El Dorado County Fire Safe Council
CWPP
Community Wildfire Protection Plans in El Dorado County
El Dorado County Master CWPP 2017
- El Dorado County 2016 Presentation by Dr Richard Harris
- El_Dorado_County_CWPP_Master_Working_Draft_20170127
Indexed El Dorado County CWPP 2017
Table of Contents
Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………………………. 8
Background…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
Figure 1. Perimeters for fires greater than 10 acres, by decade for El Dorado County and nearby areas for the period from 1878 through July, 2015 (FRAP 2016)………………………………. 9
1.2 Plan Objectives………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 12
Plan Development Strategy………………………………………………………………………………… 12
1.21 CWPP Consistency with Federal Guidelines………………………………………………………… 14
Fire-Adapted Communities…………………………………………………………………………………. 15
1.22 CWPP Consistency with State of California Guidelines………………………………………… 15
2010 Forest and Range Assessment of California………………………………………………….. 15
2010 Strategic Fire Plan for California………………………………………………………………… 16
1.23 Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) and Local Jurisdictions…………………. 16
1.3 CWPP Planning Area Boundaries…………………………………………………………………………………. 18
Figure 2. El Dorado County Fire Safe Councils for the West Slope Region of the county 18
Figure 3. El Dorado CWPP fire hazard and risk assessment area…………………………… 19
1.4 Core CWPP Planning Team…………………………………………………………………………………………. 20
Table 1. CWPP Planning Team………………………………………………………………………….. 20
1.5 Community and Agency Involvement…………………………………………………………………………… 20
1.51 Public Meetings and Other Outreach…………………………………………………………………… 20
1.53 Community Priority Survey………………………………………………………………………………… 21
1.54 Community Priority Survey –Key Findings………………………………………………………….. 21
Community Priorities for Fuel Treatment……………………………………………………………… 22
Table 3. Summary of treatment priorities for different facilities and resources by percent response for high, moderate, and low priorities………………………………………………………………….. 23
Survey Responses Regarding Maintenance of Defensible Space………………………………. 25
Chapter 2: El Dorado County Characteristics and Demographics……………. 26
2.1 Geographic Area and Demographics…………………………………………………………………………….. 26
Figure 4. Housing Density for El Dorado County (2010)……………………………………….. 27
2.2 Climate, Hydrology and Watershed……………………………………………………………………………… 27
Table 4. Climate readings as of 2010 (El Dorado County 2010)……………………………… 28
2.3 Vegetation…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 29
2.51 Communities at Risk within the CWPP Planning Area………………………………………….. 29
Table 5. List and Status of Fire Safe Councils within Communities at Risk (CAR) within the CWPP Project Area……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 30
Figure 5. Map of communities with Fire Safe Councils and status as a Firewise Community 31
2.7 Infrastructure…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 32
Chapter 3: Fire Risk Analysis……………………………………………………………….. 33
3.1 Fire History……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
3.12 Historic Role of Fire in Conifer and Oak Woodland Forests………………………………….. 33
3.13 Historic Role of Fire in Conifer and Oak Woodland Forests Shrub Dominated Ecosystems 34
3.14 Total Ignitions by Source (Human- or Lightning-Caused) for El Dorado County- 1992-2013 34
3.15 Acres Burned by Wildfire Annually for El Dorado County 1916-2014 by Cause and Within or Outside the WUI……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 34
3.16 Fire Severity 1985-2014…………………………………………………………………………………….. 34
3.2 Fire Modeling Approach……………………………………………………………………………………………… 35
3.21 Fire Risk Assessment Area…………………………………………………………………………………. 35
3.22 Fire Weather…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 36
Table 6. Fuel moisture and other modeling parameters used in FlamMap simulations.. 37
3.23 Incorporation of Existing and Planned Fuel Treatments…………………………………………. 37
3.24 Fire Hazard and Risk Assessment Methods………………………………………………………….. 38
3.25 Assessment of Risk Mitigation Priorities……………………………………………………………… 39
3.3 Community Risk Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………… 39
3.31 Creation of Community Fire Hazard Map……………………………………………………………. 39
Table 7. Fire Suppression Interpretations from Flame Length (NWCG 2004)……………. 39
Table 8. Fire Suppression Interpretations from Rate of Spread (NWCG 2004)………….. 40
Table 9. Definitions for Crown Fire Activity (Scott and Reinhardt 2001)…………………… 40
Chapter 4: Fire Risk Mitigation Strategies……………………………………………… 41
4.1 Fire Risk Mitigation Strategies for Communities………………………………………………………………. 41
4.11 Improving Road Access……………………………………………………………………………………….. 41
4.12 Improving Water Supply and Delivery Infrastructure………………………………………………. 42
4.13 Enforcing Defensible Space Regulations………………………………………………………………… 42
4.14 Reducing Hazardous Fuels………………………………………………………………………………….. 43
4.15 Public Education and Fire Prevention Measures……………………………………………………… 43
4.2 Fire Risk Mitigation Strategies for Individual Property Owners………………………………………….. 44
4.21 Implementing Defensible Space……………………………………………………………………………. 44
4.22 Providing Adequate Access for Emergency Vehicles………………………………………………. 45
4.23 Providing Signage to Identify Properties……………………………………………………………….. 46
4.24 Complying with Current Building Codes……………………………………………………………….. 46
4.3 Regional and County Wide Treatment Strategies…………………………………………………………… 47
4.31 Fuel Treatment Delineation………………………………………………………………………………… 47
4.32 Fuel Treatment Prioritization………………………………………………………………………………. 47
Table 10. Prioritization approach for fuel reduction projects…………………………………… 48
4.33 Fuel Treatment Types………………………………………………………………………………………… 49
Chapter 5: Community Specific Wildfire Protection Plans………………………. 53
AUBURN LAKE TRAILS FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES………………………………………… 54
CAMERON PARK FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES…………………………………………………… 63
CAMINO-CEDAR GROVE FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES……………………………………… 65
COLOMA – LOTUS FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES…………………………………………………. 72
COOL & PILOT HILL FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES……………………………………………. 102
COUNTYWIDE FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES……………………………………………………… 113
GEORGETOWN-VOLCANOVILE FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES…………………………. 115
GRIZZLY FLATS FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES ………………………………………………..139
LAKEHILLS FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES………………………………………………………….. 150
LOGTOWN FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES……………………………………………………………. 161
MOSQUITO FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES…………………………………………………………… 175
PATTERSON RANCH FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES……………………………………………. 185
PLEASANT VALLEY FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES……………………………………………. 194
POLLOCK PINES FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES………………………………………………….. 204
ROYAL EQUESTRIAN ESTATES FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES…………………………. 223
SANDRIDGE-NASHVILLE FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES…………………………………… 232
SIERRA SPRINGS FIRE SAFE COUNCIL ACTIVITIES…………………………………………………. 236
References…………………………………………………………………………………………… 245
Appendix 1: Copy of the Publication Preparing a “Community Wildfire Protection Plan: A Handbook for Wildland-Urban Interface Communities” (SAF 2004) 249
Appendix 2: List of Meetings Held to Provide Updates On and Solicit Input from the Public on the El Dorado County Community Wildfire Protection……………. 263
Appendix 3: Community Survey Questions and Summaries…………………… 268
Appendix 4: Summary of Fire History Including Ignitions, Acres Burned, and Fire Severity for El Dorado County…………………………………………………………….. 270
Appendix 5: Flame Length…………………………………………………………………… 276
Appendix 6: Rate of Spread…………………………………………………………………. 278
Appendix 7: Fire Type…………………………………………………………………………. 287