Wildfire risk reduction in the Harrop-Procter Community Forest We live in a forest landscape that has been shaped by wildfire for thousands of years. Lightning fires and intentional burning by the original indigenous peoples were key drivers in the ecosystem for millennia. Wildfire continued to be a common occurrence throughout the first decades of the twentieth century. The modern era of fire suppression began approximately 70 years ago and was very successful in controlling wildfire until the early 2000’s. Most of the forests in the Harrop-Procter area originated from large fires during the mining and settlement era in the early 1900’s. After these large fires, they eventually grew back to become the current mature forest around us. Approximately 100 years old and protected from wildfire for many decades, the forest landscape has lost much of the natural shrub and deciduous tree component that is common in more diverse forests. Instead, our watersheds are uniformly dense coniferous forests with no significant natural barriers to the spread of wildfire. In 2003, the Kutetl wildfire burned over 7,000 hectares in Lasca, Midge, and Harrop Creeks. Three years ago, the Harrop wildfire burned over 3,000 hectares, primarily in Harrop and Narrows Creeks. There is little doubt we have entered a new wildfire era, one driven by a changing climate. Typical low elevation forest in Narrows Creek Harrop Creek: 2003 Kutetl wildfire on left and 2017 wildfire on right
Transcript
Wildfi re risk reduction in the Harrop-Procter Community Forest
We live in a forest landscape that has been shaped by wildfi re for thousands of years. Lightning fi res and intentional burning by the original indigenous peoples were key drivers in the ecosystem for millennia. Wildfi re continued to be a common occurrence throughout the fi rst decades of the twentieth century. The modern era of fi re suppression began approximately 70 years ago and was very successful in controlling wildfi re until the early 2000’s.
Most of the forests in the Harrop-Procter area originated from large fi res during the mining and settlement era in the early 1900’s. After these large fi res, they eventually grew back to become the current mature forest around us. Approximately 100 years old and protected from wildfi re for many decades, the forest landscape has lost much of the natural shrub and deciduous tree component that is common in more diverse forests.
Instead, our watersheds are uniformly dense coniferous forests with no signifi cant natural barriers to the spread of wildfi re. In 2003, the Kutetl wildfi re burned over 7,000 hectares in Lasca, Midge, and Harrop Creeks. Three years ago, the Harrop wildfi re burned over 3,000 hectares, primarily in Harrop and Narrows Creeks. There is little doubt we have entered a new wildfi re era, one driven by a changing climate.
Typical low elevation forest in Narrows Creek
Harrop Creek: 2003 Kutetl wildfi re on left and 2017 wildfi re on right
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Harrop-Procter Community Co-operative
Overview Map - October 2020Fire History and Fuel Treatments
Machine Guards - Future
Machine Guards - Existing
Preliminary Landscape Fuel Breaks
Hand Guards or Trails - Future
Hand Guards or Trails - Existing
Fuel Treatments: Existing or In Progress
Fuel Treatments: Future
HPCC Harvest Blocks
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Paved Road
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Wildfire After 2000
Wildfire Prior to 2000
As part of its climate change adaptation and wildfi re risk reduction efforts, HPCC has been developing a network of fuel breaks across the community forest. The forest is being thinned to reduce fuel density, enabling the growth of a more diverse and resilient forest.
Highly fl ammable hemlock and cedar are being judiciously removed while fi re tolerant Douglas-fi r, larch, pine, and deciduous trees are being retained. Reserve areas are being identifi ed to protect small seeps and/or moist forest along with pockets of deciduous or old growth forest structure.
Thinning the forest and creating openings lowers the fi re hazard and reduces drought stress on retained trees, making them more resilient to insects and disease. Open forest conditions also encourage the growth of more fi re- and drought-tolerant trees, deciduous shrubs and herbs.
As part of the climate change adaptation strategy, Ponderosa pine are being replanted at low densities to re-introduce this fi re-adapted species into our forest. Larch is also an excellent choice for fi re risk reduction because its foliage is less fl ammable.
Work is ongoing to develop a continuous fuel break upslope of private land that also provides good access for fi re fi ghting. The establishment of landscape-level fuel breaks between some watersheds
Thinned forest in West Harrop (Kosma Road), summer 2020
Young larch and maple, East Harrop Creek
is also underway. A lot of this work is still in the early planning stages and will take many years to complete. Planning is often constrained by steep and/or remote terrain and creek gullies. In these areas, hand-built fi re guards will be established.
The development of a network of fuel breaks will continue to be a focus of HPCC’s work for at least the next 10 years. Living with naturally occurring fi res is a given, but reducing the risk to homes and watersheds is essential. Ultimately, improved wildfi re protection for the community will be accomplished through continuous implementation of the long-term strategy.
