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Through the help of community volunteers and a new Firewise USA® pilot program, one Washington state neighborhood is taking wildfire safety into their own hands.

Six years ago, the Flowery Trail neighborhood was recognized as a Firewise USA® Site. In 2019, Firewise USA® challenged the community to become a “Site of Excellence” through a new pilot program for 2019-2020.

To earn this designation, the neighborhood must complete recommended mitigation tasks within 30 feet of every home and have 100% participation within the community boundary. Flowery Trail is one of only seven Firewise USA® Sites nationwide challenged in the Site of Excellence pilot project.

Flowery Trail is also one of our state’s 13 members of the Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network.

When the first structures were built in Flowery Trail back in 1976, the community was not built with fire resiliency in mind. Surrounded by steep slopes with overgrown wildfire fuel, reason for concern doubled when community members realized they weren’t included in a fire district.

The threat of fire dawned on Dan Holman, member of the Flowery Trail Neighborhood Association, when his neighbor’s cabin burnt to the ground in 1995. Holman says this was the wake up call that lead to community action. Since then, the community has taken the initiative to reduce the risk of wildfire around their homes through major and minor changes.

One of the main focuses of the Flowery Trail Neighborhood Association in recent years is work in the zones within five feet of homes. Last year, they provided neighborhood members with gravel to create a non-ignition zone around their homes. Eighty percent of homes in Flowery Trail now have this barrier.

Although DNR is there to lend a hand when needed, Guy Gifford, DNR Fire Prevention and Firewise USA® Coordinator, says the Flowery Trail neighborhood took the tools and ran with it, putting forth a great deal of personal time and money. Every spring, Flowery Trail holds a two-day work party with specific goals in mind.

Members from the Flowery Trail Neighborhood Association operate a wood chipper during a  work party.

Encouraging your neighbors to do physical volunteer work may seem daunting, but according to Holman, over half of the neighborhood happily suits up in their work clothes to help the cause. For the most part, the community members are on the same page. The response is 90% positive, he says.

This year, the neighborhood will hold an additional work party on Saturday, Sept. 28 to celebrate the Site of Excellence honor. They will be removing wildfire fuel in a steep area where an excavator couldn’t reach in a previous work party.

As for the future of Flowery Trail, Holman has big plans moving forward. He hopes they can add more safety features to their community, including an extra generator that would allow them to pump massive amounts of water in the case of a power outage due to wildfire. They’d also like to add a second deep well, more water storage, and clear brush on empty lots in and around the neighborhood.

You can learn more about the Firewise USA® Sites of Excellence pilot program here.

September 16, 2019 Gopher Fire Staffing Begins Transition Thanks to Hard Work and Weather PROSPECT, OR – Containment on the Gopher Fire is up to 40% and remains at 354 acres. Hard work and the recent favorable weather have largely contributed to the fire suppression efforts. Type 3 Team Incident Commander Aaron Schuh will transfer command of the fire to the local Type 4 Team Tuesday morning at 0700 hours. As the fire incident downgrades, demobilizing of resources will follow. Crews will be released appropriately and a sizable reduction throughout today and tomorrow will occur. A 20-person hand crew from the local Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest will join the Rogue River Hotshots (based out of Prospect, OR), replacing crews demobilizing over the next few days. The Hotshots just returned from Alaska’s McKinley Fire. The primary objective of the incoming crews will be scouting the fire area, checking to ensure holding of containment lines, and develop a plan for repair of...

September 15, 2019 Wet and Cold Frontal Passage Expected Over the Gopher Fire PROSPECT, OR - The Gopher Fire reaches 35% containment and remains at 354 acres. Primary fire lines on the north, south and west sections of the fire are complete, and containment is expected to increase over the next few days. Yesterday, firefighters completed a hose-lay at the bottom of the drainage along the Middle Fork Trail to support holding the fire south of the Rogue River. Helicopter water drops have assisted, cooling hot spots around the fire’s perimeter. Hand line work was completed to the lower east flank and tied in the Middle Fork Trail to the fire’s eastern edge. Operations today will include the continued reinforcement of all the work that has been on-going to secure the fire, in preparation for transition of command from the Type 3 Team to the local Prospect Ranger District on Tuesday morning due to increased containment, lower fire behavior, and expected wetter...

