Underwood Conservation District leads countywide wildfire-plan update; draft expected in March

Underwood Conservation District staff on Feb. 11 updated Skamania County commissioners on a countywide Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) update intended to consolidate older community plans, identify mitigation priorities and open funding pathways for on-the-ground projects.

Tova Tillinghouse, the lead for the district’s wildfire and forest-health effort, told the board the CWPP will combine seven community plans from 2006–2009 into a single, updated countywide document. The update is intended to reflect changing conditions, identify mitigation projects and make the county more competitive for state and federal wildfire-resilience grants. Tillinghouse said the current drafting schedule targets a March release of a formatted draft for initial review, followed by a public comment period and formal adoption steps by local jurisdictions.

Tillinghouse emphasized the plan’s legal character: "The CWPP is not a legally binding document and it does not require anyone to take action," she said, adding that the plan’s value lies in prioritizing projects and supporting grant applications. The CWPP will include a description of local wildfire characteristics, response jurisdictions, an implementation chapter, monitoring guidance and an annual coordinating committee recommendation to oversee updates; the team expects to review and refresh the plan at least every five years.

The project team has held stakeholder workshops (June, August and October), ran a public survey with 49 responses, assembled a project list drawn from prior plans and public input, and is now asking stakeholders to prioritize projects. Commissioners and fire chiefs raised process questions, urging the core team to ensure that each fire district’s projects are accurately reflected and that an inner circle of critical stakeholders — county government, fire districts, cities and state agencies — be given focused review. Department of Natural Resources staff participating in the workshop said DNR uses CWPPs to guide funding and that completed plans have led to tangible project funding in other counties.

Funding and next steps: The CWPP work has been supported by State Conservation Commission forest-health funds; Underwood Conservation District said it has Title 3 funds reserved for project work this spring. Project types listed in the draft include defensible-space grants, mobile chipping, fuel breaks and invasive-species removal (blackberry). The team said funding sources that CWPPs commonly unlock include Community Wildfire Defense Grants and state resilience programs; local partners such as fire districts, the utility district and conservation organizations were named as potential implementers.

Why it matters: A countywide CWPP creates an up-to-date, consolidated plan that jurisdictions and applicants can cite when applying for wildfire-mitigation funding, coordinating fuel-reduction work and prioritizing community protection measures.

Requests to commissioners: The core team asked commissioners to (1) review the project prioritization list promptly, (2) help ensure local fire chiefs’ projects are included and accurate, and (3) endorse an implementation committee and annual review process when the final draft is ready to seek local adoption.

Tillinghouse said, realistically, a public-ready draft should be available in March; after internal review and a short public comment period, jurisdictions (the county and affected fire districts) will be asked to adopt the plan so it can be used to support grant applications and implementation.