Wildfire Mitigation and Fuel Management

Fire disturbance is a necessary part of the natural life cycle of a forest ecosystem. However, years of insufficient management has played a role in producing some of the higher intensity and detrimental wildfires that have devastated some of our communities and natural resources in the past.

Wildfire mitigation is a prescribed treatment system and a set of strategically planned tools anticipated to increase resilience and reduce the risk of high frequency fires that threaten community safety and natural resource values. Each mitigation treatment is unique based on an ecosystem's natural disturbance type and landscape level characteristics. Stand objectives are completed by mechanical and hand treatments. 

Treated sites are left with healthy, standing timber, a significant decrease in fuel load, promoted regeneration and an increase in biodiversity and resilience. Retained timber will have a more successful opportunity to continue prosperous growth. The spacing standards will decrease wildfire spread rate and provide emergency and firefighting crews with a safer and more efficient approach to extinguishing or containing a fire.