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For Decision Makers

CWPP Overview Sheet

HWMO has helped develop Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for most of the priority fire-prone regions of Hawaii. The plans assesses values at risk such as safety, natural resource protection, recreation, scenic values, and economic assets. Through a collaborative process involving input from community members, resource management and firefighting agencies, and a variety of other interested parties, CWPPs help bring wildfire hazard information and planning and action opportunities to all parties.

CWPP Small Group Facilitation Guide

Print-out providing a layout for small group collaboration during Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Community Meetings.

Hawaii State Wildfire History Interactive Map - Geoportal

Hawaii State Wildfire History Interactive Map - Geoportal

The Hawaii State Wildfire History HWMO spearheaded comes to life in this interactive map, made possible by our friends at UH Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR). Click around the map to locate wildfires that have occurred from 2002-2011 across the entire state and track down their sizes (acreage burned).

Hawaii Wildfire Interactive Webapp

The Hawaii Wildfire webapp visualizes wildfire data across Hawaii. It has four types of data: fire history, community hazard assessments, community input information, and census data.

State of Hawaii Wildfire History Map (1999-2022)

This is an update to the wildfire incident map published in 2014. HWMO compiled fire event records from federal, state, and local fire agencies from across the board, and then staff spent countless hours putting together these records (1999-2022), checked data, and geo-located each fire. 

CWPP Overview Sheet

HWMO has helped develop Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for most of the priority fire-prone regions of Hawaii. The plans assesses values at risk such as safety, natural resource protection, recreation, scenic values, and economic assets. Through a collaborative process involving input from community members, resource management and firefighting agencies, and a variety of other interested parties, CWPPs help bring wildfire hazard information and planning and action opportunities to all parties.

Northwest Hawaii Island CWPP - 2007 (Updated 2016)

Community Wildfire Protection Plans are a great planning tool for communities and have become a prerequisite for receiving federal funding for wildfire protection projects. A CWPP assists a community in identifying and prioritizing areas for hazardous fuel reduction treatments and supports communities to take action. The plan assesses values at risk such as safety, natural resource protection, recreation, scenic values, and economic assets. Through a collaborative process involving input from community members, resource management and firefighting agencies, and a variety of other interested parties, CWPPs help bring wildfire hazard information and planning and action opportunities to all parties. These plans are increasingly important in Hawaii, which faces unique wildfire threats that are becoming more challenging due to increasing ignitions, drought episodes, and land use changes.

Wildfires have great impacts on Hawaii Island residents and natural resources, affecting:
• Daily life (road closures, traffic, evacuations, post-fire flooding, taxpayer dollars)
• Human health and safety (dust, smoke, water quality, burned homes and structures, resident and firefighter safety)
• Ecosystem health and resilience (watersheds, forests, coral reefs, fisheries)

HWMO has helped develop this CWPP and the 2016 update for the Northwest region of Hawaii Island.

Although there is no requirement to update the CWPPs, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO) staff, and technical advisors determined an update would be an important tool to revitalize community engagement and action in wildfire protection and hazard reduction activities. In addition, the community input and action projects needed to be updated. Wildfire hazard is predicted to increase with high vegetation and continued drought.

Community input is critical to making the plan a living document that can be used as a resource to help guide community associations, fire agencies, landowners, and natural resource agencies toward meeting their fire protection goals. The CWPP Update process provided a venue for residents and agency personnel to discuss wildfire concerns and brainstorm solutions together.