Related Information
Briefing Paper
Issues
Wildland Fire Leadership Council
Forest Health Advisory Committee
Congressional Bipartisan Healthy Forests Caucus
WGA Resolutions
Large Scale Forest Health restoration (2011)
State Assessment and Management of Western Forests (2010)
State Emergency Response and Aerial Support (2010)
Invasives Species Management (2010)
Improving Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Health in the West (2009)
Farm Bill and Western Agriculture (2010)
Contact
| Initiative on Forest Health and Wildfire |
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Sustainable healthy forests and rangelands help provide clean and abundant water, clean air, resources for renewable energy, carbon sequestration, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. Leads for this issue are Governors C.L. "Butch" Otter (Idaho), Jan Brewer (Ariz.) and John Hickenlooper (Colo.). Financial support is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of Interior. Wildfires have always been part of our Western landscape. However, America’s wildfire environment has changed. Our forests are denser and unhealthier and our climate is hotter and dryer. These factors have contributed to the increasing frequency of large fires and increasing costs. Forest fragmentation and the rapid expansion of the wildland-urban interface have also complicated managing the landscapes - and the wildfires that burn across them. The links below provide assessment information on the health of our forests.
National Wildland Fire Leadership Council The Wildland Fire Leadership Council coordinates and implements wildland fire and fuels policies, goals and management activities. The WFLC is an intergovernmental committee of federal, state, tribal, county and municipal officials and is considered a model for collaborative and effective leadership. At a recent meeting, the council emphasized the need for states and stakeholders to be partners in developing and implementing a new cohesive wildfire management strategy. Key elements include improved coordination and communication in preventing wildfires, creating fire-adapted communities, suppressing wildfires, and restoring and managing public lands at a landscape scale. As an active WFLC member, the WGA has led efforts to convene diverse stakeholders to develop and implement shared solutions for natural resource management issues. The WGA’s Forest Health Advisory Committee also is recommending that a Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy address the following:
The Secretaries of Interior, Agriculture and Homeland Security, who oversee WFLC, collaboratively developed a report to Congress as a requirement to the FLAME Act and a companion document, Phase 1 of the Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy.
Forest Health Advisory Committee Members: Committee membership list (June 2010) -- Committee member biographies Meetings: March 29 & 30, 2010 in Reno, Nev. -- FHAC Meeting -- Meeting notes -- Agenda October 22, 2009, Boise, Idaho -- Meeting notes -- Agenda
FHAC Documents The FHAC workplan document is an outline of the committee’s future work plans. Forest Health Advisory Committee's Landscape-scale Restoration Report to the Governors. Governors have accepted the report and are considering further action. This is a working group report at this time and does not constitute the views or recommendations of the Western Governors' Association or its individual members. Landscape Scale Study 2010 -- Final report on large scale hazardous fuels reduction projects and collaborative groups study completed by Cheryl Renner, Renner Associates, Planners. The FHAC Large Scale Treatments Public/Private Lands Subcommittee will be using key components of this study as they move forward on plans for a fall workshop and report to the governors. Examples of collaborations:
FHAC Background Recognizing the need for a clearer focus on forest and rangeland health, the Governors’ Forest Health Advisory Committee was re-formed in December, 2008 to address a wider range of issues, including sustainable forest management, forest mortality from insects and diseases, and a need to increase the awareness of the use of woody biomass for energy production. The FHAC work plan reflects an aggressive agenda to resolve agency differences and to work collaboratively towards finding solutions to the devastation occurring in our western forests. See below for more information on the FHAC. The Forest Health Advisory Committee membership includes non-governmental entities representing a variety of interests, including communities, environmental conservation groups and international organizations. Governmental representation includes federal, state and county level agencies that deal with forestry and energy issues. The advisory committee also continues to work on implementing the National Fire Plan and the 10 Year Comprehensive Strategy for reducing wildland fire risks. Most significant this past year was the completion of the Community Guide to Preparing and Implementing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. A group called Partners in Fire Education is working with the National Wildfire Coordination Group on developing educational messages to help the public understand the role of fire in a forested ecosystem. The Western Governors’ Association's Forest Health Advisory Committee has played a key role in the development of the National Fire Plan. Lives, homes and natural resources have been saved, protected and restored through implementation of the National Fire Plan and the 10 Year Comprehensive Strategy Implementation Plan.
