Description
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is seeking to provide funding to implement recommendations set forth in a current Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) including hazardous fuels mitigation and improved access to assist a community with a disproportionate impact on Environmental Justice Community. The project will support the creation of a fire break and improve fire road access adjacent to the Sunrise Hill Fire (2023) which threatened residences near the fire. The assistance would fund mechanical mowing, improved access, and treatment of volatile fuels along strategic access points and areas identified as potential natural barriers for managing wildfire spread.
Some key aspects of the project include:
• Collaborating with state and local agencies, private landowners, conservation entities, and HOAs to implement a range of measures, including expanding fuel breaks, creating buffer zones, and improving access roads and trails.
• Increasing the number of firebreaks, which can double as access routes within forests and difficult-to-access areas.
• Widening trails to serve as fuel breaks and fire access roads, ensuring they accommodate UTVs at a minimum.
• Maintaining existing firebreaks and creating additional turnout/buffer zones between development and forested areas.