Fire Mitigation
Fire Mitigation ProgramThe campus Fire Mitigation Program is responsible for planning and directing the vegetation management efforts required to mitigate the threat of a wildland fire. The Office of Emergency Preparedness, a unit within the University Police Department, administers the program. In carrying out the program, the manager of OEP is guided by the campus Fire Mitigation Committee, Chaired by Professor Scott Stephens of the College of Natural Resources.
The Fire Mitigation Program develops and implements the annual fire management workplan and plans and executes large projects as set forth in the the 2020 Fire Plan (4077Kb). The annual workplan involves the clearing of light fuels ( annual grasses and brush) from building perimeters, roadsides and turnouts. Both hand crews and goat herds are used to conduct this work. Additionally, prescribed fire is also available as a tool that may be used as conditions warrant.
In 2006, UC Berkeley opened the Center for Fire Research and Outreach, including the ongoing work of directors, faculty and researchers, collaborators and staff. The primary mission and goals of the Center are to:
- Become a focal point for science-based solutions to fire-related challenges.
- Encourage and facilitate collaboration on fire-related research questions among academics, practitioners, decision-makers, and government agencies.
- To provide the diffuse land-holding public with a centralized clearinghouse for information needs before, during and after wildfires.
For additional information on media coverage of the UC Berkeley Fire Mitigation Program and its projects, please refer to the News Section of this website.
Annual workplan Goat grazing Grazing Plan (805Kb) involves bringing a herd of up to 500 goats onto established areas and having the goats graze on the vegetation until the desired level of fuel removal is achieved. The goats are typically penned within a movable electric fence, and are supervised by both professional herders and herding dogs. Certain plants and trees can be protected from grazing by the installation of temporary fences around areas to be saved. The general objective for the grazed areas in to bring the vegetation down to a height of 2 to 4 inches from the ground. The work season for goat grazing is typically from late June to mid – August, depending upon weather, precipitation and the needs of adjacent large landholders.
Hand crews Hand Crew Workplan (5,166Kb) consist of contracted workers using gas powered weed whackers and light chain saws to remove grass, brush , limbs and small trees from prescribed areas. The crews move from site to site following a prioritized site map, and are typically active from mid- June to early August. The crews are able to be more selective than goats and can conduct more complex arbor work, herbicide application and selective removal than can the goats.
Project maintenance involves the ongoing management of the large-scale projects (557Kb) – typically the conversion of eucalyptus forests and maintenance of large scale fire breaks along the ridge line. Several times each year contracted crews, UC employees and volunteers visit past project sites to perform specific maintenance activities. The work includes the removal of eucalyptus re-sprouts and seedlings, as well as the reduction of brush, annual grasses, invasive exotics and toxic weeds.
Large projectsThe Hill Campus is designated by CalFIRE and by the Cities of Oakland and Berkeley to constitute a Very High Hazard Severity - the most dangerous rating of state land. To manage this threat, the Fire Program develops large projects -- strategic fuel reduction efforts intended to create fire safety improvements over many years. Typically, large projects remove invasive eucalyptus trees, acacia trees and pine trees and decadent brush from locations necessary to fight or contain a wildfire. For campus lands, these locations area found along the upper canyons, roughly parallel to Grizzly Peak Blvd. Additional strategic sites include the ridgeline between Strawberry and Claremont Canyons, neighborhood interface zones near the Panoramic hill and North Berkeley neighborhoods, and the Hill Area management zone protecting the UC hill facilities and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A map of projects (Map - strategic projects - 670 Kb) both underway and in planning shows the location of these strategic efforts.
"DURING THE AGE OF EXPLORATION, CURIOUS SPECIES from around the world captured the imagination, desire and
enterprising spirit of many different people. With fragrant oil and massive grandeur, eucalyptus trees were imported in great
numbers from Australia to the Americas, and California became home to many of them. Eucalyptus globulus, or Tasmanian blue gum, was first introduced to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1853 as an ornamental tree. Soon after, it was widely planted for timber production when domestic lumber sources were being depleted. Eucalyptus offered hope to the “Hardwood Famine”, which the Bay Area was keenly aware of, after rebuilding from the 1906 earthquake." Taken from a 2006 informational brochure (1,831 Kb) on the issue of eucalyptus management, prepared by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service.
