Fire Prevention Officer’s Institute

Dudek Section Outline

Understanding the Biologists: their Perspectives/Issues/Constraints

I. Introduction
a. Integrated Team
b. Introduce Dudek Biologist
c. Purpose
i. You mean the weeds are important?
ii. Why weeds are important?
iii. How to navigate through the weeds
II. Environmental Framework
a. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
i. Sensitive vegetation communities
ii. Special-Status plants and animals
iii. Significant impacts
1. Direct
a. Fuel modification (100% impact)
i. Wet Zone (Irrigated)
ii. Thinning Zone
2. Indirect
a. Invasive Plants
b. Invasive Wildlife
i. Argentine ants
c. Hydrologic Regime Change
iv. Mitigation Costs
a. Purchase of credits or land
b. Mitigation Plans
c. Implementation
d. 5-year Monitoring
e. Management in Perpetuity
III. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
i. Federal (FESA)
1. “Take authorization”
2. Section 7/Habitat Conservation Plan
ii. California (CESA)
1. “Take authorization”
2. 2081 and 2080.1 Take Permits
 iii. Resource Agency MOUs & Regional Plans
1. Be aware of local requirements
a. Wildland-Urban Interface Guidelines
2. Case Studies
a. San Diego County
b. City of Chula Vista
c. Santa Barbara County
b. Wetland Resources
1. California Department of Fish and Game
a. 1602 Streambed Alteration Agreement
i. Regulate the removal of riparian
vegetation
1. Thinning
2. Pruning
b. 401/404 Clean Water Act
i. Fill and Dredge
c. Migratory Bird Treaty Act
i. No impacts to nesting birds
IV. Habitat quality vs. wildfire safety
i. Direct Conflict
ii. Creative solutions to resolve conflict
1. Develop Fuel Modification Plan in coordination with
biologist
a. Minimize impacts by incorporation of immediate
landscape in modification zone
b. Compatible use within Reserve
i. Examples
1. Invasive removal
a. Eucalyptus
2. Modification can “save” habitat
reserves
c. Phasing of Fuel Modification
2. Minimize Change in baseline hydrology
a. Irrigation
i. Latest Technology
ii. Diligent Maintenance
b. Design
3. Seasonal Restrictions
a. Restrict vegetation removal during breeding
season
 b. Nesting bird surveys
i. Absence
ii. Appropriate Buffers

Understanding the Urban Foresters: their Perspectives/Issues/Constraints

I. Urban Forestry – Isn’t that an oxymoron?
a. Definition – Urban foresters typically work in urban areas. Dudek
urban foresters are trained foresters who apply expertise solving
problems across the landscape:
II. Who hires urban foresters?
a. Developers
b. Fire Departments
c. Cities
d. Non-profits (FireSafe Councils)
III. Where do we work?
a. Urban Areas
i. Managing green infrastructure in urbanized areas for the
betterment of the community
1. Soils
2. Vegetation
3. Watershed
b. Urbanizing Areas – Wildland Urban Interface
i. Managing conversion of woodlands/forest
ii. Impacts and mitigation
iii. Long term management/monitoring
1. Soils
2. Vegetation
3. Watershed
iv. Fire ecology
v. Fire protection planning
c. Wildlands
i. Forest/woodland management
1. Soils
2. Vegetation
3. Watershed
ii. Fire protection planning
IV. How do we work?
a. Apply forestry techniques and knowledge
i. Ecology
 ii. fire ecology
iii. restoration
iv. watershed management
b. Assist Decision Makers
i. New Development
1. Planners – define requirements and help lay out the
development on a given site
2. Engineers – Help understand concepts for defensible
space, help resolve conflicts
3. Biologists – creatively work with constraints to minimize
impacts while maximizing fire safety
4. Landscape Architects – provide guidance on
distribution, species,
5. Fire Professionals – Act as liaison between the client
and the fire department and other agencies
a. Case Study: “Ferber Ranch”
i. New development in Orange County
ii. Defined FMZ requirements from in depth
analysis
iii. Minimized impacts where possible, but
did not compromise on safety
ii. Existing Development
1. Work with HOA’s and City Fire Departments to
mitigate potential hazard
2. Case Study: “City of Del Mar”
a. Pre-field preparation – GIS data gathering and
analysis
b. Code/regulation review
c. Field assessments – fuels, terrain, etc. –
prioritization
d. Site Fire Hazard Reduction prescription
development
e. Contractor selection
f. Contractor monitoring
g. Public education and interaction
h. Final inspection
3. Case Study: “Newport Beach Hazard Reduction”
a. Biological Surveys
b. Lot by lot fuels assessment and mapping
c. Fire behavior modeling
 d. Prescription development
e. Cost analysis to implement
f. Coordination with agencies
g. Managing contractor
h. On-going inspections
V. What Tools do We Use?
a. GPS – sub foot capable
b. Web-based data (weather, terrain, images, vegetation/fuel)
c. GIS
i. Mapping
ii. Hazard analysis
iii. Fire behavior modeling (BEHAVEPlus, FlamMap, FARSITE)
iv. Graphical display (Conceptual FMZs, terrain, prescriptions,
etc.)
v. Data management
VI. What are the typical constraints?
a. Financial limitations/budgets
i. Developer not a blank check
ii. Fire Department budget constraints
b. Biological
i. Costs more to do work or prevents work from occurring
c. Social
i. Example – public outcry over tree removal
ii. FPP used by opposition as mechanism to stall/defeat project
d. Planning
i. Maximizing lots on new development and last minute
consideration of FMZ
VII. Creative Solutions
a. Financial Limitations
i. Coordination with planning team to minimize impacts where
possible which results in savings to developers
ii. Grant application support
iii. Provide cost estimate and manage contractor to minimize
overruns
b. Biological Constraints
i. Integrated team – understand the issues and find solutions
within legal framework
ii. Use of digital biological data for modeling and FMZ
establishment
c. Social Constraints
 i. Educational materials, public meetings and forums, and use of
technology to help them understand the importance of the
project, the project’s safety features, etc…
d. Planning Constraints
i. Technology – graphical fire models fed high quality data helps
prioritize and refine FMZ
ii. Experience of team members to know where there’s room for
negotiation with agencies

Understanding the Landscape Architects: their Perspectives/Issues/Constraints

I. How do Traditional Landscape Architects Think?

a. Basics
b. Traditional Concepts/Education
c. Priorities
i. Aesthetics
ii. Themes
d. Comfort zone
i. Plant knowledge
ii. Irrigation
II. What are Common Issues LAs face?
a. Client expectations
i. Exotic landscape vs. native
ii. Pleasing the client and the Fire Authority (and the enviros, and
the planners, and the engineers, etc.)
b. Design and Construction Budgets
III. What Constraints Do LAs Deal With?
a. Client Demands
b. Plant Material Costs and Availability
c. Experience Level
IV. What should LAs Working in the WUI Consider?
a. Place Making
i. Selling a house vs. buying a home
ii. Community making
iii. Quality of life
iv. Added value
V. “Smart from the Start”
i. Extensive site data collection and analysis
ii. Use technological advances
iii. Think sustainable
1. Lower cost
2. Longer life
3. Less maintenance
4. Water conservation
5. Reduced fire hazard