Perspective

The key to developing and implementing a successful community prevention/education program is community support. It follows that the program provides accurate science to support treatment. It must also project positive, emotional criteria. Generally, people who live in wildland urban interface communities love their trees and feel strongly about property rights. Ruidoso’s Community Forest Management Plan and the ordinances that require wildfire hazard abatement enable residents to achieve requirements and still maintain the “flavor” of a mountain community. Required fuels management standards address ground fire management and asset protection(defensible space). This is coupled with a lot assessment by the Village forester and the property owner. The forester explains the objective standards and the more subjective forest health and landscape opportunities. The property owner can choose if a particular tree or group of trees is a landscape element such as a visual blind, shade, or noise barrier. Emotional elements such as wildlife habitat or the ability to sit on their deck and watch a bird in a particular tree are considered. An “added value concept” is always explained to every property owner. The idea that creating defensible space while maintaining landscape elements increases property values as well as reducing the wildfire hazard. This philosophy of implementation projected through the lot assessments and the public awareness campaign, has gained much support in the community.

A unique challenge to developing a fire prevention plan for the Ruidoso community was that it had been rated #1 in New Mexico and #2 in the nation at risk to catastrophic wildfire. Demographic and

administrative challenges also existed. As many as 50% of the property owners are absentee owners. In the mid 1990's, one needed a permit to cut any tree greater than 5” in circumference. The real estate community as well as the general public perception was that 800-1000 trees per acre are healthy and pristine ecosystems. Developing a strong scientific argument in terms of why fuels reduction was a necessary first step. The Fuels Management Standards, which are the nuts and bolts of the hazard abatement requirements, were peer reviewed by the USFS, NM State Forestry and the Ecological Restoration

Institute at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. The “added value concept” helps the general public better understand the benefits to individual property owners.

The capacity of the Village services and systems has been enhanced. Quantity and quality of contract sawyers, transportation and disposal/utilization systems are key elements to implementing a community prevention plan. The number of companies offering tree thinning and removal services has increased from two in 1998 to twenty in 2004. The Village now has the capacity to transport and dispose/utilize the projected requirements of the Community Forest Management Plan.

Good science objectively answers why fuels reduction is needed. The Village provides technical assistance as well as services to pickup and transport forest debris to a utilization contractor. It also requires the work be done through compliance with ordinance. Getting people emotionally behind this program is a long term endeavor. The most important component of the Community Forest Management Plan is public awareness and promotions. A twelve month, repeatable, public awareness tasking cycle is being developed to promote awareness of the community’s values at risk and throughout the years ahead. The Plan targets: residents who understand and will comply; residents who cannot comply due to finance; and residents who will not comply. Resources include creation of an informational text and website to disseminate information. Additional elements of the Public Awareness Campaign include: financial assistance and volunteer programs, cable TV promotions,

personal appearances, library of videos and rental program, and the Firesmart neighborhood program. The “added value concept” is the single most effective tool the Village has employed to bring the general public on board with the Community Forest Management Plan. Property owners of Ruidoso are beginning to understand the hazards of wildfire. It appears they are very willing to achieve required standards if given the opportunity to participate in the decisions with regard to their property.