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Mission Springs –
Wildfire Risk Reduction Assessment

Project Partners

Mission Springs Camp and Conference Center

Overview of Actions

ARC Forestry collaborated with and interviewed various core team members at Mission Springs Camp and Conference Center to evaluate the landscape conditions and existing wildfire preparedness to develop a Wildfire Risk Reduction Assessment (WRRA). The purpose of a WRRA is to identify and recommend operational improvements and fuels reduction treatments that should be implemented to reduce the risk of wildfire to key infrastructure and assets and increase the safety of those residing in and near wildlands with consideration to long-term ecosystem health.

To develop the WRRA, ARC Forestry conducted a several-day evaluation meeting with critical staff during the busiest operational days to consider the flow of people in and out of the facility. During onsite evaluations, ARC Forestry field verified defensible space and vegetation treatment prescriptions to develop priority treatment recommendations.

ARC Forestry provided priority recommendations centered on increasing safety for day to day operations that consider future budgeting and planning efforts for the Mission Springs Camp and Conference Center. Recommendations encompass a range of actions that consider the composite whole of camp operations, such as updating emergency operations maps and evacuation plans, implementing strategic vegetation management treatments, general staff training concepts, and equipment purchases to increase in-house capacity for management and emergency response. These recommendations are presented in the following categories and are provided with estimated costs: 10 critical/immediate priority actions, 5 high priority actions, 5 moderate priority actions, and 5 low priority actions.

Treatment Status

A completed WRRA that supported reduced insurance premiums and actions that included the purchase of several critical pieces of equipment for wildfire resilience and camp safety. Generated an emergency operations map with a QR code so that the map can be shared with visitors and incoming emergency personnel. Staff experienced a recent ignition in 2025 in a parking lot that engulfed multiple vehicles, but did not spread due to fuels reduction treatments installed next to the parking lot and Staff response.

LOCATION

Santa Cruz County

TREATMENT ATTRIBUTES

  • Wildfire Preparedness
  • Forest Health Fuels Reduction
  • Forest Density Reduction/Large Tree Restoration
  • Roadside Treatments
  • Defensible space
  • Hazard Tree Removal
  • Invasive Species Management

PROJECT COMPONENTS

Documentation

  • Wildfire Risk Reduction Assessment – developed

Field & Operations

  • Operational field verification and mapping completed to support treatment operations

STAFF INVOLVED

  • Steve Auten, Owner/RPF – project design and strategy, field verification and evaluations
  • Shelby Kranich, Director of Forest Resilience – direction, mapping, field verification and evaluations, and WRRA development
  • David Van Lennep, Chief Forester of Operations – direction, operational planning, and field verification and evaluations
  • Chloe Knowd, Senior Associate Forester – field verification and evaluations