OLALLA AREA FIRE HAZARD ASSESSMENT SUMMARY RESULTS

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1 OLALLA AREA FIRE HAZARD ASSESSMENT SUMMARY Here is a summary of the conclusions based on the data collected from the Community Hazard Assessment plots; The Fire Weather Danger Rating - in this case the Olalla area has long periods of Danger Class 3 and above (a high rating). An open, coniferous forest and grassland covers the forest interface area. Duff layers are usually thin, under 5cm, and the Condition Class Map shows that most of the area has low fuel loads. Recent fires have removed pine needle accumulations. The stand description is coniferous forest or open forest and grassland. The coarse debris is usually low in all of the areas surveyed. The vegetation consists of wild and domestic grasses and very scattered shrubs for most of the interface areas. The topography for some of the interface areas may be steep and rocky, making fire suppression difficult to the west and east of Olalla. The areas surveyed usually have infrequent use for recreation. The fire suppression capabilities are also rated. These would include: The Keremeos volunteer fire department services the area. There are operational fire hydrants in the area. In the event of a fire the response time should be within 15 minutes. There would also be mutual aid from fire departments if required. Access varies for fire trucks. Access is excellent in the subdivisions. The steeper areas with poor access could have fire suppression done by Ministry of Forests fire fighting crews in the inaccessible areas. There have been wild fires in the past to the south of Olalla. Winds from the south, common in the summer, could bring fire from the south into the Olalla area. RESULTS The open forest and grassland interface areas have a moderate hazard rating. The inaccessible areas are estimated to have a high hazard rating. The areas have a description of the fire hazard as shown on the hazard-rating map. These are some of the problem areas: The open forest and grassland areas to the west and within the Olalla area are prone to lightning strikes and have a high incidence of man-made fires; The grassland and open forest areas are a fire maintained ecosystem. Fire usually occurs in this area every years. The open grassland and forest areas require fires to keep fine fuels at a low level; There is a higher hazard rating for the area to the west of Olalla due to the steep ground and ladder fuels on the Douglas-fir trees.

2 RECOMMENDATIONS Here are some recommendations: 1. The past fire history indicates that fire will continue to move through the area, as a result the homes in the area should be made aware of fire safe practices; 2. Defensible spaces around homes and buildings should be maintained in all of the Olalla residential areas; 3. The Firesmart manual is available from the Keremeos fire department and the recommendations in this manual should be followed. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT It is important that lot owners within the Olalla area communicate to: Make a joint commitment to minimize the risk to their neighborhood by following fire-smart practices; Residents should lead and organize themselves for fire prevention and emergency strategies; and Meet with the Protection Branch representative to go over fire safe practices (phone ).

3 Photo 1 shows the rocky open forest area to the northeast of Olalla.

4 Photo 2 shows a close up of the area shown in the previous page. Note the lack of vegetation due to the very dry southwest exposure. There are charred stumps from a past fire. A creek runs through the area below the slope. This creek could provide a source of water for fire fighting during some of the year.

5 Photo 3 shows the open sagebrush and grassland to the southeast of Olalla. Photo 4 shows the open forest and rocky area to the northwest of Olalla.

6 Plot 1 shows the open Douglas-fir forest. No ladder fuels and low grass due to cows in the area. Photo 5 shows the open forest and grassland southwest of Olalla.

7 Plot 2 shows the steep rocky terrain and ladder fuels on the trees. Photo 6. The ground should be kept free of debris like this close to residences.

8 Photo 7 shows the open forest and grassland to the southeast of Olalla.