Sisters residents can weigh in on forest fuels plan

Sisters area residents can weigh in on plans to protect their homes from wildfire at two informal open houses on the proposed Sisters Area Fuels Reduction (SAFR) Project hosted this week by the Sisters Ranger District.

The forums are a response to concerns and questions from many residents and local fire agencies about how to protect homes from wildfires spreading from nearby national forest lands.

Plans for reducing hazardous forest fuels and restoring forest health will be presented for public comment Wednesday, November 16, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. and again on Saturday, November 19 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Both open houses will be held at the Sisters Ranger Station on Pine Street in Sisters.

“The Forest Service wants your comments on what proposed forest fuels reduction work should be done on national forest lands to the south and west of Sisters,” Terry Craigg, SAFR project leader said. “We have started the development of our project plan and now we are seeking suggestions from the public.”

The project area covers 33,000 acres surrounding the City of Sisters from the Three Creek Road area south of town and on west to Black Butte Ranch. The project would reach right to the boundaries between national forest lands and private property in the City of Sisters as well as the Crossroads, Tollgate and Black Butte Ranch subdivisions. About 25,000 acres of national forest land would receive fuels reduction treatment, including thinning, mowing and prescribed burning.

While there has been some fuels reduction thinning and burning in this area in the past, the proposed project covers a much broader area, Craigg explained.

Prevailing summer winds may carry wildfire from the south and west to threaten the City of Sisters and forest subdivisions. That happened in 1979 when the Cold Springs Fire burned from national forest lands into the northwest corner of the Tollgate subdivision. As that fire continued to spread to the east, Highway 20/126 was closed and preparations were made to defend the northwest edge of Sisters before the fire was controlled.

The SAFR project is strongly supported by the Greater Sisters Area Community Wildfire Protection Planning Group that identified need for this work earlier this year. That organization includes local fire districts, government forestry agencies and the City of Sisters.

“We have worked closely with that planning group and we have a letter of endorsement from them for what we are proposing,” Craigg said.

The project is being analyzed under provisions of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 designed to reduce hazardous forest fuels while protecting other forest resources. However, before the Forest Service can initiate the project, it must make an environmental analysis (EA) of its impact on other resources, such as winter deer range, old-growth forests, wild and scenic rivers, and scenic views. The project area is east of spotted owl habitat, so that resource is not involved.

If all goes well and there is public support for the project, the EA should be completed by next February with work to begin in the spring of 2006, Craigg said