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The national database of state and local wildfire hazard mitigation programs
serves as a clearinghouse of information about nonfederal policies and
programs that seek to reduce the risk of loss of life and property through
the reduction of hazardous fuels on private lands. If
you would like to submit a program to the national wildfire programs database,
please complete the following form (MS
Word).
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Title: |
Silver City Area/Grant County , NM -- Assistance and Education Programs
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Type: |
Demonstration projects
Community Planning
Designation of high risk areas
Education
Fuelbreaks
Homeowner assistance
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Jurisdiction: |
County
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State: |
New Mexico
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Program Description: |
The Silver City Area is one of the 20 communities targeted for fuels reduction work in New Mexico's 20 Community Strategy. (See New Mexico's 20 Community Strategy entry on this website). Grant County took the baseline data provided by the Joint Fire Sciences Program and the USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station in the publication "A Strategic Assessment of Fire Hazard in New Mexico", and added their own research to it. The Grant County Rural Fire Chiefs Association compiled data on rural communities located within the Wildland Urban Interface. They evaluated these smaller communities for vegetative fuels, terrain, slope, aspect, density, construction materials, and infrastructure. Within Grant County they were able to identify 10 smaller communities with high wildfire hazard risk ratings, and 8 with very high hazard ratings.
Grant County NFP Implementation Team
In 2000, the Grant County National Fire Plan Implementation Team (NFPIT) was founded. It is a community based group focused on developing strategies and projects for fire planning, forest restoration, fuels reduction, public education and economic development. NFPIT has been active in prioritizing fuel treatment projects, writing prescriptions for fuels treatments in vulnerable communities, assisted in the development of two by-product utilization businesses, and assisted in creating a 1,400 acre demonstration forest restoration project.
Defensible Space Education
The Gila National Forest has been offering Defensible Space workshops locally for 5 years. These workshops educate homeowners and landowners about reducing fuel loads and creating defensible space around their homes. The Gila National Forest Prevention Specialists teach a ten step process to reducing wildfire hazard risk.
- Step 1: Define a minimum 30-foot non-combustible buffer zone around the home.
- Step 2: Reduce flammable vegetation, trees and brush around the home. Choose plants with loose branching, non-resinous woody material, and high moisture content.
- Step 3: Remove or prune trees, thin overcrowded trees, eliminate ladder fuels.
- Step 4: Cut grass regularly and keep vegetation watered.
- Step 5: Move wood piles and debris at least 30 feet from the home. No vegetation within 10 feet of wood piles.
- Step 6: Keep roof and yard clean.
- Step 7: Easy-to-read road signs and clearly marked addresses. Two-way access roads and adequate turn-arounds.
- Step 8: Roof with fire-resistant materials.
- Step 9: Recycle yard debris.
- Step 10: Be prepared when fire strikes. Close all doors and windows, arrange garden hoses to reach any area of the house, pack the car for quick departure. Listen for alerts on the radio or TV.
The Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Gila National Forest sponsored a 2-day FIREWISE Communities workshop in 2001 (see Firewise). They have adapted the information from FIREWISE into a half-day FIREWISE "forum", and will conduct one forum in the spring each year.
Landowner Assistance
The "Grant County WUI Landowner Assistance Program" is a flow-through program administered by New Mexico State Forestry. Grant Soil and Water Conservation District (GSWCD) manages the program locally. The program provides cost sharing between the State (70%) and the landowner (30%) for fuels treatments to reduce fire hazard risk on state and private lands in the WUI. The money can be used to develop defensible space around homes, construct fuelbreaks, or thin stands on adjoining private lands where federal agencies are constructing fuelbreaks.
To participate in the program, a landowner requests a fire hazard assessment from GSWCD. A trained fire professional from a local fire department or from State Forestry visits the property and completes an assessment using the NFPA 299 Assessment Form. The results are reviewed with the property owner, and actions needed to protect structure and reduce wildfire risk are recommended. If only minimal work is needed, the landowner is encouraged to do this himself without state assistance.
If the assessment requires major actions, the landowner can apply for cost share assistance form GSWCD. The landowner fills our the Wildfire Mitigation Cost-Share Assistance Application. The fire professional prepares a Treatment Plan or prescription. The assessment, application and prescription are reviewed by the GCSWCD and the State District Forester. When the landowner receives a Notice to Proceed from GCSWCD, the landowner can proceed to do the work or hire someone to do it. In-kind costs that can be calculated in the 30% landowner match include: hours worked, chainsaw time, transportation time moving the cut fuels to disposal, purchase and installation of spark arresters on chimney, and road rehabilitation/erosion control.
When the work outlined in the Treatment Plan is complete, the landowner requests an inspection. When the work is approved, the landowner submits his documented costs for reimbursement of 70%. GCSWD forwards the request for reimbursement to the State. For more information on Grant County fuels reduction projects, see Silver City Fuels Reduction Projects.
Contact Information
For more information, contact Martha Woodward at [email protected], or by phone at (505) 388-1569.
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