Consideration and Approval of Contract: This agreement between the City of Flagstaff and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management will allow for the implementation of a Community Wildfire Defense Grant that will fund an update of the Greater Flagstaff Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
 

The Greater Flagstaff Region (GFR) is surrounded by the largest continuous ponderosa pine forest in the world. It is flanked by sacred peaks and canyons. The ponderosa pine forests of northern Arizona have existed for thousands of years and evolved to benefit from frequent wildland fires ignited by both seasonal monsoonal weather patterns and indigenous cultural burning practices. Unfortunately, more than a century of fire suppression and exclusion-based management has significantly altered the natural vegetation structure and pattern. These changes have created conditions where wildfires now threaten the GFRs natural resources, water supply, economy, infrastructure, and quality of life. 

The current GFR Community WIldifre Protection Plan (CWPP) was drafted in 2005. Updates were completed in 2012 and 2018.

The basic criteria for the CWPP includes:

• Collaboration: A CWPP must be collaboratively developed by local and state government representatives, in consultation with federal agencies and other interested parties.
• Prioritized Fuel Reduction: A CWPP must identify and prioritize areas for hazardous fuel reduction treatments and recommend the types and methods of treatment that will protect one or more at-risk communities and essential infrastructure.
• Treatment of Structural Ignitability: A CWPP must recommend measures that homeowners and communities can take to reduce the ignitability of structures throughout the area addressed by the plan.

This grant will fund an update to the GFR CWPP based on the items above, along with new communication strategies and new progress tracking tools across both the built environment and community-based priority watersheds.

The collaborative group leading this effort is the Ponderosa Fire Advisory Council (PFAC). The PFAC is an organized partnership of Emergency Service Organizations in the Greater Flagstaff Region established in the mid 1990s. The PFAC organization includes Flagstaff Fire Department, Summit Fire and Medical District, Highlands Fire District, Ponderosa Fire District, Pinewood Fire District, Mormon Lake Fire District, Sedona Fire District, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, and Guardian Medical Transport. Federal partners include the Coconino & Kaibab National Forests, BIA, BLM, and NPS. State partners include the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management and Arizona Department of Transportation. These PFAC partners have collaboratively developed this grant proposal. 
 

Project Name: Greater Flagstaff Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update
Cost: $295,000 ($250K is reimbursable, $45K is City of Flagstaff match)
Account Number Budgeted: 407-09-425-6277-1-4290
FY Budgeted Amount: $285,000 plus $10,000 in-kind staffing
Grant Funded: $250,000
Funding Source: US Forest Service funding through Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. City match comes from staff time and FWPP bond funding. 

Council has not previously discussed this specific grant.
Plans to update the Community Wildfire Protection Plan have been part of regular Wildland Fire Management presentations over the last two years. 

If this grant is not accepted by Council, an update to the Community Wildfire Protection Plan will be significantly delayed as alternative funding sources have not been identified.  

Link to the 2005 Community WIldfire Protection Plan: PFAC Community Wildfire Protection Plan January 2005.pdf
2012 update: CWPP-Review_May_2012.pdf
2018 update: CWPP-Review_July_2018.pdf

High Performing Governance: Implement innovative local government programs, new ideas and best practices, be recognized as a model for others to follow 
Safe and Healthy Community: Ensure built environment is safe through the use of consistent standards, rules and regulations, & land use practices
Environmental Stewardship: Promote, protect & enhance a healthy, sustainable environment & its natural resources
Environmental Stewardship: Strengthen Flagstaff's resilience to climate change impacts on built, natural, economic, health, & social systems
Livable Community: Support the development of attainable and accessible housing
Livable Community: Achieve a well maintained community through comprehensive and equitable code compliance

Environmental Planning & Conservation -- Vision for the Future: In 2013, the long-term health and viability of our natural resource environment is maintained through strategic planning for resource conservation and protection.
Policy E&C.3.3 -- Invest in forest health and watershed protection measures.
Policy E&C.6.1 -- Encourage public awareness that the region's ponderosa pine forest is a fire-dependent ecosystem and strive to restore more natural and sustainable forest composition, structure, and processes.
Policy E&C.6.3 -- Promote protection, conservation, and ecological restoration of the region's diverse ecosystem type and associated animals.
Policy E&C.6.2 -- Encourage all landowners and land management agencies to emphasize forest ecosystem restoration and catastrophic fire risk reduction for the lands under their respective jurisdictions.
Policy E&C.6.6 -- Support collaborative efforts for forest health initiatives or practices, such as the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), to support healthy forests and protect our water system.
Policy E&C.10.2 -- Protect, conserve, and when possible, enhance and restore wildlife habitat on public land.
Policy PF.3.1 -- Maintain high-quality effectiveness and efficiency in law enforcement, fire, and emergency services to the extent that is consistent with governmental operations, plans, public policies, population served, and monies available.

HF-1: Protect existing forests, resources, and meaningful open spaces.
HF-2: Restore and maintain the natural fire-adapted structure and pattern of the forests of the greater Flagstaff region through collaboration with partners.
HF-3: Educate the public on forest health and wildfire risk reduction.

Consolidating carbon stocks in fewer, larger trees reduces the risk of carbon loss from fire. The natural forest structure provides the best target for maintaining sustainable carbon stocks and ecological function.

The Community Wildfire Protection Plan does not directly impact Flagstaff Zoning Codes or the Resource Protection Overlay requirements, but this plan will make recommendations on how to better align codes and future developments with science based wildfire risk reduction actions.

4.5: Evaluate and amend the Resource Protection Overlay standards to ensure that the minimum densities can be met on most sites, including making the requirements for residential sites to be similar to those for a commercial site.
4.6: Evaluate Resource Protection Overlay standards in terms of consistent application across each zone and allow for greater maximum densities.

This grant aligns with the FFD 2023-2024 Strategic Plan service level goal: Reduce risks through Prevention & Wildland Fire Management efforts.