Council Communication

AFRCA Technical Committee Response To USFS DEIS
Meeting Date:	August 2, 2005		Primary Staff Contact:	Keith E. Woodley, 552-2217, woodleyk@ashland.or.us
Department:	Ashland Fire & Rescue		Secondary Staff Contact:
Contributing Departments:			Estimated Time:	1 hour
Approval:	Gino Grimaldi

Statement: On June 24, 2005, the United States Forest Service (USFS) released their Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Ashland Forest Resiliency Project within the Ashland Watershed. This DEIS provides an analysis of three alternatives: No Action, Forest Service Proposed Action, and the City of Ashland Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) alternative. The USFS now offers a 45 day comment period for public response to the analysis. The Ashland Forest Resiliency Community Alternative Committee (AFRCA), representing the City of Ashland, has prepared a response to the DEIS for Council endorsement. Council will need to act on the DEIS Response at this council meeting in order to meet the public comment deadline of August 7, 2005.
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Background: The City of Ashland Community Wildfire Protection Plan addresses City Council Goal # 22, which states: "Establish a stronger, formalized role for the City in the stewardship of entire Ashland Watershed". The purpose of the Ashland Forest Resiliency Project is to protect forest ecosystem values at risk, reduce crown fire potential, and establish forest ecosystem conditions that are more resilient to wildland fire events. The USFS Ashland Forest Resiliency Project has been granted status as a project under the Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA). Under HFRA, the USFS is required to evaluate three alternatives, (1) no action, (2) a USFS preferred alternative, and (3) a community alternative submitted as a "Community Wildfire Protection Plan". The City of Ashland, through a diverse group of dedicated community scientists and forest resource specialists known as the AFRCA Technical Committee, prepared a "Community Wildfire Protection Plan", or "CWPP", to be evaluated as the third alternative. This proposal was submitted on October 6th, 2004, to the USFS. This group continued to work with the Forest Service reviewers from November 2004 through May 2005 to provide additional detail and clarification regarding the proposal. The Forest Service released its draft analysis on June 24th, 2005, and invited public response within a 45 day comment period which concludes on August 7th, 2005. The response to the Forest Service DEIS from the AFRCA Committee is now presented to the City Council for their endorsement.
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Related City Policies: The 1929 US Forest Service / City of Ashland Memorandum of Understanding (with 1996 / 1999 amendments) provides for City of Ashland participation in any resource activity within the Ashland Watershed.
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Council Options: Endorse or reject the DEIS Response from the AFRCA Technical Committee.
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Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends endorsement.
Potential Motions: Motion to endorse the AFRCA Technical Committee response to the DEIS.
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Attachments: Click on the PDF file link below to view the following attachments:      • AFRCA Technical Committee DEIS Response Letter

COA_DEIS_Response.pdf (358.1KB)

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