Community feedback requested on 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan

||| FROM SAN JUAN ISLANDS CONSERVATION DISTRICT |||

The San Juan County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is being updated from its original 2012 version and is now open for public comment – community feedback is requested! Please view the latest online at www.sanjuanislandscd.org/wildfire-preparedness and submit written comments by email to paul@sjicd.org by 5pm on April 24th.

WA Department of Natural Resources fire crew conducts a prescribed burn on Jones IslandThe 2025 CWPP establishes the strategies and actions necessary for comprehensive wildfire prevention, mitigation, and response throughout San Juan County. Implementing this plan will set San Juan County on a sustainable path toward reducing the risk of catastrophic high-intensity wildfires while enhancing forest health and resilience to climate change.

This Plan updates the county’s original CWPP from 2012 and has been developed in accordance with federal standards, including collecting input from a diverse steering committee of nearly twenty federal, state, tribal and local governments, local fire departments, community organizations and the general public.

Public feedback opportunities have occurred throughout the plan update process, including open public meetings on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan islands in October 2024; online feedback surveys; and ongoing participation in the CWPP Steering Committee. Review of the public draft is the final opportunity to provide feedback on this important document.

Feedback received throughout the process thus far has indicated that citizen concern about wildfire in the San Juan Islands is high, perceived community preparedness for a wildfire is low, and many members of the community are highly motivated to be part of the solution. Residents note overstocked forests surrounding homes, neighborhoods and narrow roads, drier summers from drought and global warming, and logistical difficulties of living on remote islands as causes for concern.

Key findings with regard to overall wildfire risk show that 78% of county structures are within “direct exposure areas,” where they could be ignited by adjacent vegetation, flying embers, or nearby structures, and would benefit from some kind of fuels reduction treatment. Most fire ignitions in San Juan County are caused by humans, making wildfire incidents largely preventable. Wildfire likelihood in San Juan County is low when compared to other counties in Washington, but wildfire events can and do occur. Climate change trends like hotter summers and extended drought are increasing the likelihood of wildfires starting and/or increasing in intensity. Areas that have the highest likelihood of burning are generally located in the larger grassland/pasture areas of the county due to the presence of finer fuels that dry out quickly, more frequent ignitions from human activity, and limited barriers to fire spread.

With these realities in mind, the plan sets out a list of actions to be taken including site-specific fuel reduction projects; policy and code update opportunities; resource and infrastructure improvements; and outreach and education programs.
Funding for this plan was generously provided by the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA puts cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov. Plan development was facilitated by the San Juan Islands Conservation District with the assistance of Northwest Management Inc. consulting group.