This will be the final daily update for the 204 Cow fire. Crews and equipment will be released from the fire at the end of shift today. Prairie City Ranger District personnel will continue to monitor the fire going forward. The 13 and 16 Roads remain open to woodcutting on the perimeter of the 204 Cow Fire. Woodcutting is limited to the felled and stacked woodpiles on the roadsides. Felling trees is not permitted. Permits are required and may be purchased at any Malheur National Forest Ranger District office. While woodcutting is normally not permitted on Forest roads with two-digit identifiers, the Forest Service has temporarily waived this restriction on the 13 and 16 Roads. Material cleared along these roads to stop the fire has been piled next to the roads to facilitate public woodcutting. There is still firefighting traffic in the area, so the public is reminded to drive slowly and carefully. On Sunday, crews continued with fireline cleanup and repair. Prairie City RD...

Prairie City, John Day and Hines, Ore. – After carefully monitoring conditions across the Forest, fire officials have determined that conditions are within specific parameters, including temperature, relative humidity, and fuel moisture to start prescribed fire operations in specifically planned units. Starting Sunday, September 15, Prairie City Ranger District will begin ignitions on 2b of the Dads WUI Project, full ignition for the 100 acre unit is scheduled for Sunday, September 15. Smoke will be visible from Prairie City and Highway 26. The unit is located in the Eureka Gulch/Dans Creek area in Township 12 South, Range 34 East, Section 35. The burn is south of Highway 26 to the National Forest Service (NFS) Road 306 and off of NFS road 388 and 350. Signs will be posted for public safety. A reader board will be placed at the east end of Prairie City to advise travelers of fire activity ahead. Please use caution while traveling in the area. Blue Mountain Ranger District and...

September 14, 2019 Firefighters Make Good Progress on the Gopher Fire PROSPECT, OR - The Gopher Fire remains at 20% containment and 354 acres. The lighting-caused fire started on September 5th within the footprint of the 2008 Middle Fork Fire in the Sky Lakes Wilderness, approximately 11 miles east of Prospect, OR. Yesterday, water-handling equipment (hose, pumps, nozzles) was dropped in by helicopter along the Middle Fork Trail to support holding the fire at the river. Water bucket drops by heavy helicopters were used to cool hot spots around the perimeter of the fire and help control the fire’s spread. Hand line work continued up the east flank to tie the Middle Fork Trail to the fire’s eastern edge. Operations today will include continued work on primary fire lines where safe to do so, and installing the hose-lay equipment to keep the fire south of the Middle Fork of the Rogue River. The precipitation event expected Sunday night will help suppression efforts. However, an...

September 13, 2019 Warm and Dry Prior to Expected Precipitation PROSPECT, OR - The Gopher Fire has increased to 20% containment and remains at 352 acres. The lighting-caused fire started on September 5th within the footprint of the 2008 Middle Fork Fire in the Sky Lakes Wilderness, approximately 11 miles east of Prospect, OR. The fire is in steep terrain; there are no roads directly to the fire's edge, and hundreds of snags per acre. The initial rate of spread was rapid, escape routes were limited, and there were no safety zones available to provide for firefighter safety. The initial tactical strategy was to use helicopter bucket drops, dropping thousands of gallons of water at a time to check the fire's spread, while reopening old fire lines from the 2008 fire at key locations. New fire line was constructed where it was safely and successfully defended on the direct edge of the fire perimeter while using water drops from the helicopters. This course of action had the greatest...

The Malheur National Forest has opened the 13 and 16 Roads to woodcutting on the perimeter of the 204 Cow Fire. Woodcutting is limited to the felled and stacked woodpiles on the roadsides. Felling trees is not permitted. Permits are required and may be purchased at any Malheur National Forest Ranger District office. While woodcutting is normally not permitted on Forest roads with two-digit identifiers, the Forest Service has temporarily waived this restriction on the 13 and 16 Roads. Material cleared along these roads to stop the fire has been piled next to the roads to facilitate public woodcutting. There is still firefighting traffic in the area so the public is reminded to drive slowly and carefully. On Thursday, crews will continue with fireline cleanup and rehabilitation. This team will repair firelines to prevent erosion by building water bars to divert runoff away from the firelines. All chipping and log hauling operations have been completed. A drying and warming trend is...

