Briceland VFD Wildfire Resilience Project
Project Overview
Basics
Briceland VFD Wildfire Resilience Project
- Engage with Regional Partners to Inform High Quality Planning and Implementation
- Prioritize Plans, Projects and Actions that Result in Long Term Sustainability of Jobs & Revenues
- Protect and Enhance Forest Based Carbon
- Respect Local Autonomy and Local Knowledge in NCRP Planning and Implementation
- Work across Jurisdictional Boundaries to Achieve Common Objectives Effectively and Efficiently
NCRP RFFC Technical Assistance (DOC)
Completed
Briceland Volunteer Fire Department (Briceland VFD) is seeking technical assistance, including help attaining necessary environmental permits, mapping, and grant preparation, to develop a wildfire resilience/fuels reduction project on Old Briceland Ridge. The project will increase wildfire protection of Briceland Road, the primary access route for the many communities west of Highway 101, by developing a comprehensive fuels treatment along a strategically-located ridge separating this corridor from large timberland tracts to the south. Work will include 6 miles of ridgetop shaded fuelbreak, 250 acres of adjacent prescribed burning, and 36 acres of fuels treatment along Old Briceland Road.
2023
2023
2023
1/6/2024
Project Attributes
General Information
Project Description Narrative (1,000 character limit)
To increase fire resiliency in the community, Briceland VFD is preparing to implement a fuels reduction project on Old Briceland Ridge, an area strategic to protect the main access corridor to our area. The project will address ongoing drought and fuels build-up and help create the possibility of long-term sustainable employment for VFD members. It will consist of 6 miles of shaded fuelbreak along the ridgetop, 250 acres of prescribed burning in adjacent woodland/grasslands, and 36 acres of fuels treatment along Old Briceland Road. Work will be carried out by VFD crew members, which not only will provide unmatched live-fire, tool-use, and team-building training opportunities, but also may develop a revenue source for crew members, which will enable them to continue to volunteer so much of their time as emergency responders and result in a stronger VFD. We are seeking technical assistance to develop the project, gain the necessary permits, and complete mapping and grant preparation.
Solutions
Capacity - Data and Planning, Capacity - Smart & Efficient Permitting, Capacity - Technical Assistance, Capacity - Year-round Local Capacity, Community Health and Safety - Fuel Breaks, Fire Resilient Forests - Beneficial Fire Capacity, Fire Resilient Forests - Fuel Management
Spatial Information
Tribal Region
None
Project Size (Acres)
344
acres
Location
Old Briceland Ridge Project, center of project area
Organizations
| Contract Manager | |
| Funders | |
| Project Sponsor | |
| Local and/or Political Support | Michelle Bushnell, Humboldt County 2nd District Supervisor; Humboldt Fire Safe Council; Southern Humboldt Fire Safe Council; Humboldt County Fire Chiefs' Association; Humboldt County Resource Conservation District |
Contacts
| Contact | |
|---|---|
| Authorized Contact |
|
Project Benefit Performance Measures
Expected Project Benefit Performance Measures
| Capacity Enhancement - # of projects | 1 count | |
| Capacity Enhancement - Type(s) of CE | Type: Technical Assistance | 1 |
| Jobs created or retained (FTE) | 0.1 | |
| Technical Assistance - Type(s) of TA | Type of Technical Assistance: Permitting | 1 |
| Technical Assistance - Type(s) of TA | Type of Technical Assistance: Project Design | 1 |
| Technical Assistance - Type(s) of TA | Type of Technical Assistance: GIS/mapping | 1 |
Reported Project Benefit Performance Measures
| Capacity Enhancement - # of projects | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Units | |
| 1 | count | |
| Total | 1 | count |
| Capacity Enhancement - Type(s) of CE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | 2023 | Units |
| Technical Assistance | 1 | number |
| Total | 1 | number |
| Jobs created or retained (FTE) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Units | |
| 0.1 | number | |
| Total | 0.1 | number |
| Technical Assistance - Type(s) of TA | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type of Technical Assistance | 2023 | Units |
| Grant applications | 1 | number |
| Project Design | 1 | number |
| Permitting | 1 | number |
| Total | 3 | number |
Financials
Budget
| Comment: | None provided |
|---|
Reported Expenditures
| 2023 | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Prevention Grants Program (CAL FIRE) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| NCRP Technical Assistance (CA Dept of Conservation) | $15,000.00 | $15,000.00 |
| Grand Total | $15,000.00 | $15,000.00 |
| Note: | Cal Fire Grant Application in progress |
|---|
Project Types
Project Types
Briceland VFD members have taken active roles in the Humboldt County Fire Safe Council, helping identify critical areas for fuels reduction work. This collaboration also includes fire and land management agencies, such as CalFire, BLM, and California State Parks, as well as resource conservation agencies like the Humboldt County RCD and environmental organizations such as the Mattole Restoration Council and Trees Foundation. This project was identified in the Humboldt County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (2019) and categorically prioritized due to the strategic location of the ridgeline.
Technical assistance will help with capacity lacking in the sponsor organization: mapping, grant development, and permitting.
A Briceland VFD Fuels Crew will support volunteer emergency responders who have the experience and training to perform this type of work but struggle to find consistent paying opportunities in our rural community. This project, combined with existing contracts with CalFire and California OES to provide fire protection work during the fire season, will allow us to provide year-round opportunities for the crew. This will support the fire department, through increased retention and recruitment of members, and support the greater community by keeping valuable community members in the area.
The reintroduction of beneficial fire is essential to the combined goals of improving forest health and mitigating the risk of wildfire. The proposed fuels reduction work is specifically designed to not only allow for the burning associated with this project, but also make possible additional subsequent prescribed burn projects. Additionally, the development of a locally-based restoration workforce will increase regional capacity for future forest health and fuel management projects.
Creation of fuel breaks protect the community by reducing the risk of catastrophic fire, and fuel reduction along roadways protect those routes for use during evacuation and for access by emergency responders. This project will provide all of the above. It will provide significant protection to the Briceland Fire District; it will protect the primary access to the highway for multiple communities to the west of Briceland; and it will protect the town of Redway from a fire from the southwest.
Project Details
Attachments
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Briceland VFD Supplemental Supporting Documents
- Uploaded On
- 2/1/2023
- File Type
- Word (DOCX)
- Description
- Briceland VFD Supplemental Supporting Documents includes: Proposal Cover Page; Certification of Authority; Supplemental Questions; and Organization Statement of Qualifications
No attachments
Notes
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External Links
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Photos
Photos
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