By Bill Trimarco
All across the country, May is Wildfire Awareness Month.
I know it is hard to think of this after our heavy winter snows, but the forecasters are expecting the weather to be warm and dry through June. As things start to dry out, we will see wildfires again. There is no way of predicting when we will have fires or whether or not one will directly impact our community, but we do have a responsibility to ourselves, our families and our neighbors to make preparations for the inevitable.
Please don’t assume that it can’t happen here just because it has not happened recently. Wildfire is a serious threat to almost every home in our county. Ignoring that fact will never make it go away. Understanding what the threat is can help us prepare for it.
Most of our forests have not seen a significant wildfire for over 100 years. That’s a lot of time for unchecked growth of potential fuel. Without fire to thin the trees and underbrush, that excessive growth is so close together and reaching from the ground to the tree crowns that huge fires have become the norm.
Many residents here feel very safe because their homes are nowhere near the forest. Unfortunately, that may not make a difference. Most of the homes lost to wildfire are never directly touched by the flames. You did not misread that. Most of the structure loss is caused by the blizzard of embers that blow ahead of the fire, starting spot fires outside of the area that is burning. Those embers can travel over a mile. All it takes is one ember landing on some kindling and you have a new fire start. Usually, you will see thousands of embers swirling ahead of the fire. If those embers enter your house or find some kindling on or near your
house, there is a good chance that your house will catch fire, too.
Spring is cleanup time for a lot of us. This is a great time to take steps to safeguard your house also. Some basic steps can make a big difference.
- Clean the leaves and pine needles off of the roof. Clean the eavestroughs.
- Make sure all attic and soffit vents have 1/8-inch metal screening. Crawl space vents need 1/8- inch metal screening.
- Repair any holes or gaps in the siding.
- Rake up leaves and needles within 10 feet of the structure. Remove all combustibles on, under or near wooden decks.
- Use noncombustible fencing within 5 feet of the house. If you cannot do that, then clear the combustibles from either side of the fence for its entire length.)
- Move firewood piles at least 30 feet away from structures.
- Remove any combustible plants within 10 feet of the house. Within 30 feet of the house, mow grasses to a 6-inch height or lower.
Those are some good spring fire cleanup tips. If you want to learn what else you can do, especially with the vegetation within 100 feet of your home, check with Wildfire Adapted Partnership at (970) 385-8909. Register for its E-News at wildfireadapted.org and sign up for a free site assessment and the popular chipper rental rebate program.
Bill Trimarco is Archuleta County Coordinator with Wildfire Adapted Partnership.