||| FROM THE WILDLIFE NEWS |||
I have written numerous critiques of the current fire policies that primarily focus on hinterland fuel reduction by logging and prescribed burning. While some limited use of these strategies has a place in reducing fire risk to homes, the main emphasis should be on the house and surroundings.
The Eaton Fire was primarily an urban fire that devastated the community of Altadena, CA. Photo by George Wuerthner
The most significant home losses are not due to wildfires in the forest but due to urban fires. Firefighters are overwhelmed once numerous homes are ignited, and house-to-house fires continue in a domino effect.
However, what are the primary areas or ways that homeowners can “harden” their property to improve the chances that their homes will survive a wildfire?
It is fire brands, not a wall of flames, that ignites most homes. Photo by George Wuerthner
People must first recognize that most structures ignite from embers, not a wall of flames as we often imagine. This video, which features fire researcher Jack Cohen, is worth watching.
Second, radiant heat ignites homes, with the heat from a neighbor’s home causing the ignition of adjacent homes. A burning home puts out far more “radiant” heat than a wind-driven wildfire. Wildfires may indeed have high temperatures, but they usually only last for a short time in any one place before the wind pushes the flames and heat to a new location.
This home near Lake Tahoe is a waiting time bomb. There is no defensible space. Trees and shrub vegetation nearly smother the home. The wooden deck is likely to be one of the factors that a fire will ignite, eventually burning down the rest of the home. Photo by George Wuerthner
However, if a home is burning, it pushes out more heat for an extended period of time, plus the construction of materials in a typical home includes flammable substances.
Logging and prescribed burns in the hinterlands do nothing to reduce wind-blown embers or radiant heat.
DEFENSIBLE SPACE
The first thing a homeowner can do is create defensible space. Usually, this means reducing or eliminating flammable brush, grasses, and trees adjacent to within five feet of a home. Have a five-foot margin of gravel, cement, or other non-flammable materials. Clearing these fuels 30 feet or so from the house is typically sufficient. Clearance of more than 100 feet usually provides no further protection. It’s essential to note that clearing trees and shrubs doesn’t necessarily mean you must eliminate all of these plants. For instance, one can trim lower branches on boles, but one doesn’t need to remove entire trees.
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Thank-you for republishing this, Lin.
It can be hard to remove plants that you love that are growing close to one’s home.
I have been gradually removing more and more of a shore pine that was growing quite to our home when we moved in. The pine was as high as the roof. But now it is a beautiful bonsai growing over a large boulder.
This video demonstrates how some evergreen conifers, such as Italian Cypress, are very, very flammable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQqytPEL9QU
After I watched this video, I was motivated to further thin my dwindling shore pine bonsai.
I should probably completely remove it.
Fine-needled evergreens, even dwarf junipers, are dangerous during wildfires, especially if they have been allowed to accumulate dead material with lots of surface area that is easily ignited by embers.
Here is a seven-minute video that gives guidance on fire-smart landscaping:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUI6hUY9Nq8