Final Environmental Impact Statement

Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 3
continuity of surface and canopy fuels increases. As the amount of fuel on a given
landscape increases and fuel profiles become more horizontally and vertically
continuous, the intensity of a wildfire in that landscape is expected to increase. Areas
with high fire hazard rating have the potential to exhibit more extreme fire behavior with
more severe effects than those with a low hazard rating.
Fire hazard rating is accomplished by reviewing known data regarding the arrangement
of the vegetation, or structural stage. The structural stage gives an indication of the
current fire hazard and is a stand level rating of crown fire susceptibility. Fire hazard
specific to this project area was analyzed per BHNF Forest Plan direction (FEIS-III-349
and associated Fire Rating guide, August 2011). Table 40 and Figure 10 provide a
summary of current fire hazard rating in the project area. The Table presents fire hazard
totals for both the entire project area and also within the 3 mile WUI.
Table 40. Existing Fire Hazard within Whole Project Area and within 3 Mile WUI.
Approximate Approximate Approximate
Fire Approximate Percentage of Acres of WUI Percentage
Hazard Total Acres* Project Area Area of WUI Area
Low 1,777 7 1,301 8
Moderate 2,309 9 928 6
High 11,125 43 6,498 41
Very
High
10,437 41 7,118 45
112
*Total includes only vegetated acres. Rocks or water are not included.
A high to very high fire hazard rating currently exists in approximately 84% of the
project area. It is suspected that much of the non-Forest Service land also follows this
trend of high to very high fire hazard rating, however to what extent is unknown. On a
relative comparison, high to very high fire hazard within the 3 mile WUI buffer is similar
to that within the whole project area at approximately 86%.
The high to very high fire hazard rating is determined on the availability of fuels to
sustain a fire. The high fire hazard that exists in the Vestal project area is a result of the
disruption of the historic fire regime, creating a landscape dominated by large contiguous
stands of dense ponderosa pine with a high loading of surface and ladder fuels. In
addition, recent pockets of tree mortality caused by MPB would increase fuel
concentrations on the ground resulting in an overall increase of fire hazard.
In an area such as Vestal, where high risk coincides with high hazard, the probability of
fire with undesirable consequences is more likely. Such a fire could be very detrimental
to many of the values existing in and around this project area.