By Rose Davis, USFS, and Don Smurthwaite, BLM

BOISE, Idaho--In the wake of last year's severe wildfires, federal land-management agencies are working with communities across the country in a federal program to reduce the threat of wildfires. A list of all communities that states and tribes initially proposed as eligible for the program was published in the Jan. 4 Federal Register and is available on the National Interagency Fire Center's website at www.nifc.gov.

The Departments of Interior and Agriculture have worked with the Western Governors' Association, the National Association of State Foresters, and others to develop initial definitions and criteria to identify communities that will benefit from special attention to reduce wildland fire hazards. The list will be refined as additional information is submitted to the federal agencies.

The preliminary list includes communities in the "urban wildland interface"--those communities that are near public lands managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and by Interior's Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Fish and Wildlife Service.

The need to reduce fuels, especially in urban interface areas, was identified in a report that the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture submitted to the White House. Other initiatives underway include restoring and rehabilitating areas damaged by last year's wildfires, ensuring federal firefighting forces are fully prepared for future wildfire seasons, and working closely with local rural fire districts to enhance local firefighting efforts.

Congress funded and directed the agencies to undertake these initiatives as part of the FY 2001 Interior Appropriations Act, which provided a 300-percent increase in the budget for thinning overgrown forests and burning off accumulated grass and brush on grasslands. Congress increased the FY 2001 budgets of federal wildfire fighting agencies by $1.8 billion to fully fund fire preparedness, fire operations, and rural fire assistance efforts.

Specific actions will vary. In some areas, contracts may be offered to thin dense stands of trees or prescribed burns used to reduce excessive undergrowth. In others, actions may be taken to remove non-native plant species that increase fire danger. The list includes communities where hazardous fuels reduction treatments are underway and those where treatments are slated for FY 2001.

Fire experts note that individuals can also take actions to thwart fires. They can, for example, create areas of defensible space around homes in high risk areas. This space should be thinned of brush, small trees, and other material that could lead a fire from the surrounding trees to the home. Homeowners also should make certain that woodpiles are at least 30 feet from any structure, and that roofing and other building materials are fire resistant.