Commission approves 2026 participation commitment for wildfire mitigation; mapping changes noted
Summary
Commissioners heard that recent mapping reduced acres ranked medium and high risk and reviewed a proposed county participation commitment for cooperative wildfire mitigation; a motion to approve the participation commitment and related wages passed by voice vote and was recorded as unanimous.
County staff updated the Beaver County Commission on fuels‑reduction and wildfire mitigation work and on mapping changes tied to updated datasets and HB 48. The presenter reported that 77 acres of vegetation treatments were completed and described planned logging partnerships and future chipping/burn operations. Staff also said updated risk mapping reduced the acreage classified as medium and high risk compared with prior datasets.
During the discussion the presenter described the county’s participation commitment for the cooperative wildfire program, including equipment purchases that support county fire departments and a community contribution component. The presenter gave a participation‑commitment figure for 2026 as presented in the meeting; commissioners discussed how the commitment is calculated and what could change it (for example, a large fire raising private‑land costs used in the formula).
At SEG 1116 a commissioner moved to "approve the registration commitment and the wages" (the participation commitment); another commissioner seconded and the chair called the question. The chair later said the vote was unanimous. No detailed roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript.
Commissioners emphasized using maps as a guide while continuing to prioritize mitigation in places that need work whether or not the map flagged them. Staff were asked to continue ground‑truthing mapped areas and to return with more detailed plans and costs as necessary.
