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Healthy Forests Success Story

Mt. Emily II Fuels Reduction Project
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
July 2009

Project Description

View of Mt. Emily across a foreground of sunflowers.
Mt. Emily.

The Wallow-Whitman Mt. Emily II Fuels Reduction Project located in Northwestern Oregon’s LaGrande Ranger District is an excellent example of an active collaborative partnership to reduce hazardous fuels within a Wildland-Urban Interface, adjacent private lands, and strategic fuel break locations. Historically, the area has been shaped by fire. However, fire has been suppressed since 1900 leading to a buildup of hazardous fuels. By thinning out smaller trees and prescribing fire, the goal of Mt. Emily II is to restore natural fire frequency.

Original project planning and collaboration began with Mt. Emily I before the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA) was signed into law. After Mt. Emily I was appealed in December of 2004, it was re-created into Mt. Emily II under HFRA in February of 2005 with a modified scoping letter, NEPA analysis and Forest Plan amendment addressing required protection for threatened and endangered Lynx habitat.

Currently, the Mt. Emily II Project is about ninety percent complete. All mechanical treatment has been completed and the project is ready for prescribed burning which presents air quality challenges in Mt. Emily’s Valley.  The varied elevation of the project area also presents challenges with prescribed burning because it consists of three different ecosystems, each requiring distinct management considerations.

Collaboration Success

Union County Forest Restoration Board field trip.
Union County Forest Restoration Board field trip.

The entire process of creating Mt. Emily I and II was conducted under one collaborative effort, from planning to implementation. Collaboration partners included Forest Service staff, state agencies, Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation, about 200 private landowners and ranchers, a rural fire department, local timber industry, and environmental groups. Collaborative efforts included:

  • A local county Forest Restoration Board held collaborative meetings with Forest Service staff, the public, local timber industry, tribes, environmental groups and other individuals to provide advice and council to Forest Service management.
  • A Mt. Emily Interdisciplinary Team worked with a diverse group of Federal, State and local fire protection agencies, government and law enforcement officials, tribal members, forest industry representatives, and environmentalists to assist in the development of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan for Union County.
  • Meetings were coordinated between the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and Oregon’s Departments of Forestry and Fish and Wildlife.
  • Public forums were held, meetings conducted, presentations given, fire models displayed, radio announcements scheduled, and several field trips were organized.
  • Forest Staff sent pictures of the project throughout implementation to the County Forest Restoration Board and other interested partners.
  • A first Annual Public Tour is scheduled for this month to continue collaboration during implementation and to ask if objectives were met.

Lessons Learned

Mt. Emily face treatment unit.
Mt. Emily face treatment unit.

Mt. Emily face treatment unit.
Mt. Emily top wildand-urban interface (WUI) treatment unit.

  • Collaboration takes a lot of work and is a continual effort, but it is important because it helps to strengthen credibility and trust.
  • The project’s location on Mt. Emily spurred a lot of interest, which helped engage active participation and a number of well-attended meetings.
  • Collaboration allowed for successful agreement and negotiation on areas of concern such as old growth stands and roadless areas.
  • By staging implementation, results were monitored and visible, which helped increase support.
  • The objection process was much more collaborative and user friendly than the appeals process. It allowed Forest staff to engage in helpful discussion with the Mt. Emily Interdisciplinary Team and concerned partners in order to find working solutions. “It was a breath of fresh air,” noted Kurt Wiedenmann, District Ranger.

For More Information

Contact Wallowa-Whitman National Forest

Cindy J. Christensen, Mt. Emily II Interdisciplinary Team Leader
(541) 962-8501
cjchristensen@fs.fed.us

Kurt Wiedenmann, District Ranger, LaGrande Ranger District
(541) 962-8582
kwiedenmann@fs.fed.us