Draft wildfire plan calls for proactive measures

East lakeshore, Haskill Basin, Twin Lakes cited as at-risk areas

By RICHARD HANNERS

Whitefish Pilot

The east lakeshore of Whitefish Lake, Haskill Basin and the Twin Lakes area west of Whitefish have been identified as three inhabited areas at risk from wildfires, a community wildfire plan states.

The draft Whitefish Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan was created by the Whitefish Area Fire Safe Council, a grassroots organization that includes representatives from the city of Whitefish, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Forest Service, Whitefish and Big Mountain fire departments, F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., and area property owners and citizens.

Such fire plans are recognized under the 2003 Healthy Forests Restoration Act, and communities that complete such plans are given funding-priority for hazardous-fuels reduction projects under the act. The fire plans must be approved by local governments, including Whitefish and Flathead County.

In 2005, the county commissioners approved the collaboratively-developed Community Wildfire Fuels Reduction/Mitigation Plan, which mapped the wildland-urban interface and identified priority areas throughout the county.

"Since those plans were written, however, there has been significant new residential and commercial development in forested areas around Whitefish, and the designation of additional priority areas needs to be considered," the plan states.

Among the new subdivisions cited by the plan — Iron Horse, Whitefish Hills and Lookout Ridge.

Much of the forested area surrounding Whitefish has burned in the past century:

¥ Large fires burned west of Skyles and Beaver lakes in 1910 and 1919.

¥ Much of the acreage between Hellroaring Creek and Iron Horse burned in 1917, and most of Haskill Basin burned in 1926.

¥ A fire burned an eight-mile long strip of land from Mountain Meadow across Farm To Market Road all the way to the north shore of Blanchard Lake in 1931.

Stand-replacing fires have occurred west of Whitefish Lake at 35-100 year intervals, while fires of mixed severity have tended to occur at long intervals east of the lake.

"A combination of dead fuel and continuous live vegetation from the forest floor to the upper forest canopy creates a complex of fuel that, when ignited under severe fire conditions, may leave little or no surviving above-ground vegetation," the plan states. "Such fuel conditions also lead to a decreasing probability of stopping a wildfire before it spreads."

The fire plan identifies important sites that could be severely damaged by wildfires:

¥ The Whitefish city reservoir, water treatment plant and related infrastructure — and the watershed itself.

¥ Water storage facilities on Grouse Mountain and at Happy Valley, Mallard Lake and other subdivisions.

¥ Power transmission lines and a Flathead Electric Cooperative substation on Big Mountain Road — and Whitefish Mountain Resort villages and facilities.

¥ Wireless communications, radio, television and air traffic control towers on ridgetops north and east of Whitefish.

¥ Northwestern Energy gas line equipment.

Fire mitigation strategies range from steps individual property owners should take — such as using fire-resistant construction materials and establishing firebreaks around homes — to much larger measures, such as detailed mapping and fuels reduction projects. But forest thinning might not be enough in some areas, such as Haskill Basin.

"Some thinning might be needed to reduce the risk of high-intensity wildfire, but the long-term goal should be restoration of the fire-adapted ecosystem," the plan states.

Human-caused fires are the biggest threat on the east shore of Whitefish Lake.

"The terrain is steep, and East Lakeshore Drive provides the only ingress and egress for much of the at-risk area," the plan states.

Creating 'survivable space" around property, and ensuring residents are aware of the dangers and kept informed are the recommended measures for the east shore area.

Fuel-reduction projects have already been planned for forests west of Whitefish Lake, including the Forest Service's Valley Face Project. DNRC has a number of fuel-reduction plans for state lands, including the upcoming Lion Mountain logging project.

The draft Whitefish Area Community Wildfire Protection Plan says these projects will provide a good start for creation of a "west side fuel-break system" for Whitefish. But most of the work remains in the hands of individual property owners.

"Because the vast majority of structures damaged or destroyed by wildland fires are located on private property, the primary responsibility for taking adequate steps to minimize or prevent damage wildland fire rests with the property owner and, to a lesser extent, with state and local governments that can establish building requirements and land-use restrictions," the plan states.

Fire plan meeting this Saturday

The Whitefish Area Fire Safe Council will host a "Living with Wildfire" informational event at the O'Shaughnessy on Saturday, June 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Foresters, entomologists, fuel-reduction contractors and other professionals will be on hand to talk about fire history and steps people can take to protect their properties from wildfires.

A community fire risk update presented by Whitefish mayor Mike Jenson will take place at 10 a.m.