Traditional fire fuel-break practices on 16,000 acres of open space managed by Marin County must be minimized to make habitat the priority while accommodating public safety, a consultant says.
The draft biodiversity and vegetation management plan by May & Associates Inc. of San Francisco says 70 additional miles of fuel breaks as envisioned by the county’s 2008 fire management program are unnecessary and could be destructive. The fire plan would clear 1,000 acres, tripling existing fuel break areas.
But as it stands the fire policy, the new plan adds, would result in a “ten-fold increase in direct loss of native vegetation (and) open new areas to invasion by non-native species, whose seeds could disperse from 70 miles along ridgetops to the slopes below.”
Consultant Loran May, a noted botanist, was paid $407,000 for the report. Along with earlier associated consultant work, along with editing, as well as money set aside for environmental review expenses, the vegetation plan could cost more than $660,000. A $500,000 roads and trails plan is in the works as well.
The plan, covering far more than fire issues, provides an extensive review of science, literature and other studies on open space management, outlines Marin’s open space habitat, plant and wildlife diversity, proposes vegetation management zones and describes best management practices. It calls for an ambitious program involving more data collection, monitoring, restoration work and a variety of projects and additional studies.
Construction of fuel breaks should be minimized because they provide “limited effectiveness” against wildland fires, and “primarily serve to facilitate fire management activities by aiding firefighter access,” according to the plan. Fire hazards can be more effectively reduced by focusing on “defensible space zones” near structures.
“The establishment of defensible space zones along the wildland-urban interface is the most effective approach to reducing fire risk, as opposed to the construction of primary or secondary fuel breaks,” the plans report. Thus, Marin “is shifting its fuel reduction strategy away from classic fuel management.”
Residents must be advised of their responsibility to maintain defensive areas around their homes, the plans says, while high-risk areas near development will be managed as “ignition prevention zones” requiring consultation with parks staff.
County Fire Chief Jason Weber said the plan does not eliminate or preclude fire breaks but rather provides a “matrix” of issues that allow decision-makers to balance environmental concerns with firefighter safety and community protection. He noted that Open Space District lands are critically important but represent just a small fraction of the 340,000 acres of state, federal and county land the county fire department has a hand in protecting.
“Having a vegetation management plan is a good, sound policy decision because it will give us a common platform to make fire-prevention decisions regarding county open space lands,” he said.
Parks chief Linda Dahl, whose staff is in line for new roles advising fire officials about prevention activities on open space land, said that parks officials “are looking to balance fire protection strategies with the district’s other mandates.” Dahl added: “This plan is not simply a fire plan. The open space district manages 16,000 acres of very diverse, natural lands that were acquired for natural resource protection and recreation.”
Dahl also said that the Open Space District works with the county’s fire service agencies to find the most effective ways to reduce fire fuels and “at the same time balance the needs of the natural environment.” Further, Dahl added, “We enjoy a very cooperative relationship with the county fire agencies, rely on their expertise, and look forward to continue working with them to reduce fuels and maintain appropriate fire access to keep the community safe.”
Tempers flared among executives with different land management roles several months ago when Dahl criticized Mill Valley fire officials for allowing the clearing of a ridgetop fire break in a county preserve. The turf flap raised eyebrows at both City Hall and the Civic Center, with bruised feelings persisting in some quarters.
The vegetation plan, headed for an “unveiling” July 16 at a rare joint meeting of parks commissioners and county supervisors, was issued as an “administrative draft” on April 30 and has circulated privately since then. It surfaced publicly last week after a formal public records request by the Independent Journal.
County supervisors two years ago hired consultant Environmental Science Associates to draft the report, a firm later replaced by May Associates. Officials rejected protests from a civic watchdog who called the expense a waste of money.
But Dahl said that hiring consultants was important. “Using consultants enabled the district to engage experts without having to put them on as full-time government employees,” she noted the other day. “Everyone in all of our departments is fully work-loaded. Having only regular staff dedicated to this document would have limited the expertise available and been a considerable challenge for any one of us,” she said.
“Importantly, county fire has been involved in development of the plan from its inception,” Dahl added.
Contact Nels Johnson via email at ij.civiccenter@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/nelsjohnsonnews
