The landowners are very cooperative. They take seriously the risks and realities of fires in this area.
Stephanie Johnson hiked up a hill west of McCall to an area that was neatly thinned of small trees, limbs and brush. Johnson stooped down to the ground and nodded to a ground covering of wood chips, the fruits of her labor.
Johnson is managing a contract, sponsored by a federal grant, to reduce the fire hazard on private land in the area. This particular spot is in Kings Pines Estates II west of McCall.
Through the clearing of low hanging limbs and shrubs, the project is creating a 200 foot wide fire line around five lots spanning 3,500feet, said Johnson, who operates Cabin Creek Enterprises in Donnelly with her partner, Ken Postma.
When a fire starts, these "ladder fuels" play a key role in its spread. By reducing the amount of ladder fuels, the severity and strength of a fire is greatly reduced, she said.
By the end of the summer, the federally-funded project will have cleared nearly 16 acres on private land bordering public land. The project is monitored and protected by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association and the McCall Fire Protection District.
Not just the homes adjacent to the fire break will benefit, Johnson said. There are homes just south of the project, and there is also the Idaho Conference of the Methodist camp and Crescent Rim subdivision to the east.
"This is a preventative measure," Johnson said. "These buffer zones will later give access to firefighters during fire season if necessary. It's incredibly important to be prepared."
The $40,000 grant comes from the National Fire Plan for Hazardous Fuels Treatment program. Application for the grant was made by Valley County. There are several other projects like this one planned for the future as long as Valley County can continue to get grant money.
There is a small amount of fending yet to be distributed for projects in other areas of the county, but grant applications will need to be applied for and received before work begins, Johnson said.
"Another site has been identified that will start after we hold a homeowners meeting," Johnson said. "It's much easier to get this done on the private side. The landowners are very cooperative.
They take seriously the risks and realties of fires in this area." The grants enable landowners and the local government to take steps in advance of a potential fire.
"It wouldn't take much for a small fire to become a big fire under the right conditions," Johnson said.
Kings Pines Estates II property owner Paul Collins has been maintaining his property since he bought it 16years ago. His property is among the several that are being thinned by the grant.
"The risk of fire in that area is fairly significant," said Collins, an orthopedic surgeon from Boise who spends up to $5,000 per year to thin his property.
Even though Collins has no structures to protect, he still believes that reducing the risk of fire is a necessary measure.
"I just think it's neighborly to avoid having a high-risk fire situation on your land," he said. "There are houses out there. It would be wrong of me to just let things go."
