The Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) - The Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) provides communities with a tremendous opportunity to influence where and how federal agencies implement fuel reduction projects on federal lands. A CWPP is the most effective way to take advantage of this opportunity. Additionally, communities with CWPPs in place will be given priority for funding of hazardous fuels reduction projects carried out under the auspices of the HFRA.

In the context of the HFRA, a CWPP offers a variety of benefits to communities at risk from wildland fire. Among those benefits is the opportunity to establish a localized definition and boundary for the wildland–urban interface. In the absence of a CWPP, the HFRA limits the wildland urban interface to within 1/2 mile of a community’s boundary or within 1½ miles when mitigating circumstances exist, such as sustained steep slopes or geographic features aiding in creating a fire break.  Fuels treatments can occur along evacuation routes regardless of their distance from the community.  The Emergency Management Department and regional fire chiefs and other fire personnel, in conjunction with Willdan Homeland Solutions divided these plans into northern and southern regions as each region contains different climate and fuels, requiring different mitigation, response and protective measures.