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Hazards •Conduct Fire Hazard Assessment with Fire Modeling Assets •Review Existing Fuel Reduction Efforts •Identify High Valued Resources and Assets (HVRAs) Risk •Use Fire Hazard Results to Calculate Risk to HVRAs, including Community Access Routes Projects •Determine Priority Areas and Projects Based on Fire Hazard and Risk •Estimate Net Cost/Revenue of Fuel Treatments Impacts •Conduct Environmental Review •Implement Fuel Treatment Projects Wildfire Risk Mitigation Plan Development Fuel Breaks The primary goal of a fuel break or shaded fuel break project is to change the behavior of a fire entering the fuel- altered zone. A fuel break is constructed by removing all or the majority of vegetation in a specific strategic area. A shaded fuel break is constructed by thinning the tree canopy and understory to reduce the potential for a fire to move quickly through an area or into the canopy. Roadside Fuel Reduction Roadside fuel reduction consists of removing or thinning vegetation on either side of a road for the purpose of decreasing ignitions, reducing ingress/egress obstructions, and increasing emergency vehicle access. Reduced fuel along roadways also provides safety for fire suppression personnel using roads as fire control lines. Roadside fuel reduction projects are typically completed using mechanical mowers, masticators, and hand crews. Fuel Management Zone Fuel management zones are broad areas where the natural vegetative cover is reduced in density, though not usually to the level of a fuel break. After the installation of the treatment prescription, fuel ladders and surface fuels are greatly reduced and overstory and understory vegetation is spatially separated so that a ground fire will not burn too hot or Defensible Space Zone Defensible space is an area surrounding a parcel or community where basic wildland fire protection practices and measures are implemented, providing a key point of defense from an approaching wildfire. The defensible space zone is the area encompassing the parcel and surrounding the physical structure itself. climb into the canopy and turn into a crown fire.