Local WildFire Ready Watersheds
Action Plans
Refining the statewide susceptibility evaluations to reflect local values and community-scale data is an important task that will lead to actionable Wildfire Ready Watersheds projects.
In order to assist, the CWCB developed a Framework for Wildfire Ready Watersheds.
The WRW Action Plan framework describes and provides guidance on how to refine the susceptibility evaluations for local communities.
The WRW Action Plan framework is meant to serve as a guide for best planning practices in advance of a wildfire and will also support post-fire mitigation strategies. This includes guidance on data collection and GIS preparedness, permitting and compliance, stakeholder development, hazard analysis and evaluations, engineering, as well as pre- and post-fire management actions.
Design and construction guidance will include project types that can be implemented before and after wildfires.
Many projects implemented after a fire are for immediate protection of life, property, and water supplies and have limited success as they are treating point-of-impact type problems with little regard to watershed health or stream function. Projects constructed before fire provide the same or better protections while also addressing multiple objectives in watershed health and water supply protection. These project types will often be designed to protect and enhance ecosystem structure and function within the watershed drainage network. Regardless of the timing, most implementation strategies will involve a mosaic of different project types employed across the wildfire risk (or burned) landscape.
MAJOR ELEMENTS OF THE Local WRW Action Plan
Stakeholders + Partners
Provide an overview of the partners and stakeholders that local planning and fire recovery teams will need to interact with both before and after a fire to address post-fire hazards and susceptibility.
GIS Preparedness
Provide a checklist of data needed to perform a comprehensive watershed-scale susceptibility assessment and/or post-fire risk assessment.
Hazard Evaluations - Types + Methodologies
Provide recommended hazard evaluations and guidance for their use in determining post-fire hazard susceptibility.
Susceptibility Analysis
Provide guidance regarding how to use hazard evaluations to identify values at risk and categorize impacts.
Mapping + Data Sharing
Provide examples and guidance for the development of cartographic work products that support pre-fire decision-making, fire response, and post-fire protection and recovery.
Pre- + Post-Fire Actions
Identify and implement actions that communities can take to address susceptibility to post-wildfire hazards.
Interested in doing a WRW Action Plan in your community?
Find the recommended Scope of Work at the link below.