NEWS RELEASE

NACD Releases Updated Wildfire Desk Guide

WASHINGTON – The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced today the release of an updated Wildfire Desk Guide.  Created in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the Wildfire Desk Guide is a resource for conservation districts and organizations to advance the goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy.

“We are pleased to partner with NACD on the development of this desk guide,” said U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief, State and Private Forestry Jaelith Hall-Rivera.  “The partnership and support of the locally led conservation process is crucial in developing and implementing wildfire strategies that reduce wildfire occurrence and impacts by building resilience in our communities.  Conservation districts play key roles in building community resilience, emergency preparedness, and post-wildfire restoration and recovery.”

Equipped with tools for increasing emergency preparedness and wildfire recovery, the guide outlines four areas to develop cohesive wildfire strategy planning.  These four areas include and cover:

• Understanding the Need for Cohesive Strategy

Stresses the importance of reducing human-caused starts, increasing the pace and scale of land management operations, and implementing mitigation measures to minimize risk to homes and communities.  Amplifies the importance of developing a cohesive strategy that considers all stakeholders to the community.

• Partnerships and Actions

Provides a roadmap to coordinate priorities and assess resources between partners while covering unique boundaries and regions to develop a cohesive plan amongst partners that serves all.

• Implementation of Cohesive Strategy Goal Areas

Focuses on fire-adapted communities and restoring and maintaining landscapes, the importance of collaboratively developed community wildfire protection plans amongst agencies responsible for wildfire management and outlines the value of training to help communities acquire grant funding for fire mitigation.  Outlines how to work with agencies and organizations (e.g., Federal Emergency Management Agency) when responding to post-disaster recovery.

• Science and Assessments

Reviews previous assessments conducted surrounding cohesive strategy and stresses the need for all participating partners to utilize the best science available when implementing those strategies.  Discusses the ever-present threat of climate change and how that will affect future natural disasters.

The actions identified in the newly released Wildfire Desk Guide were set forth by participants in the Winds, Water, and Wildfires Summits hosted by NACD.  The guide can be used as a universal tool when creating fire-adapted communities pre/post-fire.

For more information on the Wildfire Desk Guide, please visit the NACD website.

About the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nearly 3,000 conservation districts across the United States, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 75 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit www.nacdnet.org.