KAMIAH — Two projects designed to protect communities and improve the resilience of fire-prone landscapes have been approved by Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests Supervisor Cheryl Probert.
According to Probert, the Dixie-Comstock Community Protection and Twentymile projects are both located within the boundaries of the nationally designated Lower Salmon River Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscape and areas identified as “high-risk firesheds.” High-risk firesheds are defined as large, forested landscapes with a high likelihood that a fire ignition could expose homes, communities, infrastructure, and natural resources to wildfire.
Probert said the projects are integral components of the Forests’ comprehensive, all lands, science-based approach to the wildfire crisis. “We are using every tool and authority we have to address the growing wildfire threat, make communities safer, and protect critical infrastructure and natural resources,” she explained.
Dixie Comstock Community Protection Project
Located approximately 20 miles south of Elk City, Idaho, the Dixie-Comstock Community Protection Project area surrounds the towns of Dixie and 648 acres of private inholdings. The area has experienced frequent large wildfires over the past decades, most notably the Rattlesnake (2007), Sheep (2012), Blue (2015), and Dixie (2021) fires.
Recognizing the need to expeditiously reduce hazardous fuels and protect communities from wildfire, the Forests requested and received an “Emergency Action Determination” from the Washington Office to streamline the analysis process and accelerate fuel reduction work.
Probert’s decision authorizes strategic timber harvest and landscape burning to reduce fuel loads and create fuel breaks, removal of dead and dying trees along roads and trails to provide safer ingress and egress, and hand thinning and pruning to reduce combustible fuels near private property. Additionally, roads will be maintained, and the forest will be planted with insect-and-disease-resistant trees to promote forest resiliency.
Project implementation is expected to begin in the fall of this year. Information about the Dixie-Comstock project is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=52079.
Twentymile Project
The Twentymile Project area is located 16 miles southwest of Elk City and encompasses approximately 15,000 acres of forest land that has an extreme buildup of forest fuels. The small communities of Orogrande, Newsome, and Golden are within the project area. It also received an “Emergency Action Determination,” expediting analysis and implementation.
Probert’s decision authorizes a combination of timber harvest (2200 acres) and landscape-prescribed burning and burning in harvest units on approximately 6800 acres. These management activities are designed to reduce wildfire risks to people, communities, infrastructure, water sources, and other resources.
Another key element of the decision relates to access within the area. Approximately 36 miles of roads will be maintained, 11 miles of temporary roads built, and two culverts replaced. In addition to resource benefits, these actions will provide a safe and direct secondary ingress and egress (escape) route for firefighters and the public from the Sourdough or Tenmile Creek areas if the area is threatened by wildfire.
Project implementation is expected to begin in spring 2025. Information about Twentymile is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/.
“Both these projects contribute to building fire-adapted communities and improving firefighter and public safety in these fire prone ecosystems,” Probert stated. “These projects demonstrate the Forests’ commitment to working with Tribes, agencies, states, counties, local communities, private landowners and other partners to plan and implement fuels and forest health projects collaboratively and consistent with the best available science.”