The Yakama Nation Fuels Management’s goal is to return or maintain desired ecological conditions on the Yakama Reservation and off- reservation satellite trust lands. The program aims to protect, establish, promote, enhance, maintain, and rehabilitate fire adapted ecosystems.

Fuels Management accomplishes their goals through two major programs; Hazardous Fuels Reduction (HFR) and Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).

HFR projects target fire hazard zones and lessen the risk of catastrophic fire while maintaining or enhancing forest and wildland health. HFR activities include; prescribed burning, biological reduction, mechanical reduction, and pre-commercial thinning and slashing treatment.

The WUI program recognizes that many people are living in the forests, rangelands, and other critical areas that may be affected by wildland fire.  The WUI project includes; Home Assessments (determining the fire risk of individual homes), fuels reductions around homes, and providing wildland fire education to the community.

Yakama Nation Fuels has teamed up with Yakima County Fire Dist. 5 and the Student Conservation Association to aid with the WUI efforts.

The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is one of the oldest and largest conservation organizations in the United States. SCA engages young people in hands-on service to the land in parks, forests and other green spaces in all 50 states. Among its many projects, SCA sponsors the Fire Education Corps, in which teams of young people educate homeowners and communities about how to protect their properties from wildland fire.

Here in Yakima Valley a SCA Fire Education Team is working with Yakama Nation Fuels Management and Yakima County Fire Dist. 5. The team of 5 will be completing wildland fire risk home assessments, fuels reductions, and community education and outreach. We look forward to meeting you!

For more information on the SCA go to: www.thesca.org