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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: |
Bitterroot Valley/Ravelli County, MT - Fuels Treatment Projects
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Type: |
Regulatory
Homeowner assistance
Fuelbreaks
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Jurisdiction: |
Multi-level
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State: |
Montana
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Program Description: |
Private Land Cost-Share Hazardous Fuels Treatment and Sheafman Creek Private Land Cost-Share Hazardous Fuels Treatment
Background
As a result of the 2000 fire season, the National Fire Plan provided grant funding for the treatment of hazardous fuels on private lands through USDA State and Private Forestry. The Private Land Cost-Share Program was initiated in August of 2001 in the Bitterroot Valley. As a result of the funding associated with this program, there are 39 landowners signed up under agreements to conduct fuels reduction on approximately 600 acres. The Sheafman Creek Project was initiated in December of 2002 to conduct fuels reduction on approximately 60 acres in the Sheafman Creek drainage near Pinesdale, MT. As a result of the funding associated with the Sheafman Creek Program, there are 10 landowners that will be signed up.
Purpose
The purpose of both the Private Land Cost Share Program and the Sheafman Creek Fuels Treatment Project is to reduce the fire risk on private lands within the Wildland Urban Interface in the Bitterroot Valley. They are a cooperative effort between the Bitter Root RC&D; Area, Inc. (RC&D;), State of Montana Department of Natural Resource Conservation (DNRC), USDA Forest Service (FS), and private landowners.
Program Requirements
The requirements of both programs are to:
- Pre-commercial and commercial thin timber stands to an average spacing of 10 feet between tree canopies,
- Prune all residual trees to 12' or 1/3rd the height of the tree, whichever is less,
- To dispose of all slash created by thinning and pruning as well as any existing fuel concentrations existing prior to treatment that are considered contributing to the hazard.
Program Goals
The program goals are to:
- Protect lives, homes, property and natural resources from impacts of a wildland fire.
- Create openings in the continuous timber canopies to reduce the chances of an independent crown fire in the area.
- Reduce ladder fuels in an area, thus reducing the chances of a surface fire from entering the crowns of the residual timber stand and becoming an independent crown fire.
- To give wildland fire protection agencies a margin of safety as well as a greater chance of controlling a wildland fire that starts or enters onto private lands in the Wildland Urban Interface.
Accomplishments
Private Lands Cost-Share Hazardous Fuels Treatment Program
This project has currently treated over 450 acres on private lands. The program is scheduled to be completed by 12/30/03. It has provided employment within the Bitterroot Valley to many contractors who are hired by private landowners to do this work. Other landowners have elected to accomplish this work themselves on their own land. The funding for this program was $239,500, which includes administrative, overhead and on-the-ground treatment costs. This program is a 50/50 cost share. Treatment costs have ranged from $495/acre to over $1200/acre.
Sheafman Creek Private Land Cost-Share Hazardous Fuels Treatment
Accomplishments
This project is currently beginning and will treat approximately 60 acres on private lands. The program is scheduled to be completed by 6/30/04. The funding for this program was $47,000, which includes administrative, overhead and on-the-ground treatment costs. This program is a 75/25 cost share. RC&D; will provide 75% of the funding with landowners providing 25%. Average treatment costs for thinning, pruning and slash treatment are approximately $900/acre.
Photo Documentation
All lands treated under this program have had before and after photographs taken of the properties. Below are some of the results of the treatments that have been accomplished on these lands.
Contact Information
For more information, contact Byron Bonney at the Bitterroot RC&D; office at (406) 363-1444 ext. 5 or by email at [email protected].
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Images: |
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Above: Areas with heavy component of seedling/sapling size material contributing to ladder fuels and increased risk of crown fire potential as well as areas with heavy pole size timber with heavy downed fuels component. These two areas within 200 yards of homes.
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