Coarsegold Resource Conservation District

FUEL REDUCTION & FIRE PROTECTION

Photo by California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
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The Sierra Nevada Mountains, with their rugged terrain and majestic forests create wonderful views and a peaceful living environment. But with the dry summers they also create the most severe wildfire conditions in the world.

The native trees and shrubs found in the forest are fire adapted plants. Fire played a major role in their development and in the evolution of our forest ecosystems. Prior to the 1900's, fires set by lightning and by California's indigenous people periodically burned the forests. Low intensity fires were useful in clearing out small trees, shrubs and dead or dying plants.  Frequently this gave the forests a "park-like" appearance, with widely spaced large trees, a scattering of brush, and some large expanses of grassy areas. With settlement by Euro-Americans came a policy of preventing fires and quickly suppressing those that started. Over the decades this has resulted in an extreme buildup of fuel in the forest and the occurrence of more devastating wildfires. Trees now grow closer together with intertwined canopies and the density of shrubs is much greater. This increase in fuels makes it extremely difficult, and often impossible, to control forest fires once they start. The intermingling of tree canopies provides a highway for fire to spread through the forest.

Agencies with responsibilities for managing wildland and forest resources and for fire management, such as the US Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, now realize that these forests must be managed to reduce fuel loads which reduces the potential for catastrophic wildfires. Experience and research have shown that selective removal of trees to create larger spaces between remaining trees and reduce the amount of fuel present, is an effective means to reducing the wildfire threat. Also, removal of dead or dying trees reduces a highly flammable fuel from the forest. These trees are also likely to fall and lay on the forest floor, where they may be intermingled with brush creating a significant wildfire hazard. Brush control is also essential for reducing the wildfire potential. Large patches of brush or brush directly beneath the canopy of trees, can also lead to catastrophic wildfire.

Whether in the forest or around homes, fuel reduction is often needed to protect natural and personal resources, including homes. The goal is to eliminate unnaturally large amounts of fuel and the "fuel ladder." Selective removal of trees and shrubs will reduce the total amount of fuel present reducing the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Vegetation management can also eliminate the "fuel ladder," where grass grows beneath brush that grows beneath trees providing fire with an easy route from the ground to tree canopies.

Excessive amounts of fuel have built up in forests, woodlands and rural subdivisions as fire can longer be allowed to perform its ecological role. Prior to the 1900's, fires begun by lightning or indigenous residents periodically burned the forest and oak woodlands. These low intensity fires cleared out small trees, shrubs and dead or dying plants, reducing the amount of fuel present and making catastrophic fires very rare. Now rural property owners should take steps to create defensible space around buildings by manipulating their vegetation.

California law currently requires a 30 foot defensible space around all structures. (A new law effective January 1, 2005, requires that the minimum clearance requirement is now extended to 100 feet.)   Available research indicates that the 30 foot requirement should be revised to 100 feet on level parcels and up to 400 feet down slope on steep parcels. Tree spacing is critical. The distance between the branches of adjoining trees should be 10 feet on level areas and 30 feet on steep areas. This will greatly reduce the chance of fire spreading by moving from the crown of one tree to the next.  Defensible space does not need to be bare. Green grass and other low growing, fire resistant plants can be planted to protect soils from erosion. Well maintained and irrigated turf, flower beds and ground covers will offer less fuel for a wildfire than the native shrubs. Three guidelines to follow when creating your defensible space are:

  Remove fuel. Remove most of the native shrubs and young trees (saplings) that are growing within your defensible space. Leave a few well spaced, larger trees and saplings and an occasional shrub.

  Reduce fuel. Prune shrubs and trees left within the defensible space around structures. Clean up pine needles and  other large accumulations of dry material.

  Replace fire hazardous plants with fire resistant landscaping. Many plants, like manzanita and junipers, are an extreme fire hazard.

Property owners must take steps to improve the survivability of their structures and of the trees which make their property more desirable. Thinning trees and removing shrubs and other flammable vegetation will help assure the survivability of both houses and the remaining trees.

This section will expand on two of the three R's that were discussed in part 2 of this series -- Remove and Reduce.  When you're doing all of this vegetation removal and reduction, the question that everyone asks is, "What do I do with all of this debris?" If you are doing things right, you can expect some large debris piles -- fire hazards in themselves.

We'll discuss three options for managing this debris -- chipping, burning, and pile distribution -- and also talk about some preventative vegetation management options.

