National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy

1. National Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy

2. What is the Cohesive Strategy? A national, collaborative approach to addressing wildland fire across all lands and jurisdictions Developed with input from wildland fire organizations, land managers and policy-making officials representing all levels of governmental and non-governmental organizations

3. Why is it Important? • Wildland fire management is complex and involves a wide range of stakeholders • Risks to communities and firefighters are increasing • Effectively addressing these issues requires a united, comprehensive effort • Forest health and range management challenges

4. Background • 2009 FLAME Act: Federal Land Assistance Management and Enhancement Act • Directs Departments of Agriculture and the Interior to develop Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy • Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations: • Articulate potential approaches • Estimate costs of each approach • Describe trade-offs associated with each approach

5. Governance and Engagement

6. Vision “Safely and effectively extinguish fire, when needed, use fire where allowable; manage our natural resources; and as a nation, live with wildland fire.”

7. Cohesive Strategy Principles • Engages stakeholders, managers and scientists • Based on best available science • Emphasizes partnerships and collaboration • Balances long-term goals and near-term outcomes • Approach needs to be a “from-the-ground up” effort

8. A Phased Approach

9. Regions Phase 1- Three regions identified • Northeast • Southeast • West

10. National Goals: • Restore and Maintain Landscapes: Landscapes across all jurisdictions are resilient to fire-related disturbances in accordance with management objectives. • Fire-adapted Communities: Human populations and infrastructure can withstand a wildfire without loss of life and property. • Wildfire Response: All jurisdictions participate in making and implementing safe, effective, efficient risk-based wildfire management decisions.

11. Phase II Development of Regional Assessments Identified 150 items as part of the Strategy for the West Regionally, determined alternatives and strategies to be utilized in Phase III

12. Phase III • Identified specific regional alternatives • Continue and expand outreach- utilizing the communications framework • Completed regional & national science-based risk analysis reports

13. What were some of themes • Goal I- • The West is unique- Ownership, vastness and fire starts • More active management is needed • Concerns around loss of processing infrastructure • Forest health conditions • Goal II- • Collaboration is critical • The middle ground is important for a variety of reasons • Local based markets and solutions are important • Goal III- • The ability to respond is key- all lands all hands • Fire has a role on the landscape • Transference of risk is not desired

14. What Next? • Phase III submitted on Oct 15th • Governance structure is currently reviewing • Need for action planning and a more detailed trade off analysis

15. Action planning • Western Regional Action Plan- currently underway • Likely completed in February • Maintaining and increasing stakeholder involvement • Development of a stakeholder engagement plan • Three rounds of outreach currently identified

16. Action planning and the future • Development of local plans and actions- tiered to Western Action Plan • Tailored to fit local or geographic areas for each goal • Northeast Oregon Pilot Project • Collaboration • Brings the partners together • Outreach and sharing of successes

17. Great, but what does it mean for Oregon? • Creates a framework to discuss and develop plans for each of the goals • Brings together stakeholders and partners • Has the potential to drive funding and activities within each of the three goals • We can help shape the future