The purpose of the good neighbor authority agreement is to fund hazardous fuels reduction maintenance projects from 20232027 in allakaket alaska

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) awarded a $772,947.99 Cooperative Agreement under the Good Neighbor Authority (CFDA 15.015) program to the Allakaket Village tribal government. The purpose of this award is to fund hazardous fuels reduction and maintenance projects from 2023-2027 in Allakaket, Alaska. The Allakaket Tribal Council will use the funds to hire qualified local and other workers to accomplish fuels reduction and maintenance activities, which will make the community more resilient to the threat of wildland fire. This is a critical need for the remote, fire-dependent ecosystem of interior Alaska, which has been assessed as moderate to high risk for wildland fire impacts. The funding will support creating and maintaining defensible space around critical infrastructure and community buildings, as well as reducing fire risks associated with the community landfill.

The allakaket tribal council will be the beneficiaries of this award and will use funds to hire qualified local workers and or other qualified workers to accomplish fuels reduction maintenance projects to make the communities more resilient from the threat of wildland fire.interior alaska is a fire dependent ecosystem and due to forest structure age fire suppression activities and remoteness from wildland fire suppression resources fire poses a direct threat to the community of allakaket.a community wildfire risk assessment completed in 2019 by the BLM alaska fire service rates the community at moderate to high risk from impacts from wildland fire. The community has made strides to lower its risk as a fire break was created adjacent to the community in 2012 with funding from association of council presidents avcp. Intermittent maintenance has occurred however grass shrubs and saplings have and will continue to encroach making the fuel break less effective. Also unauthorized burning in the communitys landfill has caused several fires to escape into the wildlands in recent years.landfill fires pose not only a threat to the community but they are also difficult to manage as not to expose first responders to the burning of nonorganic material. By cutting and removing grass and brush around the landfill will reduce the threat of wildland fire propagation. Finally by creating and maintaining defensible space around critical infrastructure community buildings following firewise methodology the community will be more resilient to the threat of wildland fire provide a strategic operational advantage for fire management and most importantly provide for the safety of community members and first responders.