Section One: How to Use this Guide

I. How to Use this Guide

II. Guidebook Organization

III. Guidebook Types of Information and Formatting

IV. Create Your Plan!

V. Credits and Acknowledgement

Section Two: Executive Summary and Action Plan

I. Signature Page

II. Executive Summary and Action Plan Introduction

II.A. Plan Goals, Introduction, and Background

II.B. Fire Planning Process Overview

II.C. Fire Safety and Defensible Space

II.D. Wildfire Environment

II.E. Fire Protection Organizations

II.F. [Place] Risk Assessment

III. [Place] Fire Safe Action Plan

III.A. Existing Projects and Actions

III.B. Action Plan Summary

IV. Facilitating [Place] Fire Safety in the Long Term

IV.A. Monitoring and Maintenance

IV.B. Updating This Plan

IV.C. Needed Resources

V. Acknowledgements

Section Three: Appendices

1. [Place] Community Conservation and Wildfire Protection Plan Introduction

1.1. [Plan Name] Fire Plan Purpose

1.2. Organization of This Document

1.3. Conservation Principles for Community Wildfire Protection in California’s Sierra Nevada

1.4. Introduction to [Place], California

1.5. [Place] Communities at Risk

1.6. [Place] Fire Protection Areas and Agencies

1.7. Introduction to [Place] Fire Safe Council

1.8. Fire Safety Objectives

2. [Place]Fire Safe Planning Process

2.1. Planning Area Boundaries

2.2. Process and Plan Development

2.3. Stakeholders

3. Wildfire: Current Environment and Behavior

3.1. Introduction: Defining the Wildfire Problem

3.2. Fire Behavior Characteristics

3.3. General Wildfire Environment Description

3.4. Fuel: Description of Fuel Through Fuel Models

3.5. Fire History

3.6. Fire Hazard

3.7. Fire Regime

3.8. Fire Threat

3.9. Changing Fuels in the Wildland Urban Interface

4. Fire Ecology and Management of Sierra Nevada Vegetation Types

4.1. Grassland

4.2. Foothill and Montane Chaparral

4.3. Foothill Woodland

4.4. Ponderosa Pine and Mixed Conifer

4.5. Upper-Elevation Fir Forests: Red Fir and White Fir

4.6. Montane Meadows

4.7. Sagebrush and Bitterbrush

5. [Place] Community Features

5.1. Social and Political Setting

5.2. Public, Tribal, and Industrial Lands Fire Management

5.3. Community Planning Context

5.4. Community Infrastructure to Address and Implement Objectives

6. Fire Protection Organizations

6.1. Local Fire Agencies

6.2. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

6.3. Federal Fire Agencies

6.4. Tribal Fire Agencies

7. Risk Assessment: Identifying and Evaluating Assets at Risk

7.1. Assets at Risk in [Your Planning Area]

7.2. Assessing Risks in [the Planning Area]

8. Meeting Your Objectives: [Place] Fire Safe Action Plan

8.1. Summary of Objectives

8.2. Community-Identified Potential Projects

8.3. Existing Projects and Actions

8.4. Proposed Actions

8.5. Project Prioritization and Timing

8.6. Action Plan Summary

9. Facilitating [Place] Fire Safety in the Long Term

9.1. Monitoring

9.2. Project Maintenance

9.3. Updating This Plan

9.4. Resources Needed to Support Ongoing Efforts

Section Four: Project Files

PF1 – Planning Process

Community Outreach Materials

Community Meeting Notes

Public Comments Received on Draft Documents

PF2 – Community Meeting Input

Outreach Survey Results

Community-Generated Maps

PF3 – GIS Data Layers and Mapping Information

PF4 – Fire Protection Agency Surveys

PF5 – Public Lands Fire Management Background Information

Section Five: References

Reference A – Glossary

Reference B – Internet Links for Further Information

Reference C – Literature Cited

Section Six: Conservation and Wildfire Background Materials

Background A – Conservation Principles for Community Wildfire Protection in California’s Sierra Nevada

Background B – Wildland Fire Safety at Home

B.1. Before the Fire

B.2. During the Fire

B.3. After the Fire

Background C – Wildland Fuel Hazard Reduction

C.1. What is Ecological Fuel Reduction?

C.2. What to Do with Thinned Materials

Background D – Fire Safety Information

Sections Seven: Fire Planning Instructions

Instructions A – How to Organize Community Fire Safety Meetings

Instructions B – Community Meeting Outreach Mailing and Survey

Instructions C – Community Meeting Mapping Instructions

Instructions D – Creating Maps with Fire Planning and Mapping Tools Website

Instructions E – Fire Protection Survey Form

Instructions F – Updated Project List and Plan Update Signature Page

Instructions G – Sierra Fire Safe Councils

Instructions H – Sierra Community Fire Plans

OOPS! We accidentally refer to cross-references within the Appendices as “sections.” When you see a reference to “Section 5.2,” that means go to Appendix 5, subheading 5.2, which of course, is all part of Section 3. Sorry for the confusion!

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