WGA, and a coalition of other interests, are encouraging full implementation of all goals in the 10-year Comprehensive Strategy and Implementation Plan. In order to ensure we direct adequate resources to forest health and wildfire, we must address the continuing problem of escalating wildfire suppression costs. See updated 10 Year Strategy Task Matrix and the 2007 monitoring and accomplishments report for progress for the 10 Year Plan. Community Wildfire Protection Plan WGA partnered with, among others, the Society of American Foresters, The National Association of Counties, the National Association of State Foresters and the Communities Committee of the American Forest Congress to develop additional guidance for communities on developing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). The process of developing a CWPP can help a community clarify and refine its priorities for the protection of life, property, and critical infrastructure in the wildland urban interface.
Planning Fire-Resilient Counties in the Wildland-Urban Interface: Guide to Wildfire Risk and Mitigation County officials and local planners play an essential role in leading community initiatives to prevent and mitigate the risks associated with fire in the Wildland-Urban Interface. The guide describes the tools and strategies a county or community can use to reduce the vulnerability of its residents to wildfire through developing and implementing effective local land use policies/codes and building and development codes. To access a web-version of the publication, click here.
Wildland Fire Weather – assessment needs and capabilities reports The Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM) at NOAA has issued two reports on wildland fire weather needs and capabilities. The first report, National Wildland Fire Weather: A Summary of User Needs and Issues, formalizes the report the Western Governors' Association received earlier and marks the first time that a common baseline set of needs has been defined for this dynamic and wide-ranging community. This national needs assessment provided the foundation upon which the community has been building since 2007, and the most recent report is a compilation over 2 years of the capabilities in place and in development to address these needs. The OFCM staff, with substantial aid from members of the original needs assessment group and others in the wildland fire management community, prepared the second report, Wildland Fire Weather: Multi-Agency Portfolio of Current and In-development Capabilities to Support User Needs, which documents 78 distinct current and in-development capabilities. The report validates that multiple agencies and stakeholders are developing numerous capabilities set against the user needs elucidated in the first report. While the contributors made a substantial effort to be comprehensive and accurate, the compilation is not exhaustive and likely contains some outdated or erroneous information. It should be emphasized that this portfolio is meant to be a living document, with periodic updates at least every 3 years.
Summary The WGA Western Regional Biomass Energy Program is promoting the increased use of bioenergy and biobased products through the conversion of biomass residuals from forest health projects and commercial agriculture. Biomass is plant matter that includes trees, grasses, agricultural crops and other living plant material and residues. The program focuses on policy development, outreach and technical assistance. Working closely with state energy, forestry and agricultural agencies, WGA’s goal is to increase conversion of biomass residuals from forest health projects and commercial agricultural activities into energy and other valuable by-products. WGA’s biomass program aims to encourage and develop biomass energy activities, projects and technologies involving biomass residue in two key areas:
By finding value in what would otherwise be waste-streams, handling and treatment costs are reduced. In the case of wildfire, reduced costs translate to a reduced threat and consequence of wildfire for communities and the environment because more fuel treatment work is possible. In the case of agriculture, increased biomass utilization reduces environmental demands, provides farmers and ranchers more options and can be a source of energy. The WGA has awarded energy grants through its participation in the National Bioenergy Partnership, a collaboration of four governors' associations and the U.S. Department of Energy. The grants helped to address two significant natural resource challenges in the West – developing a clean and renewable source of energy and restoring the health of our forests. A database of projects that have been recently funded as part of this effort is currently being assembled to help leverage their results. The Governors recently sent a letter to Congress voicing support for the National Bioenergy Partnership as a necessary linkage between state and federal efforts. A special biomass issue of Western Forester (Jan/Feb 2011) contains articles written by WGA Forest Health Advisory Committee members, Jay O'Laughlin & John Pine. Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative (CDEi) for Electricity Generation The Western Governors established a Biomass Task Force as part of their Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative for the West. The Task Force has documented:
See CDEi Biomass Task Force Report & Supply Addendum
Through their 2006 resolution, “Transportation Fuels for the Future,” Western Governors placed a priority on assessing the West's alternative and replacement fuels to supplement traditional sources. The Governors assembled stakeholders to develop a policy roadmap for transportation fuels in the region. The Governors created the Transportation Fuels Advisory Committee to oversee this effort and six working groups were formed to develop reports on different promising alternative fuels. The six working group analyzed the potential and challenges to commercializing biofuels, biodiesel, hydrogen, coal to liquids, electricity, and compressed natural gas/propane. A seventh group of experts focused on gains that could be made in vehicle fuel efficiency technology and policy. The final Advisory Committee report and working group reports can be found on the Transportation Fuels Program Web site.
Rangeland Health This new video release by the Society for Range Management (~9 minutes) tells a story about the role of livestock grazing on Western public rangelands. The video discusses livestock grazing and its contributions to a variety of important public interests and values, including:
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