A preferred option (though also the most expensive) is to chip your material using some kind of chipper/shredder machine. Chipping is recommended because it minimizes fire hazards and air pollution while providing a useful byproduct. Chips can be used as mulch that will provide weed control, protection from soil erosion, and as a soil amendment/composting material. For big limbs and large piles, it may make sense for you to rent a commercial sized chipper. If you have any significant acreage, most garden variety mulching shredders will be inadequate. They take too long and cannot tolerate hard-to-chip or large material.

We have found that neighbors often pool their resources to collectively rent a commercial chipper. This requires some planning and organization. You must prepile all of your material and have it ready to go so that you maximize your use of the chipper.

Many people feel uncomfortable with burning debris piles for a variety of reasons. They may have neighbors close by or a natural aversion to fire. In any case, bum piles are a viable option. It is imperative that piles are kept to a  minimum size and monitored closely until completely out. When you get your burn permit from the fire department, carefully read the safety precautions and follow them to the letter.

If you have a minimal amount of debris compared to the size of your parcel, you may want to simply leave piles without burning or chipping them. These piles can provide nesting habitat for game birds like quail but are also attractive to rodents and reptiles. With this in mind -- not to mention the fire hazard -- remember to keep these piles small and to distribute them away from structures and away from existing vegetation.

Preventative measures are a good way to avoid the yearly headaches of doing all this work. Routine maintenance like pruning, mowing, and raking is a good start but there are other options as well. Controlled grazing is a particularly effective way of managing thick stands of annual grasses and edible weeds. The disadvantage is dealing with the animal, most likely goats or sheep. But, here again, an animal (or animals) can be shared by friends, family, or neighbors. Prescribed or controlled burning is an option being promoted by ecologists as well as fire prevention experts. There are numerous benefits associated with this strategy including improved grass stands and the promotion     of native species. However, large-scale burning must be done under the direction of qualified fire professionals and may be prohibitively expensive for small acreages. The Vegetation Management Program (VMP), administered by the California Department of Forestry (CDF) provides some cost-share incentives to landowners interested in prescribed burning. The downside is that the VMP is under funded and understaffed, meaning that there may be a long wait. CDF also prefers to deal with multiple large-acreage landowners in an effort to get a bigger bang for their scarce bucks.

If your efforts include the removal of dead and downed trees or selective tree removal to thin overgrown stands, you may get someone to do the work in exchange for the byproduct -- or even pay you for it. Firewood companies are always on the lookout for accessible firewood. Keep in mind that it is still your land and you call the shots: Only have the trees removed that you want removed; be sure to get written agreements regarding cleanup, prices, and other conditions; make sure that anyone working on your property is properly licensed and insured; and consult CDF to receive important information and the required permits. To inquire about the health of your trees and get  recommendations for thinning, we suggest consulting a Certified Arborist or Registered Professional Forester.

Whatever strategy works best for you, remember that an easily maintained fire-resistant landscape is not created overnight. Think over the long term and plan for a steady transition to your ideal situation. When faced with the seemingly daunting task of fuel reduction, start at your home and work outward. Defensible space should be the priority.

In previous sections "Defensible Space" and "Vegetation Management Options," we emphasize two of the "Three R's": Removal & Reduction. This week, we'll expand on the third R: Replacement.

Creating permanent defensible space is a progressive strategy that may take a few years. Each year, you steadily remove your overgrown, fire hazardous plants and replace them with fire-resistant, well distributed plants. As you begin growing firesafe view screens, for example, you might wait until you have an effective screen before completely removing some of the hazardous plants that currently give you privacy.

When planning a firesafe landscape, start with a sketch of your property as it currently looks, noting hazardous areas, irrigation, areas you would like to preserve, and other considerations you have. Thinking in terms of defensible space, sketch concentric rings (like a bulls eye) at 50, 100, and 200 feet from your home. Note which types of vegetation fall within those zones and begin your three R's inside the first ring. Because water is available at the house, consider replacing fire hazardous species with irrigated plants inside the first ring. Healthy, well-watered plants will resist combustion better than dry plants. As you progress into the spaces beyond 50 feet, rely less on irrigation and   concentrate more on spatial distribution and plant species selection of plant material.

