HomeMy WebLinkAboutForester UpdateMEMORANDUM
DATE: April 2, 2010
TO: Deschutes County BOCC
FROM: Joe Stutler, Deschutes County Forester
RE: Forester Update
For the last two months the following projects and issues have either been
accomplished or addressed:
1. New Grants—we are working with ODF to finalize an agreement which will
provide approximately $775,000 for fuels/biomass treatment in central Oregon on
private lands. This particular grant is stimulus funding that we will be working
cooperatively with ODF and our various neighborhoods. Additionally we learned
that the pre-disaster mitigation grant application to FEMA was favorably received
and appears that we will get the final word on our $3 million proposal in May for
Deschutes, Crook and Klamath Counties.
2. Existing Grants—Utilizing existing grants we have treated over 400 acres this
winter on county owned and private lands. Heart of Oregon and All Season
Cleanup along with Aspen Lakes continue working on fuels treatment. We have
finalized work on 9 projects this coming spring and summer in neighborhoods
across the county treating fuels. Specifically we will be treating fuels in the
following neighborhoods:
a. Ponderosa Pine
b. Newberry Estates
c. Woodside Ranch
d. Deschutes River Woods
e. Awbrey Glen
f. Tollgate
g. Camp Sherman
h. Aspen Lakes
i. Sunriver
We are also exploring fuels treatment opportunities in Alfalfa and eastern
Deschutes County in the unprotected lands.
3. We have begun the process of updating the Sunriver CWPP and are on schedule
to complete by May. We will schedule Bend and Redmond updates with
expected completion by years end.
4. Project Wildfire/FireFree Programs—we had the opportunity to participate in the
International Fire Chief’s Association Wildland Urban Interface Conference along
with the Western Governors Association in Reno. Katie Lighthall, Gary Marshall,
George Chesley, Jake Keller and Renee Lamoreaux (all part of PW steering
committee) attended and our programs were well received by over 1000
participants at the conference.
5. I continue working with a group of “collaboratives” throughout Central Oregon
which will enable the Deschutes National Forest to compete for significant
funding from the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) program
which was established by Congress in 2009. Congress has allocated $40 million
annually for this program and if selected could make a significant difference in
landscape restoration on public lands. The initial application was approved by
the Forest Service so we will continue the application process with follow up
efforts in April and May 2010.
Joe Stutler
Deschutes County Forester