September 12, 2019 Warmer and Drier Conditions Return to the Gopher FirePROSPECT, OR - The Gopher Fire is now 15% contained and remains at 352 acres. Yesterday, Hotshot crews began constructing hand lines directly along the fire's perimeter on both flanks. This will help check the fire's spread up or down the river when warm, dry, and windy conditions return. Work to re-open contingency fire lines created during the 2008 Middle Fork Fire is nearly complete. These contingency lines are located across the Middle Fork of the Rogue River and outside of the wilderness area. These lines would only be needed if the fire should cross the river and move west. With the aid of helicopter bucket work, firefighters hope to keep the fire from crossing the Middle Fork of the Rogue River. High pressure aloft will keep sunny, warm, dry weather over the fire today. The extended forecast calls for maximum temperatures near 80 degrees through Saturday. According to Fire Behavior Analyst, Steve Ziel,...

Smokey Bear isn’t our only animal friend trying to reduce the spread of wildfires. The ravenous appetites of domesticated grazing animals may play a role in mitigating devastating blazes around Washington state.

When controlled burns or mechanical removal of wildfire fuel isn’t well-suited for an area, cows, goats, and sheep can lend a helping hoof. Through the power of munching and crunching, targeted grazing can effectively clear built-up green vegetative fire fuel in steep or difficult-to-access areas where there is high fire risk. Grazing animals are used because they have a particular taste for foliage that would be quick to ignite with even the tiniest spark.

“(Goats) love steep hillsides, soft terrain, windy paths, and rocky roads, too. They aren’t deterred by poison ivy or other vines we find harmful,” writes Craig Madsen about his company, Healing Hooves, a targeted goat grazing service based out of Edwall, Wash., outside of Spokane. Madsen says goat grazing is all about balance—finding the perfect time and place and balancing that with a landowner’s needs.

Forests and wildlands in central and eastern Washington are in dire need of some tender love and care. Over the past century, the health of these lands declined due to fire suppression, as well as past management practices or a lack of management.

Overgrown, ill-maintained forests and abandoned landscapes create an environment where massive blazes can burn quickly, spreading through forests, grasslands, and sagebrush landscapes, as well as through the neighborhoods that border these important wildlands, known as the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).

Under the leadership of Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has collaborated with more than 33 organizations and agencies to develop the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan. The mission involves combating the spread of uncharacteristically severe wildfire by creating healthier forests primarily through mechanical thinning and controlled burns.

Grazing can be another tool when and where appropriate. Under the right circumstances, domesticated grazing animals can play a role in clearing fuel on prairies and shrub steppe landscapes that surround forests, for example.

Goats from Billy’s Goats targeted grazing service work on clearing wildfire fuel on the hillside behind the Broadview neighborhood in Wenatchee. (Courtesy of Chelan County Fire District 1)

Danny DeFranco, the executive vice president of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association, said he thinks of wildfire prevention as a tangential benefit of grazing. He recalled the 2012 Taylor Bridge Fire, which burned near an area he was working at the time. It burned up to a fence line and significantly slowed at the area that had been grazed in the weeks beforehand, he said.

Grass and leafy foliage is the preferred choice for sheep and cattle, but goats will also go for brushier fire fuels under some circumstances. They are also efficient multitaskers and have no trouble walking and eating in unison.

During a grazing project, the animals are typically restricted to a specific area where maintenance is required. This may be an area with a steep incline or some other impediment that makes it inconvenient for other forms of fuel reduction.

Chelan County Fire District 1 recently recruited a herd of 325 goats to clear out wildfire fuel in an area of Wenatchee that was devastated by the 2015 Sleepy Hollow Fire. The Sleepy Hollow Fire was fueled by a variety of sources, extremely high winds, houses with wood shake roofs and flashy fuels in the steep hills behind the Broadview neighborhood. It destroyed 30 homes and three businesses.

