Hayman Fire SocialEconomic Review

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Hayman Fire Social/Economic Review

• A Case Study

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Social/Economic Team Leader Brian Kent RMRS

• Sarah McCaffrey-NCRS(FS)
• Carol Ekarius-Upper South Platte Coalition
• Wade Martin-Calif. State Univ. Long Beach
• Matt Carroll-Washington State University
• Jim Raymond-Douglas County, Colorado 
• Rocky Wiley-Denver Water Board

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Social/Economic Team (Continued)

• Mike Retzlaff R2
• Dan Williams-RMRS
• Jason Stoker-RMRS
• John Hill-R2/Pike San Isabel NF
• Krista Gebert-RMRS

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Social/economic Area of Focus

• Primary Focus is on the Four Directly Affected
  Counties
• Douglas
• Jefferson
• Park
• Teller
• Secondary Focus on Near-by Front Range
  Communities

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Our Review will address portions of four broad
question areas
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Question Area One

• 1) How Do We Begin to Develop an Understanding of
  the Total Cost of the Hayman Fire Over Time?
• Costs We Can Estimate
• Costs We Can Identify

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Question Area Two

• How Has the Hayman Fire Influenced Stakeholder
  Positions Toward Fuel Treatments, i.e., What were
  They Pre-Fire and What Are They Now?
• Who Is Blamed?
• Can Consensus on Fuels Management Treatments be
  Developed?

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Question Area Three

• What have individuals, organizations, and
  communities learned from the Hayman fire
  experience?
• How Has the Collaborative Hayman Recovery
  Assistance Center (HayRAC) worked?
• How Do We Capitalize on the Current Teachable
  Moment to Enhance Community Preparedness for
  Future Wildfires?

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Question Area Four

• How would we design and implement a long term
  social monitoring protocol for community impacts,
  recovery/rehabilitation needs, and risk
  preparedness following the Hayman fire?
• What Pieces Could be Put in Place in the Near
  Future?

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Studies Underway

• Study One A Detailed Assessment of Fire
  Suppression and Burned Area Emergency Rehab
  (BAER) Costs
• Applies to Question Area One
• Forest Service and Other Agencies as Time Permits
• Principal Investigator Krista Gebert

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Studies Underway (Continued)

• Study Two Woodland Park Area Post Fire
  Interviews
• Applies to Question Areas Two, Three Four
• Conducted With 55 Residents Knowledgeable Key
  Informants
• Principal Investigator Matt Carroll

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Studies Underway (Continued)

• Study Three Ridgewood Homeowners Association Pre
  Post Fire Workshop/Panel
• Pre Fire Workshop Part of a National Fire Plan
  Funded Project
• Week Before Hayman Fire
• Stakeholder Perceptions of Fire Management
  Treatments and Forest Conditions on National
  Forest lands
• Principal Investigator Wade Martin

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Preliminary Findings of Studies One Through Three
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Study One Preliminary Findings

• As of the end of September, expenditures for
  suppressing the fire that were entered into
  agency accounting systems total 28 million, 90
  (25.1 million) of which was expended by the
  Forest Service (FS).

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Study One Preliminary Findings Continued

• As of the End of September, the Forest Service
  Accounting System Reported 13.3 Million in BAER
  Expenditures, With 64 of These Being Incurred by
  Region 2.

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Study Two Preliminary Findings

• Respondents Stated That the Most Positive Impact
  Resulting From the Fire was the Way the Community
  (Woodland Park and Surrounding Area) Pulled
  Together and Helped Each Other Out

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Study Two Preliminary Findings Continued

• The fire experience has clearly increased
  awareness of wildfires and made a potential
  future fire more of a reality in peoples minds.
   However, most respondents at the time of the
  interviews were not planning to take any
  particular actions to firesafe their homes and
  properties against future events. Explanations
  for a lack of such activities range from the
  damage has already been done to the aesthetic
  preference for trees near their homes.

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Study Two Preliminary Findings Continued

• Many respondents who lost their homes stated that
  they planned to rebuild their home again in the
  same spot. When they were asked whether they
  would put extra effort into fire prevention
  measures for their new house, many answered in
  the negative. The reason was that they loved to
  be surrounded by trees therefore, thinning
  conflicted with their original purpose to build
  their house in such a setting.

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Study Two Preliminary Findings Continued

• In terms of negative impacts, the negative impact
  on the economy of the area and on individuals as
  well as the loss of natural resources, were
  mentioned often. The tourist sector was hit
  especially hard.

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Study Two Preliminary Findings Continued

• Most thought that a big fire was inevitable and
  the ignition source itself was not important,
  saying that if the fire hadnt been started by an
  individual, something else such as lightning, a
  tossed cigarette, or a hot catalytic converter
  would have started one.

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Study Two Preliminary Findings Continued

• One fairly persistent theme was the perceived
  need for the FS to improve its existing working
  relationships with volunteer firefighters and
  other groups/agencies involved in fire prevention
  and control.

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Study Three Preliminary Findings

• Participants preferred examples of National
  Forests managed by Mechanical Treatment
  Prescribed Burns Conducted Recently, Ten Years
  Ago, and Thirty Years Ago to untreated forests.

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Study Three Preliminary Findings Continued

• Participants preferred any of six different fuel
  management strategies (various combinations of
  prescribed fire, mechanical removal and chemical
  spraying) including just chemical spraying to the
  option of doing nothing and letting the National
  Forests grow.

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An Evolving Role for the Coalition for the Upper
South Platte (CUSP)

• Formerly the Upper South Platte Watershed
  Protection Association

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The Hayman Recovery Assistance Center (HayRAC)

• Objectives
• Expedite and Enhance Implementation of
  Rehab/Recovery Efforts from the Hayman Fire with
  emphasis on impacted communities

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HayRAC Objectives Continued

• Expedite and Enhance Implementation of Efforts to
  Restore Forest Health to reduce the intensity and
  impacts of future fires
• Build an effective network that can more
  efficiently address community needs in future
  emergencies, including post-Hayman flooding, and
  future fires

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HayRAC Accomplishments Include

• CUSP has coordinated over 40 volunteer events
  (6000 man hours of volunteer time) in a six-week
  period, and will continue to coordinate these
  types of events for the next several years
• CUSP has sought and received funding to assist
  livestock owners with meeting hay needs