Lower Mattole Fire-Safe Council
Overview
The Lower Mattole Fire Safe Council (LMFSC) was founded in 2002.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Lower Mattole Fire Safe Council is to reduce risks and minimize damage to life, property, and the environment from wildfire, by coordinating efforts to fund and implement fire-safe education and projects in the Lower Mattole.
Goals & Objectives
- Reduce wildland fuel loads in and around our neighborhoods, thus reducing the danger to life, property, and the environment
- Increase availability of water resources for wildland firefighting by strategic placement of water tanks and ponds
- Assist local firefighting agencies in creating, maintaining, and distributing a firefighters information atlas
- Promote healthy forest and rangeland ecosystems by reduction of hazardous fuels
- Promote creation of shaded fuel breaks in appropriate locations
- Educate and assist private landowners in prioritizing and implementing fire-safe practices
- Enhance communication between our community and firefighting agencies
- Implement the Lower Mattole fire plan with ongoing monitoring and evaluation
- Assist those in the community who need help fire-safing their homes and property
Since its inception, the LMFSC has partnered closely with the Mattole Restoration Council (MRC) on fuels reduction and fire safety projects. One such project is participation in the Fire-adapted Landscapes and Safe Homes (FLASH) program—a rebate program that reimburses property owners for hazardous vegetation management completed on their properties. The LMFSC and the MRC collaborated with the Humboldt County FSC in the development of the Lower Mattole Community Wildfire Protection Plan, with involvement from local, state, and federal land and fire management agencies, as well as officials from CAL FIRE and State Parks. Honeydew and Petrolia are communities in the lower Mattole that have been recognized Firewise communities since 2011.