Western Maui CWPP - 2014

HWMO spearheaded the effort to write and implement this 2014 Western Maui Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).

CWPPs are a great planning tool for communities and have become a prerequisite for receiving federal funding for wildfire protection projects. A CWPP assists a community in identifying and prioritizing areas for hazardous fuel reduction treatments and supports communities to take action. The plan assesses values at risk such as safety, natural resource protection, recreation, scenic values, and economic assets. Through a collaborative process involving input from community members, resource management and firefighting agencies, and a variety of other interested parties, CWPPs help bring wildfire hazard information and planning and action opportunities to all parties. These plans are increasingly important in Hawaii, which faces unique wildfire threats that are becoming more challenging due to increasing ignitions, drought episodes, and land use changes.

Wildfires have great impacts on Maui residents and natural resources, affecting:

• Daily life (road closures, traffic, evacuations, post-fire flooding, taxpayer dollars)
• Human health and safety (dust, smoke, water quality, burned homes and structures, resident and firefighter safety)
• Ecosystem health and resilience (watersheds, forests, coral reefs, fisheries)

Wildfire Basics for Professionals: Resiliency for Land-Use and Community Planners

This 2-pager is a great reference for land-use and community planners to put firewise concepts to use while planning for the long-term resiliency of any community that is in the planning stages.

Planners are an important part of a Fire-adapted community where informed and prepared citizens collaboratively plan and take action to safely co-exist with wildfire. Using planning methods proven to increase community survivability and resiliency during wildfires tend to be very cost effective when compared to retroactive solutions to mitigate community damages to wildfire.

We recommend all community and land-use planners take these firewise details into consideration to promote the long-term preparedness and safety of communities, especially ones located in areas of high fire risk.

2018-19 Rapid Assessment of Vegetation Management Results

In Hawaii, wildfire has devastating impacts on our communities and native ecosystems. With land use and climate changes, wildfire is a significant and growing hazard in many places across Hawaii. 

Research in wildfire science shows that vegetation is a key ingredient in the recipe for recurring wildfire. Vegetation management is essential for wildfire hazard mitigation strategies that:

• reduce wildfire hazard;

• create safer conditions for firefighters; and

• serve as key climate adaptation strategies for our communities, economies and environment.  

Fire follows fuel and the impacts do not abide by property boundaries. Therefore, reducing wildfire hazard is a landscape-level issue that we need to collaboratively tackle together to create safer and more wildfire resilient communities.

In 2015, HWMO’s Technical Advisory Committee, comprised of more than 35 fire and natural resource experts from across the state, discussed Hawaii’s lack of consolidated landscape-level information on vegetative fire fuels treatments. 

To start to fill the gap, HWMO conducted a Rapid Mapping Assessment and facilitated Collaborative Action Planning on Vegetation Management in 2018-19 to:

• Better understand all of the important hazard reduction already happening by diverse land managers;

• Identify and prioritize actions that address the island-wide fire issue to optimize expenditures and efforts and maximize protection at the landscape-scale;

• To kick-start collaboration, information sharing, and integrate fire-thinking into current activities to address the cross-boundary fire risk.

We thank State Division of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Hawaiʻi CTAHR Cooperative Extension, and Pacific Fire Exchange for their collaborative support on this project. Funding was provided by Hawaiʻi State Grant-in-Aid Program, 2016, and the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, under the terms of Grant No. 16-11052012-146 and No. 17-DG-11052012-143. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

We also thank the many mapping participants, workshop attendees, and survey respondents who made this all possible!

The summary results of the Rapid Mapping Assessment and Collaborative Action Planning can be found below.

Hawaiʻi Statewide Summary

Hawaiʻi Island

Lānaʻi

Maui

Molokaʻi

Oʻahu

Kauaʻi

Building a Wildfire Resistant Home: Codes and Costs

“A new home built to wildfire-resistant codes can be constructed for roughly the same cost as a typical home.” -Headwaters Economics

This paper by headwaters Economics illustrates the ways that constructing a wildfire resistant home can actually be comparable to the cost of constructing a home that is not wildfire resistant. If you are looking at building a home, or remodeling your current building, consider reading through this guide to learn how to reduce your risk of wildfire devastation.

From the source:

“This study finds negligible cost differences between a typical home and a home constructed using wildfire-resistant materials and design features.”

Wildfire LOOKOUT! Flyer

Click to enlarge the front page of the flyer.

Wildfires are a frequent and significant hazard across Hawaii.

Help do your part by preventing wildfire and following these 14 easy action ideas to prepare your home, family, and community. 

2017 Wildfire in Hawaii - PFX Annual Summary

Check out this brand new resource to learn how the wildfire season went in Hawaii in 2017 with this Pacific Fire Exchange fact sheet. Download the full fact sheet by clicking the button below.

"Every wildfire incident is part of a larger pattern of wildfire occurrence and is an opportunity to gain experience and insight for wildfire management. Taking a look at both the big picture and individual fires can: Deepen and expand our understanding of wildfire drivers, behavior, and response; improve wildfire response, management, and science; reduce negative impacts on individuals, communities, natural resources, and response agency budgets."

Wildfire in Hawaii Factsheet

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Did you know that the average area burned per year in Hawaii has increased 400% over the past century? Check out this Pacific Fire Exchange fact sheet that presents Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization's State Wildfire History Map and Dr. Clay Trauernichts' key findings from his research on the scale and scope of wildfire in Hawaii.

"Over the past decade, an average of >1000 wildfires burned >17,000 acres each year in Hawai‘i, with the percentage of total land area burned comparable to and often exceeding figures for the fire-prone western US (Fig. 1). Humans have caused much of the increase in wildfire threat by increasing the abundance of ignitions (Fig. 2) and introducing nonnative, fire-prone grasses and shrubs. Nonnative grasslands and shrublands now cover nearly one quarter of Hawaii's total land area and, together with a warming, drying climate and year round fire season, greatly increase the incidence of larger fires (Fig. 3), especially in leeward areas. Wildfires were once limited in Hawai‘i to active volcanic eruptions and infrequent dry lightning strikes. However, the dramatic increase in wildfire prevalence poses serious threats to human safety, infrastructure, agricultural production, cultural resources, native ecosystems, watershed functioning, and nearshore coastal resources statewide."

Hawaii Wildfire Impacts Flyer

Hawaii has a devastating wildfire problem. While under-publicized nationally, the scale and scope of wildfires in Hawaii are extreme. Take a look and please share widely!

Climate Change Impacts on Wildfires in Hawaii

As climate change continues to reshape the lands and waters of Hawaii, wildfire will be increasingly on the radar. Climate change contributes to conditions known to increase wildfire hazard. More wildfires in Hawaii mean less native forests and drinking water and more erosion/runoff, coastal brownouts, and communities at risk. Please share this infographic far and wide and remember, there is a lot you can do to protect your family, home, and community!

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Hawaiian Fire Potential Outlook Products

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March - June 2017 weather conditions that affect fire potential in Hawaii.

Stay up-to-date about various weather and fuels conditions in Hawaii that affect fire potential with this useful service from North Ops Predictive Services meteorologists. 4-month Significant Fire Potential Outlook products are available as a "pdf", powerpoint, or video.