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Fire Risk Reduction
Lessons Learned From the 2018 CA Wildfires & The Firewise Program - ODF presentation Jan 5, 2019 - watch VIDEO . The presenters were: Alex Rahmlow, Fire Planning Coordinator - Western Lane District, Oregon Dept of Forestry, Alex.J.Rahmlow@oregon.gov and Lauren Grand, Extension Agent - Forestry & Natural Resources, Oregon State University, Lane County Extension Lauren.Grand@oregonstate.edu . Alex shared what Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has learned from last summer's California and other wildfires. There is much we can do to steer fires away from our homes as well as reducing their intensity. The approach to wildfire resistance has changed in recent years to include more about maintaining canopy, fire resistant plants, and preservation of wildlife habitat.
Fire Risk Reduction: The goals is to reduce fuel and create a defensible space, a "Fire Permeable Landscape" where a low intensity surface fire can be within 50 feet of a home without threatening the structure. The area up to 30 feet from the house/deck perimeter ideally mimics having had a surface fire with "nothing left to burn". This means taking out diseased, suppressed and/or crowded trees, pruning low conifer branches, thinning continuous understory vegetation, removing fire-prone (often invasive) species, and creating good vertical separation between surface fuels and canopy fuels.
Wildlife Habitat: As we pursue a neighborhood that is more safe from wildfire, it is important to remember why we live out here and do our best to preserve habitat for wildlife (and for us). For more information, see Chapter 8 in The OSU Extension publication Reducing Fire Risk on Your Forest Property .
Per Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Agent: As a landowner it is up to you to decide which resource you want to manage for and where. It’s all about tradeoffs and identifying what level of risk you are willing to accept for each of your management objectives. We never recommend bare ground or removal of all vegetation. You’ll want to manage your vegetation in a way that creates discontinuity for the fire to move quickly from one area to another. Favor food and shelter vegetation that is also low growing and high in moisture content within the 100 ft area around your home. The following resources are also available:
Wildlife-Friendly Fuels Reduction in Dry Forests of the Pacific Northwest (The ecology mentioned in this paper is focused on the forests east of the cascade mountains, but the wildlife habitat recommendations are consistent here.)
Westside Douglas-Fir Forests and Wildlife
Family Forests and Wildlife: What you Need to Know
What You Can Do: Local neighborhood groups are working with ODF to create local Firewise groups where neighbors create and carry out a plan to reduce fire risk for their local area. The plan could include clearing ladder fuels, cleaning up along egress routes, etc. - whatever the group feels is important. One umbrella Firewise group will address SBNA-neighborhood-wide wildfire risk issues such as egress routes and working with public lands. Firewise participation also helps ODF build a case for including our area when they apply for next year's ODF grants.
Become part of SBNA Firewise - Contact your local group leader (instructions above).
Additional Firewise Information:
From Alex Rahmlow (click links below or select Documents tab and open the Fire Resistance folder):Public Fire Restrictions Firewise signup Example of a Firewise Community Action Plan Evaluation of Defensible Space Around Home
Firewise USA (ODF is our liaison): Becoming a Nationally Recognized Firewise USA Site Examples of Group Activities
Firewise and two other fire reduction programs- click here and More info on Firewise
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Other Fire Risk Reduction Links: FireWise, Know Your Forest, Community Wildfire Protection Plan, Oregon Ready, Set, Go, Fire Adapted Communities, Northwest Fire Science Consortium Lane County Fire Deiveway Standards: page 1, page 2
From Lauren Grand, OSU Extension Service. (Right click these links to open in new tab.) Booklet: Keeping Your Home and Property Safe from Wildfire: A Defensible Space and Fuel Reduction Guide for Homeowners and Landowners. Video: How to Make Your Home and Property Fire Safe
Benefits of Fire: To keep things in perspective, Cal Fire's The Benefits of Fire.
Legal Issues: Oregon's Defensible Space Law ... requires property owners to reduce excess vegetation, which may fuel a fire, around homes and other structures.
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