The concept of fireproof' plants is essentially a myth for the Sierra Foothills. Almost all plants will burn given the right conditions. Referring to a plant as "firesafe" means that it tends not to be a significant fuel source by itself.    Certain plants may be a poor fuel source because they don't contain a lot of woody material, or they tend to grow in low densities, or their chemical composition actually resists heat and combustion.

Besides those specific characteristics, one must also consider two other factors: the distribution and the maintenance of the plants. A good example is manzanita. While most people cringe at the thought of a fire ripping through a manzanita thicket, the shrub itself is actually fire resistant. The key is to keep a wide distribution between individual plants and to regularly remove the dead material that accumulates on the plant. A healthy, green manzanita, with five to six feet of clearance around it and no dead branches is very likely to survive a low to moderate intensity fire. Some low-growing species of manzanita are recommended because of their drought tolerance and fire resistance.

The vertical fuel ladders and horizontal fuel paths that we discussed in the last two articles must be removed but as you replant your landscape you can also ensure that these conditions are not likely to develop. You can improve your site by varying plant sizes and growth characteristics to discourage continuous paths of vegetation. One strategy is to plant your highest growing and lowest growing plants next to each other, ensuring that they won't grow together and create a hazard. For example, if you have a nice cedar close to your home that you want to keep, trim the branches to a height of at least 8 feet, and plant irrigated ground cover around the tree's perimeter of it. This accomplishes several objectives in one simple act.

The RCD and Cooperative Extension offices have firesafe plant lists available that are specific to the Sierra Foothills. Research the plants that you like to determine their suitability for your site and your needs. Find out how much water they need, how big they grow, what maintenance they require, and what other values might they provide. Some firesafe plants will make good view screens while others may stay low, helping you prevent the growth of fuel ladders. In any case, take some time to plan, consider your many options, and use good ol' common sense in creating your defensible space.

When confronted with the ominous task of fuel reduction the power of numbers cannot be understated. By working with neighbors or through neighborhood associations, larger scale improvements become possible. In addition, common areas like roadways and open space can be addressed.

Perhaps the most significant advantage to community organizing is the potential for cost savings, specially with respect to professional advice and rental equipment. Chipping machines, for example, night cost anywhere from fifty to a hundred and fifty dollars a day to rent but moving the chipper from house to house over the course of a day can divide the cost to just very few dollars per household. 

The key is organization. Debris piles should be prepared in advance to keep the chipper operating at full tilt all day and somebody needs to coordinate the overall effort.. Fire protection immediately around your home is important but the broader neighboring landscape cannot be ignored. While firefighters circle the wagons to protect your house, all of the trees, brush, outbuildings, and other amenities vaporize.

The intense heat from a raging firestorm could ignite a home from more than 200 feet away, despite having adequate "defensible space." This is why fuel reduction is so important on a large scale. A well-maintained landscape keeps the fire from reaching catastrophic proportions and allows firefighters to extinguish it before significant property damage occurs.

Sometimes, defensible space and important landscape modifications can only be made in cooperation with neighboring landowners, whether resident or absentee. For example, as folks who value privacy, we like to have a view screen of vegetation, usually shrubs or trees, between our house and our neighbor's house. Two landowners working together can create an effective view screen and break up continuous stretches of vegetation by staggering vegetation on either side of the property line. This way, a visual effect of solid vegetation is created though in reality, there is a firesafe distance between clusters of flammable landscaping.

Community organization can also help with those problem neighbors that won't clean up. An active community may be able to exert some peer pressure on those who need a little prodding. Though there are always legal mechanisms to force compliance with state fire regulations, we like to recommend more "neighborly" type approaches.

First, just talk to the landowner. Mention that there appears to be some fire risk on their property and that you have some printed information (that you can get from the Resource Conservation District, Cooperative Extension, or Department of Forestry) that may assist them in creating a more firesafe condition for themselves. When and if this approach fails and you have the capacity to assist them, offer your help. There are those folks who either lack the physical ability, the geographic proximity (as in the case of some absentee owners), or the financial resources to solve their own problem. Still no cooperation? Before giving up or getting really nasty, ask your local fire department to write them a letter reminding them of their legal obligations.

Organizing your community is a lot like democracy -- very messy but worth the effort. Fire risk is a community problem. By pooling resources, you not only help your neighbor, you help yourself. Saving money, treating communal areas, and encouraging community interest are all potential benefits of taking the Firescape concept beyond your fence line.