Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience
Forests are dynamic ecosystems that continuously evolve in response to natural disturbances. In the Columbia Gorge, our unique forest communities provide essential ecosystem services, including sustainable timber production, water filtration, and wildlife habitats. Wildfire plays a critical role in maintaining the health of these forests, having occurred naturally for thousands of years across the landscape, including both the eastern and western regions of the Cascade Mountains. However, the presence of human habitation within these forested areas introduces significant risks, as wildfires can lead to destructive consequences for both the environment and our communities.
To achieve a balance between development and wildfire hazard reduction, it is essential to adopt strategies that integrate fire management into land use planning. This could involve creating defensible spaces around homes, utilizing fire-resistant building materials, and implementing controlled burns to manage fuel loads effectively. By adopting a holistic approach that respects both the natural processes of wildlife and the necessities of human habitation, we can coexist with the forests while minimizing risks associated with wildfire. Through education and community engagement, we can enhance our resilience to wildfire and foster a sustainable relationship with our forest ecosystems.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
UCD offers free, no-obligation site visits to landowners in west Klickitat and Skamania Counties for assistance in the following areas:
Forest Health
Know your forest. What do you have on your land? Spend some time, learn your plant community, and get some advice.
Articulate clear goals. Consider what it is you want from your forest. What are you hoping to achieve in five years? In thirty? Do you want to be able to collect firewood every year? Improve wildlife habitat? Re-plant harvested acreage? Enjoy a trail system around the property?
Make a plan to get there. Be specific. Draw maps. Set out specific activities for the next two, five, ten years to move closer to your goals.
Wildfire
Through our Wildfire Resilience Program, we help individuals, neighbors, and communities with their defensible space and fuels mitigation needs:
Be aware. Wildfire is inevitable, as well as sometimes destructive to human homes. Wildfires happen every year in grasslands, forest stands, and private properties throughout the greater Columbia Gorge.
Be prepared. Learn how to reduce wildfire hazards around your home, either from our team or on your own. Basic ideas include pushing back vegetation 30-plus feet from your house and other structures; spacing trees (especially pines and firs) within about 100 feet of your structures and limbing them 8-12 feet off the ground; replacing fire-prone vegetation (such as arborvitae and juniper bushes) with fire-resistant landscaping; and, keeping an easily-navigable entry and exit to your property.
One step at a time. Make a list of priority needs to reduce wildfire hazards to your home and work through it over time. Need another set of eyes on your home to identify these steps? Want access to our mobile chipping service? Sign up for a free Wildfire Resilience Assessment.
For Skamania County residents, visit our Skamania County Community Wildfire Planning page (CWPP), here.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
UCD offers financial assistance to landowners for forest health and fuels reduction projects. Call or email us for information about our Conservation Incentive Program, and check the current status of our Wildfire Resilience Program.
For larger acreage forestry projects (greater than 20 acres), you may be eligible for technical assistance and cost-share through Washington Department of Natural Resources (the state’s forestry agency), as well as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) EQIP and CSP programs.
EDUCATION and Online resources
UCD strives to offer periodic workshops and field days for area landowners. Stay in the know about current offerings by signing up for our eNewsletter. You can read more about forest ecology or check out these additional online resources:
• DNR has a Small Forest Landowner Office with links to various resources. Subscribe to their monthly newsletter for a range of small-forest articles and tips. You can sign up on their website.
• Similarly, the WSU Extension has a small-forest website, with a large collection of very useful brochures, booklets and more.
• Oregon State University’s “Know Your Forest” website is a good overview with many helpful forestry-related tips.
• WSU forestry coached planning online courses may be the single most useful thing a small-forest landowner could do. This well-structured, online class involves a good deal of learning about your forest from the ground up. Over 8 weeks, you’ll receive information and guidance from experienced state foresters and biologists and create your own Forest Stewardship Plan. To get the most out of this course, plan to spend several hours a week outside of the 3-hr class time. View their website for more information.
Contact us at 509-493-1936 to learn more about any of these services.