This defensible space project is located on national forest land adjacent to private homes in the Crooked River and Newsome watersheds, in the Clearwater Basin. There are four goals to this project:

• Reduce the potential and intensity of wildfire
• Provide for fire fighter safety in and around at-risk structures
• Provide training and employment opportunities to learn forest and fuels reduction skills in an educational participatory environment
• Study the marketability of merchantable materials

These goals will be met through two defensible space projects on the southern and western, fire prone sides of the Elk City Township. Twelve sites will be treated in the Newsome watershed and eight sites will be treated in the Crooked River watershed.

The need for this project stems from high fuel loads, an overcrowded understory and the high mortality rate of a forest that is comprised of 70% lodgepole pine, which is at the end of its life cycle and heavily infested with Pine Beetle. The result will be defensible space around private and historic structures located the the Newsome Creek and Crooked River drainages. Such space will help protect these structures in the event of wildfire emergencies. It is recommended that vegatative growth on federally managed land that is near structures, such as homes and historic sites, be removed or thinned. This action will reduce the potential for and intensity of wildfire danger thus creating safer ares where firefighters will have a higher likelihood of successful protection. This project is also aimed at providing training and employment opportunites to the local workforce to learn general forest and fuels reduction skills in an educational, participatory environment and to test the marketing of submerchantible materials. Support for this project comes from the USDA Nez Perce National Forest, private land owners, recreational user groups and community organizations. Success will provide job and training opportunities, market development for low value materials and expanded collaboration between federal agencies and the community.

The environmental analysis for these projects sites was completed and a decision to proceed was made October, 2003. The following prescription will be applied:

• Pruning of limbs to a maximum height of 18 feet above ground, tapering to 6 feet within a distance of 200 feet from structures
• Thin trees to expand the crown spacing
• Remove brush, hazard, dead and sapling trees
• Lop and scatter or pile and burning of thinned material

Additionally, FOC worked with the Red River District fish biologist to designate and drop trees for fish habitat improvement.

Forest Service personnel will provide project specifications and direction for anadromous fish habitat improvement. Combined, twenty-six to thirty acres of federally managed land will be treated. To be most effective and create a wider defensible zone, FOC applied for and was awarded Idaho Department of Lands, Stevens Funds, to effect treatment on the adjoining private property. This project should be completed by November, 2005.

Historic Ragg Station Trail 2002 and 2004 Project