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Wildfire hazard assessment for community land use planning: A case study in Chelan County, WA

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Federal wildland fire agencies are increasingly reaching across jurisdictional boundaries to their state, county, and local partners to better manage the unwanted effects of wildland fire, guided, in part, by the National Cohesive Wildfire Strategy. This collaborative and inclusive fire management strategy includes efforts to promote fire adapted communities through improved land use planning via a program called Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW, http://planningforwildfire.org/). CPAW provides communities with professional assistance from land use planners, foresters, economists, and wildfire modelers to integrate wildfire mitigation into the development planning process. Communities apply to participate and implementation of recommendations is under the authority of local jurisdictions. We report on the collaborative CPAW process between federal research and management with county and local representatives in Chelan County, WA, to map wildfire hazard as the basis for identifying areas where existing and proposed development may require regulation that safeguards life and property.

Parent Publication

Keywords

wildland fire, prescribed fire, planning, response, recovery, wildland urban interface, disturbance, ecology, behavior, diversity, fire effects, fuels and fuels management, air quality, smoke management

Citation

Karau, Eva; Noonan, Erin. 2020. Wildfire hazard assessment for community land use planning: A case study in Chelan County, WA. In: Hood, Sharon M.; Drury, Stacy; Steelman, Toddi; Steffens, Ron, [eds.]. Proceedings of the Fire Continuum-Preparing for the future of wildland fire; 2018 May 21-24; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-78. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 289-293.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/63232