To assist in reducing fuel that has accumulated in recent years, the hooved gourmands were brought in. The area was too steep for mechanical or manual removal or controlled burning, the fire district said, but the goats had no trouble. They munched one acre at a time, and over the course of 10 days, they reduced fire fuel on a little more than 5 acres of land.

What to consider before grazing

Targeted grazing, like any form of fuel control, should be practiced with care. Poorly managed grazing can result in serious detrimental effects on an ecosystem. If used, targeted grazing should be closely monitored and overgrazing should be avoided.

Bringing in hundreds of trampling hooves on flat ground can result in soil compaction, which can affect native plants’ growing patterns, and grazing too frequently can quickly lead to erosion, a serious threat to a local ecosystem.

Jon Riley, the community wildfire liaison for Chelan County Fire District 1, recognizes that grazing isn’t the perfect solution for wildfire prevention. Riley, along with community wildfire specialist Hillary Heard, oversaw the grazing effort which was funded through a Hazard Mitigation Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Riley said that part of the area the goats worked on would likely need to be reseeded. In the areas with less native vegetation, the top soil was disturbed and shallow-rooted grasses were uprooted by hooves, clearing a path for erosion. Ideally, the goats wouldn’t be brought back into that area for at least two to three years so the ecosystem would have time to recover, he said.

DeFranco added that grazing can also help in the reseeding process; hoof action can redeposit seeds and promote new growth and biodiversity in a planned grazing system, he said. Certain issues associated with targeted grazing, like soil compaction, can be mitigated by limiting the amount of time allotted to grazing.

Not all landscapes are suited for a herd of animals to chow on — in fact, there’s probably no place that would provide the perfect circumstances, Riley said. They’ll do less damage on a hardy landscape with plenty of deep-rooted perennial grass coverage and a shrub canopy.

Those who choose targeted grazing as a wildfire prevention tool must look closely at the vegetation in their area and weigh the factors heavily. While it is a solid option for fuel control when mechanical removal and controlled burns are inconvenient, targeted grazing shouldn’t be used in every circumstance.

Thinking about using grazing animals on or near your woodlands? Contact a DNR forest-health scientist at foresthealth@dnr.wa.gov to see if it would be the right fit.

Firefighters Prepare for Warming Trend PROSPECT, OR - September 11, 2019 The Gopher Fire is currently 352 acres and is now 5% contained. The fire received another day of showers and cool temperatures yesterday giving firefighters more opportunities to fall hazard trees and steadily improve fire lines in critical locations. This is especially important on the western flank of the fire due to its proximity to values at risk outside of the Sky Lakes Wilderness. There will be low clouds and fog around this morning, especially over the ridges. However, a high pressure system is expected to build over the area today, with skies clearing and afternoon temperatures around 70 degrees. Thursday through Saturday should see increasingly warmer and drier conditions with temperatures reaching the low 80s. Today's fire behavior will remain minimal due to the cumulative effect of cool and damp conditions over the last 3 days. The Gopher Fire is located in the Sky Lakes Wilderness,...

The Malheur National Forest has opened the 13 and 16 Roads to woodcutting on the perimeter of the 204 Cow Fire. Woodcutting is limited to the felled and stacked woodpiles on the roadsides. Felling trees is not permitted. Permits are required and may be purchased at any Malheur National Forest Ranger District offices. While woodcutting is normally not permitted on Forest roads with two-digit identifiers, the Forest Service has temporarily waived this restriction on the 13 and 16 Roads. Material cleared along these roads to stop the fire has been piled next to the roads to facilitate public woodcutting. There is still firefighting traffic in the area so the public is reminded to drive slowly and carefully. On Wednesday, crews will continue with fireline cleanup and rehabilitation. This team will repair firelines to prevent erosion by building water bars to divert runoff away from the firelines. All chipping and log hauling operations have been completed. Cool wet weather continued...

