Baker County Road Department has been named as a recipient of Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Friday, May 19th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER COUNTY -The Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) recently announced the recipients of its competitive $18-million Community Wildfire Risk Reduction (CWRR) Grant. These funds will help communities across Oregon reach their goals of improving wildfire resiliency, using local programs and solutions.
Among those who were notified of the grant was the Baker County Road Department which was marked for $307,346.00.
According to the Baker County Road Department, “The purpose of the project is to reduce the vegetative fuels along County roads within the Rock Creek/Bulger Flat Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) (County Roads: Bulger Flat Lane #566, Big Muddy Creek Lane #636, Little Muddy Creek Lane #583, and South Rock Creek Lane #552) to improve the safety of residents, future developments, and visitors, as well as, to increase the effectiveness and safety of firefighters and first responders. Each road is a one-way in and one-way out access within the WUI and all other arterial roads are unimproved.
Reduced fuels will also lead to lower fire suppression costs and fewer greenhouse gas emissions that result from wildfires. In addition, breaks in fuel continuity will aid in reducing the overall rate of spread. The ingress/egress route will be improved which will allow residents to evacuate more quickly and allow firefighters better ingress access to prevent structure fires.
This project consists of removing all vegetation with stems and trunks 18 inches and smaller in diameter within 15 feet of the edge of the traveled roadways. There is approximately 1 mile of unimproved road on Bulger Flat Lane that will require widening and base stabilization. Additional surface rock is needed on approximately 6 miles of all County Roads within the WUI. The purpose of the project is to provide safer egress routes for emergency evacuation, and to allow firefighters better ingress access to fight fires. The project will also provide a break in fuel continuity to aid in reducing the spread of fire. Rock Creek/Bulger Flat WUI was selected based on the confluence of developing rural residential neighborhoods with the wildland interface. The project is scheduled for 2023 through 2024. All work will be performed within the County’s existing right-of-way by the Baker County Road Department.
This community is located north of Hunt Mountain and south of the Union County line, containing dispersed year-round and seasonal dwellings. The area also contains four tracts of the Elkhorn Wildlife Area managed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as the historical Rock Creek Power Plant. A portion of The North Powder River Wild and Scenic Waterway is within this WUI. Bulger Flat Lane is near the Elkhorn Mountains, less than 10 miles from Haines and less than 20 miles from Baker City.Bulger Flat Lane leads to The Summit Lake Trailhead, a very primitive trailhead located along the Wild and Scenic North Powder River. It serves as a trailhead for both the Summit Lake and North Powder River Trails. The trail immediately crosses North Fork Powder River and continuing up to Red Mountain Lake.
Gravel roads make good firebreaks because they allow for movement of fire equipment and personnel and are void of vegetation. This project will improve the effectiveness of a firebreak to reduce fire risk and improve the access of firefighters at the precise interface between buildings and the forest.”It is important for citizens to know that “Rock Creek/Bulger WUI is listed as High Priority in the Baker County CWPP with a goal to “Develop safety corridors including roads, natural fuel breaks and Defensible Fuels Profiles Zones Identify and implement Fuels Treatments along major roads and highways. Identify opportunities to utilize roads and ridge.” (pg A-112. The Rock Creek/Bulger Flats WUI consists of 124 structures and 33,672 acres.” According to the Baker County Road Department.
