Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)

The Final Community Wildfire Protection Plan is available now!!!

You can download the main body of the CWPP and/or the Regional portions:
Main CWPP
Appendices
Butte Valley
Salmon River
Scott River
Shasta Valley
Mid Klamath
Upper Sacramento

Please send Comments to

Giselle Nova

Why do We need a plan?

Siskiyou County is prone to wildfires. We have had many in the recent past and we can assume that we will have more, and larger fires in the future!

Benefits to Communities

In the context of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, 2003 (HFRA), a CWPP offers a variety of benefits to communities at risk from wildland fire. Among those benefits is the opportunity to establish a localized definition and boundary for the wildland–urban interface.

In the absence of a CWPP, the HFRA limits the WUI to within 1/2 mile of a community’s boundary or within 11/2 miles when mitigating circumstances exist, such as sustained steep slopes or geographic features aiding in creating a fire break. Fuels treatments can occur along evacuation routes regardless of their distance from the community. At least 50 percent of all funds appropriated for projects under the HFRA must be used within the WUI as defined by either a CWPP or by the limited definition provided in the HFRA when no CWPP exists.

In addition to giving communities the flexibility to define their own WUI, the HFRA also gives priority to projects and treatment areas identified in a CWPP by directing federal agencies to give specific consideration to fuel reduction projects that implement those plans. If a federal agency proposes a fuel treatment project in an area addressed by a community plan but identifies a different treatment method, the agency must also evaluate the community’s recommendation as part of the project’s environmental assessment process." Quoted from A Handbook for Wildland–Urban Interface Communities Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, 2003

The idea for community-based forest planning and prioritization is neither novel nor new. However, the incentive for communities to engage in comprehensive forest planning and prioritization was given new and unprecedented impetus with the enactment of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) in 2003.

This landmark legislation includes the first meaningful statutory incentives for the US Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to give consideration to the priorities of local communities as they develop and implement forest management and hazardous fuel reduction projects.

In order for a community to take full advantage of this new opportunity, it must first prepare a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). Local wildfire protection plans can take a variety of forms, based on the needs of the people involved in their development. Community Wildfire Protection Plans may address issues such as wildfire response, hazard mitigation, community preparedness, or structure protection—or all of the above.

The process of developing a CWPP can help a community clarify and refine its priorities for the protection of life, property, and critical infrastructure in the wildland–urban interface. It also can lead community members through valuable discussions regarding management options and implications for the surrounding watershed.

The language in the HFRA provides maximum flexibility for communities to determine the substance and detail of their plans and the procedures they use to develop them. Because the legislation is general in nature, some communities may benefit from assistance on how to prepare such a plan." From A Handbook for Wildland–Urban Interface Communities Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, 2003

Planning Process

Where are we are today?

Siskiyou County is in the process of completing a CWPP through the Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County. We are following the steps laid out in "A Handbook for Wildland–Urban Interface Communities Preparing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, 2003" We are currently working on Steps Four and Five (See Below).

Summary and Checklist

Step One: Convene Decisionmakers

  • Form a core team made up of representatives from the appropriate local governments, local fire authority, and state agency responsible for forest management.

Step Two: Involve Federal Agencies

  • Identify and engage local representatives of the USFS and BLM.
  • Contact and involve other land management agencies as appropriate.

Step Three: Engage Interested Parties

  • Contact and encourage active involvement in plan development from a broad range of interested organizations and stakeholders.

Step Four: Establish a Community Base Map

  • Work with partners to establish a baseline map of the community that defines the community’s WUI and displays inhabited areas at risk, forested areas that contain critical human infrastructure, and forest areas at risk for large-scale fire disturbance.

Step Five: Develop a Community Risk Assessment

  • Work with partners to develop a community risk assessment that considers fuel hazards; risk of wildfire occurrence; homes, businesses, and essential infrastructure at risk; other community values at risk; and local preparedness capability.
  • Rate the level of risk for each factor and incorporate into the base map as appropriate.

Step Six : Establish Community Priorities and Recommendations

  • Use the base map and community risk assessment to facilitate a collaborative community discussion that leads to the identification of local priorities for fuel treatment, reducing structural ignitability, and other issues of interest, such as improving fire response capability.
  • Clearly indicate whether priority projects are directly related to protection of communities and essential infrastructure or to reducing wildfire risks to other community values.

Step Seven: Develop an Action Plan and Assessment Strategy

  • Consider developing a detailed implementation strategy to accompany the CWPP, as well as a monitoring plan that will ensure its long-term success.

Step Eight: Finalize Community Wildfire Protection Plan

  • Finalize the CWPP and communicate the results to community and key partners.