When looking to improve a region's wildfire resiliency, considering the impact of neighborhood level action cannot be understated. By tapping into existing community ties, the Tahoe RCD's Network of Fire Adapted Communities (Tahoe Network) program is helping increase the number of Tahoe Basin homeowners taking proactive, educated steps toward wildfire preparedness. The Tahoe Network's multi-pronged approach utilizes information distribution and community organizing to support neighborhoods who are taking steps, both small and large, towards preparedness. “It's a team thing, for projects of this nature,” Jason Brand, Tahoe RCD FAC director notes. “Communities as a whole need to take action.”
When neighborhoods connect with Brand and his team to become a Tahoe Network ‘Fire Adapted Community Neighborhood', they join a supportive network of preparedness-minded homeowners and professionals. With Tahoe RCD assistance, Fire Adapted Community neighborhoods encourage individuals to take preparedness action through hosting events like defensible space and home hardening workdays. The RCD also facilitates neighborhood information sharing through a combination of online and in person communication, so that neighborhoods are kept up to date on actionable items, regional prescribed fire and fuel reduction projects, and more.
Since wildfire preparedness is an ongoing process, an energized base of homeowners is essential to the Tahoe Network's efforts. “You could be done with a defensible space project, then a storm comes through and blows pine needles onto your roof,” Brand illustrates. “It's a process, but we try to keep everyone excited.”
One way the Tahoe Network maintains community interest is through their program's group of Neighborhood Leaders. Neighborhood Leaders disseminate educational resources, host defensible space workdays, and help maintain momentum around wildfire awareness. Any resident interested in spearheading neighborhood preparedness projects is encouraged to become a Neighborhood Leader, with Brand noting how “some have already done their defensible space work and want to reach more of the community, and some are just getting introduced to these concepts because they got a call from their insurance agency.” When looking to increase their knowledge base or get ideas for community events, Neighborhood Leaders can turn to the Tahoe Living with Fire website, which hosts a resource library specifically to support Neighborhood Leader activities. The Living With Fire site itself is a collaborative effort, run by University of Nevada, Reno Extension yet utilized as an information hub by many other organizations. This website is also where Brand points anyone curious about wildfire preparedness, as it houses a variety of booklets and fact sheets that guide beginners into becoming ‘ember aware'.
Though the ongoing work may seem daunting, Brand shares there has been a marked increase in neighborhoods seeking to improve their wildfire readiness within the Basin. There are now 72 Fire Adapted Community neighborhoods, and over the past two years the region's number of nationally recognized Firewise communities jumped from 12 to 34, with 6 more seeking recognition. This is a tangible indicator to Brand that more neighborhoods are serious about organizing local preparedness efforts: “There's a lot of steps that communities need to take to become Firewise. You have to keep people talking, learning, and taking action.”
Making learning approachable is something Brand sees as key to ensuring more residents can make informed, confident choices to protect their home. “Just having a citizenship educated on the pressures our ecosystem is experiencing has a direct effect on the forest,” Brand states. “When people start protecting their home, there is inherently less pressure on our forests.”
Forest landowners and community members in El Dorado, Nevada, and Placer counties interested in learning more about forest management are encouraged to register for the next UC ANR Forest Stewardship workshop series. The Tahoe Basin Forest Stewardship workshop will cover forest management planning, forest and fire ecology, and forest health, and more. Sign up here. Registration is $60, and scholarship funding for registration fee is available. For questions, please contact kcingram@ucanr.edu.