Malheur National ForestForest Order #2019-0604-MAL-03E

On Monday, crews completed removing pumps, hoses and other firefighting equipment. Chipping cleared roadside vegetation is completed. Cool wet weather continues over the fire area today, making fire spread very unlikely in the near future. Rainfall and high humidity continue to aid suppression efforts. Isolated concentrations of heavy fuels will continue to smolder and produce smoke. At 6 a.m. today September 10, command of the fire transitioned to a local Type 3 incident team. This team will complete the repair of firelines to prevent erosion by building water bars to divert runoff from the firelines. The Road Closure Order has been lifted in vicinity of the 204 Cow Fire and surrounding roads. Road barriers and closure points are being removed today. The Area Closure will remain in place for an extended period. It is not safe to travel off-road in recently burned areas. Trees killed or weakened by the fire will continue to fall for months, even during calm weather Additional...

Firefighters Continue to Focus on Improving Containment Lines PROSPECT, OR, September 10, 2019 – The Gopher Fire is located in the Sky Lakes Wilderness, approximately 11 miles east of Prospect. The fire is currently 340 acres and is the result of 5 small fires that burned together after the lightning storm that moved through the area September 5th. The fire is burning within the perimeter of the 2008 Middle Fork Fire. Firefighters continue to focus on improving containment lines on the west and southwest flanks. The damp weather over the last several days may have opened an opportunity for firefighters to build fire line directly against or near the fire's perimeter on the south flank. Four additional sets of tree fallers have been ordered to help reduce the risk of injury from falling snags and fire-weakened trees. This remains a full suppression fire, with the objective of stopping the fire where the risk to firefighters is minimized and the probability of success is...

Gopher Fire Road and Trail Closure (Forest Order No. 06-10-24-19-11) closes specific roads and trails for the health and safety of the public and firefighters during active suppression of the Gopher Fire. This order is effective September 9, 2019 until November 30, 2019, unless sooner terminated. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd661870.pdf

PENDLETON, Ore. – Proactive hazardous fuel treatments on the Heppner Ranger District of the Umatilla National Forest were instrumental in changing fire behavior and slowing the advance of the HK Complex, which burned approximately 2,700 acres. These treated acres were critical in keeping the wildfire shorter in duration, less costly, safer for firefighters, and reducing the severity of the burn. The thinning treatments happened over the course of a decade through a project called the Wildcat Fuels Reduction and Vegetation Management Project (Wildcat). This 10,280-acre project, located approximately 15 miles south of Heppner, Oregon, was implemented in order to reduce fuels and the risks of stand replacing wildfire to the area through a variety of treatments including 4,020 acres of timber harvest activities and mechanical fuels treatments, followed by 2,760 acres of non-commercial thinning and (yet to be completed) 10,280 acres of prescribed under burning. Prior to treatment, the...

SW Oregon – Damp and Cool Weather Conditions Moderate Fire Behavior on the Gopher Fire The Gopher Fire is located in the Sky Lakes Wilderness, approximately 11 miles east of Prospect. The fire is currently 340 acres and is the result of 5 small fires that burned together after the lightning storm that moved through the area September 5th. The fire is burning within the perimeter of the 2008 Middle Fork Fire. Aaron Schuh, Incident Commander, at the morning briefing said, "These cool and moist conditions are giving the us the time we need to prepare our fire lines and when the warmer and dryer weather returns in the coming weeks." Firefighters continue to improve access to the fire by opening old roads outside of the wilderness. Hazard trees, primarily snags, are being felled where needed. Operations staff are scouting for an optimum containment strategy on the south end of the fire in the steep Middle Fork drainage. Snags from previous fires continue to be the main hazard for...

On Sunday, crews completed removing pumps, hoses and other firefighting equipment. Chipping cleared roadside vegetation is nearly complete. Firefighters assisted in the initial attack of a new fire in the Prairie Hill area east of the 204 Cow Fire. Cool wet weather continues over the fire area today, making fire spread very unlikely in the near future. Rainfall and high humidity are increasingly penetrating deeply into burnable material. Isolated concentrations of heavy fuels will continue to smolder and produce smoke. At 6 a.m. Tuesday September 10, command of the fire will transition to a local Type 3 incident management team. This team will complete the repair of firelines to prepare the ground for wet weather and prevent erosion by building water bars to divert runoff from the firelines. A Closure Order is in effect for the vicinity of the 204 Cow Fire and surrounding roads. Road barriers and closure points are being removed today. The Area Closure will remain in place for an...