To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Regional Parks
Staff Name and Phone Number: Hattie Brown, 707-565-3220
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
As-Needed Professional Services Agreement with Audubon Canyon Ranch for Prescribed Fire Implementation on Regional Parks
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Director of Regional Parks to execute an as-needed professional services agreement with Audubon Canyon Ranch, in a form approved by County Counsel, for prescribed burn services not to exceed $500,000, effective for three years with an option to extend the agreement for two additional years.
end
Executive Summary:
The County of Sonoma owns or operates over 16,000 acres of land throughout Sonoma County which are managed by Sonoma County Regional Parks. Vegetation conditions across Regional Parks are emblematic of the county, the greater region, and the West, where exclusion of prescribed fire has contributed to heavy fuel buildup, crowded forest understory conditions, and heavy thatch buildup in grasslands. These landscape conditions, against a backdrop of climate change, exacerbate the impacts of wildfire. Reintroduction of prescribed fire and/or cultural burning can help reverse this trend, improve ecosystem health, and increase resilience to catastrophic wildfire.
The Director of Regional Parks requests authorization to execute an agreement with Audubon Canyon Ranch (ACR) to implement prescribed fire activities across multiple Regional Parks in the coming years. In a separate consent item being brought to the Board on October 18, 2022, the Director of Regional Parks is requesting authorization to enter into seven (7) new multi-year Open Scope Professional Service Agreements for planning and permitting services for vegetation management including forestry, grazing, or prescribed fire planning. This item is specific to prescribed fire implementation. Implementation of prescribed fire requires a qualified Burn Boss. ACR’s Fire Forward program is unique in our region as a prescribed fire provider with a State of California qualified Burn Boss on staff.
ACR and other private Burn Bosses do not typically assume full liability for burn operations, and therefore, the County, as the property owner, would remain responsible for many of the potential risks from the proposed burns, including damages resulting from an escaped fire. Therefore, department staff will work with County Counsel, Human Resources, andRisk Management to mitigate risk through contract language, safety protocols, liability waivers, and insurance. Despite these measures, using prescribed fire carries certain risks that cannot be mitigated, although the benefits of prescribed fire may outweigh these risks.
Discussion:
The Fire Forward program at Audubon Canyon Ranch (ACR) is a science-based, fully qualified prescribed fire service provider, the only such in our region. By contracting with ACR, Regional Parks will have the ability to make use of their support for prescribed fire projects from start to finish, including burn plan development, permitting, coordination of resources and equipment, provision of a fireline-qualified crews and full operational command of prescribed fire through mop-up. ACR has a State of California qualified Burn Boss on staff who is authorized to administer prescribed fire within the state. A Burn Boss a State-Certified individual to perform, develop, and implement a burn plan; as well as to monitor fire effects, maintain prescriptive requirements, and conduct an After-Action Review. ACR’s Fire Forward program has supported and executed numerous safe, successful prescribed burns across the North Bay region in recent years, and working with ACR allows for a robust and unique opportunity to support local workforce development, open public lands to the benefits of prescribed fire for prescribed fire training exchange (TREX) events, and facilitate Tribal participation in restoring “good fire” to our landscape.
In 2021, Regional Parks, in partnership with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) and Sonoma County Water Agency, released a Request for Proposals for prescribed burn services, in the hope of being able to execute one or more open-scope professional services agreements with qualified Burn Bosses. No proposals were received; because of this, Regional Parks staff reached out directly to ACR to discuss a services agreement given the organization’s unique qualifications for prescribed burn services.
The Director requests authorization to negotiate and execute a three-year agreement with ACR for prescribed burn services on property owned by the County, with an option to extend the agreement for an additional two years at the election of Director, in an amount not to exceed $500,000.00 over the entire term of the agreement.
ACR and other private Burn Bosses do not typically assume full liability for burn operations, and therefore, the County, as the property owner, would remain responsible for many of the potential risks from the proposed burns, including damages resulting from an escaped fire. Recent state legislation (SB-332) provides a limited immunity to the County for damages caused by negligent prescribed burns - but the legislation only applies to fire suppression, rescue or emergency medical services, fire investigation, and other related costs - and would not extend to property damage or personal injury from escaped fire. Regional Parks staff will work with County Counsel and Risk Management to mitigate risk through contract language, safety protocols, liability waivers, and insurance. Despite these measures, using prescribed fire carries certain risks that cannot be mitigated, although the benefits of prescribed fire may outweigh these risks.
Exact timing for implementation of any prescribed burn events is yet to be determined, however, in the near-term of the agreement, Regional Parks anticipates working with ACR to implement prescribed fire on parklands as a part of the upcoming 2022 North Bay TREX event scheduled for the fall and winter of 2022-2023. TREX is prescribed fire training opportunity where participants learn and practice the use of prescribed fire through implementation. This would be the second such TREX in the county, the first of which occurred in the fall of 2020 and exclusively on private lands as no agreement was in place to facilitate burning on public land.
Participants are often a mix of staff from federal, state, tribal, non-governmental agencies, and universities. Participants are highly trained with a minimum certification as Fire Firefighter Type 2 by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and will have appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The upcoming 2022 North Bay TREX is fiscally supported in part by the Sonoma Valley Wildlands Collaborative a six-member group of organizations including Regional Parks and Ag + Open Space.
Regional Parks will conduct public outreach and appropriate environmental review prior to any burning.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Climate Action and Resiliency
Goal: Goal 1: Continue to invest in wildfire preparedness and resiliency strategies
Objective: Objective 2: Expand outreach and education on vegetation management and provide additional resources to land owners to help mitigate fire risk. Contracting with ACR directly supports the Climate Action and Resilience pillar and increases resilience and wildfire preparedness through the use of prescribed fire.
Prior Board Actions:
April 19, 2022: Acting as the Board of Directors of Ag + Open Space, authorized Cal Fire Cooperative Prescribed Burning Agreement for Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve and Professional Services Agreement with Audubon Canyon Ranch for Prescribed Burn Implementation on District Fee Lands.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$20,000 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$20,000 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
$20,000 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$20,000 |
$100,000 |
$100,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
In FY 22-23, any work performed will be paid for from Measure M. Adequate appropriations of $20,000 are in existing in the FY 22-23 Budget. For subsequent years, this contract will be paid for by Measure M or any additional available grant funds. Anticipating an increase in the pace and scale of prescribed fire implementation, we project an increase in funding up to $100,000 per year in subsequent fiscal years up to the full term of this agreement which is three total years with an option to extend the agreement for two additional years. Future needs will be included in the budgets for subsequent years.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None.
Attachments:
None.
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.