Missoula County building wildfire mitigation program as season nears

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) As the dry season deepens, Missoula County is ramping up its wildfire mitigation program in hopes of protecting more homes from catching fire.

Aided by a number of grants, the county has already made headway in Pattee and Marshall canyons, and it has landed funding to reduce fuels near Turah and Clinton in conjunction with a neighboring BLM project.

But fuel reduction isn't the program's only goal.

“It's trying to tie the landscape-scale stuff into private property,” said Chet Crowser, chief lands and communities officer. “It's a new and fresh way of looking at the role the county can play.”

The county has brought new experts into its wildfire mitigation program to help conduct outreach and education. They also conduct home assessments with interested property owners to address wildfire risks.

Adriane Beck, the county's director of Disaster and Emergency Services, said the county is now exploring new grant opportunities to ramp up a “light retrofit” program to help property owners make simple changes to their home and lower the risk of fire taking hold of the structure.

Beck said the program's priorities could range from placing flashing between a deck and the home, to removing landscaping mulch and replacing it with gravel.

“We're not looking to replace siding or decking material,” said Beck. “We're looking to provide funding for that zero-to-five-foot space around the home, which is where we typical have a gap in grant funding.”

Beck added that a particular FEMA grant could give the program a lift.

“We have funding that deals with the fuels and larger trees out to 300 feet, but that landscaping component, like removing cedar much and putting down gravel – that has been a gap we've not been able to secure with grant funding.”

While the county has contractors to conduct fuel mitigation, it's looking for contractors for the light retrofit program, so long as the funding is secured.

“We can deal with new development largely through codes,” said Karen Hughes, director of planning, development and sustainability with the county. “But the thousands of existing homes out on the landscape, they're very challenging.”

The county and other emergency responders are bracing for what's shaping up to be an active fire season. June remains dry and the remaining snowpack is rapidly melting.

The county is asking homeowners to be proactive in addressing wildfire risks on their property.

“It's too early to tell, but it's concerning to be this dry at this time,” said Beck. “But the one advantage to a significant fire season is heightened awareness. As soon as smoke is in the air, people tend to call for a home inspection.”