. “Unprecedented environmental challenges and increased social and political expectations contribute to IHCs finding themselves in high demand and short supply.”

The committee said similar reviews should be conducted by other program managers before the recommendations are broadly applied.

Washington governor requests federal aid

Kelly AnderssonOctober 7, 2023October 7, 2023Wildfireoregon road fire, spokane, wanes gray

Governor Jay Inslee this week sent a letter to President Biden asking for a major disaster declaration and federal assistance to help survivors recover from damages incurred by wildfires in Spokane County from August 18 to 25. During that week, the Wanes Gray and Oregon Road fires killed two people and destroyed more homes than any other fire in state history.

KREM-2 reported that the Gray Fire started August 18 near Gray Road in Medical Lake and quickly spread to the east and southeast through town and across I-90. The fire (also known as the Wanes Gray Fire) caused a town-wide evacuation for Medical Lake and multiple surrounding areas.

The Oregon Road Fire started the same day on E. Oregon Road in Elk. The fire resulted in Level 3 evacuation orders and drew resources from all over Washington state. It burned almost 11,000 acres, killed one person, and was determined to be human-caused; the fire destroyed 126 homes and 258 outbuildings.

Spokane Public Radio reported that Inslee said Spokane County’s population has an average lower income and higher unemployment rate than state averages. He said the damage has overwhelmed state and local resources, and asked the president to make financial assistance for wildfire survivors available through FEMA’s Individual Assistance program. Financial assistance and direct services would be available to eligible individuals and households who had uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs.

Oregon Road Fire, post by Spokane redditor pilot37.

Inslee also requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency assist with debris management and disposal to reduce negative effects on local waterways.

Inslee earlier made available $2.5 million from his office’s emergency assistance fund to help with individual assistance as well as testing and removal of debris for uninsured homeowners affected by the fires. Additional funds will also be available for debris removal from state Department of Commerce emergency response funds.

Read the letter [PDF] here.

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