Completed Projects
In planning
Fire Mitigation Committee:The Fire Mitigation Committee (29Kb) is charged by the Vice Chancellor for Administration on behalf of the Chancellor to formulate and recommend policy that will support the management of fire hazards within the U.C. Berkeley Hill Campus. The Committee (21Kb) is composed of students, academics and administrative staff who have a professional concern for or interest in the Hill Campus and its wildlands. The Committee, chaired by Professor Scott Stephens, is charged with the following tasks:
- Recommend policy and strategies to manage fire hazards in the wildland/urban interface areas;
- Review campus compliance with existing and pending Federal, State, and Local laws and regulations relating to wildland fire issues, including but not limited to Clean Water Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Endangered Species Act codes;
- Provide the Vice Chancellor with recommendations on appropriate measures and costs to minimize fire hazards in the Hill Area;
- Review and recommend changes to activities that impact fire safety of wildland areas owned by the University that are adjacent to the Berkeley central campus; and,
- Verify that the Berkeley campus 2020 Hill Area Fire Fuel Management Program and any future or updated Fire Mitigation Programs are implemented and are effective
Committee Reports
Claremont Canyon ConservancyThe Claremont Canyon Conservancy (
http://ccconservancy.homestead.com/home.html)
is dedicated to reducing wildfire hazards in the canyon, improving public access, and understanding the ecosystem health of the entire watershed - then preserving or restoring it consistent with public safety. “
Background
In order to mitigate the risk of wildland/urban fires, the University is continually performing vegetation management projects on its land holdings in the East Bay hills. The vegetation management work in Claremont Canyon, overseen and conducted by the Campus in collaboration with members of the Hills Emergency Forum, seeks to transform the canyon into a more fire-safe condition. Past University projects have focused on removing re-sprouted eucalyptus trees along the upper reaches of the canyon. In order to complete the conversion of these sites to a sustainable and fire-safe vegetation type, ongoing maintenance -- including plantings of desirable species -- will be necessary. The Claremont Canyon Conservancy and the University have developed a memorandum of understanding to guide an ongoing collaboration in this stewardship. This MOU sets forth a process by which the University and the Conservancy will work together toward achieving the common objective of creating a sustainable, environmentally sound and fire-safe landscape. The evolution of this partnership was covered in a story by
Andrea Pflaumer
in The Monthly, October 2006.
Under this MOU, the Conservancy is authorized to conduct vegetation plantings and associated landscape maintenance on University lands. The University also conducts plantings and maintenance in the same locations; thus there is a joint stewardship of the canyon wildlands. The Claremont Conservancy carried out a Redwood Planting project and several Yellow Star Thistle Removal projects in 2005, with additional projects planned for 2006 and beyond. The Redwood reforestation effort, targeting a portion of the area cleared of eucalyptus, has been active for several years. Conservancy Vice President Joe Engbeck, redwood project manager, has composed an overview of the history of the reforestation project through 2007. For those interested in volunteering on a project, please contact the Conservancy and bring a signed release waiver before beginning your activities.
A written work plan is jointly developed by the University and the Conservancy, and serves as the guide to vegetation restoration and maintenance work. The work plan is expected to evolve and adapt over time and is subject to mutually determined revision on a periodic basis.
In 2004, the membership of the Claremont Canyon Conservancy generously supported the Claremont Canyon Phase 4 (253Kb) eucalyptus removal project by contributing funds derived through its membership. Through its contribution of $14,000, the Conservancy partnered with the University and Pacific, Gas and Electric Company in the removal of 1150 eucalyptus trees on the ridgeline of Claremont Canyon.
Complementing the Claremont Canyon Conservancy's stewardship effort is the web site:
WILD LIFE in the NORTH HILLS - Flora and Fauna of Claremont Canyon, Oakland, California This website documents wildlife and wild plants found in the hills on the border between Oakland and Berkeley, California. The area covered is roughly bounded by Tunnel Road, Domingo Avenue, Claremont Canyon, and Grizzly Peak Blvd., with emphasis on Claremont Canyon and the surrounding hillsides. The website is a work in progress by dedicated webmaster Kay Loughman. The site includes pictures of birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, etc. Currently, new photographs documenting wild plants and pictures of fungi are being assembled.
Hills Emergency Forum (HEF)The Hills Emergency Forum exists to coordinate the collection, assessment and sharing of information on the East Bay Hills fire hazards and, further, to provide a forum for building interagency consensus on the development of fire safety standards and codes, incident response and management protocols, public education programs, multi-jurisdictional training, and fuel reduction strategies.
The HEF is comprised of the following members:
The Manager of the Office of Emergency Preparedness represents UC on the Staff Liaison Committee (SLC), and the Vice Chancellor for Administration represents the campus on the executive board. The SLC is responsible for developing and monitoring progress on the Forum's annual work plan, maintaining liaison with agency executives on HEF issues, identifying issues for possible legislative support, and coordinating the HEF annual public meeting. The HEF SLC also serves as a forum for the development of collaborative work agreements and for the development of joint grant applications.
