- a weekly column published in the Pioneer Press

Wildfire and flood are the biggest catastrophic threats in District 5. Individuals and communities can take preventive action to reduce the risk of wildfire destruction.

Individuals can take action to reduce fire risk by creating a “defensible space” around their home and outbuildings. The trick is to reduce the intensity of a wildfire as it nears your place and to reduce “ladder fuel” that could carry the fire to tree tops. You accomplish this by reducing flammable stuff well before fire season starts. This doesn’t mean strip the area bare. An owner can use regular gardening techniques like mowing, weeding, pruning, irrigation, removing dead and flammable vegetation (leaves and needles) and planting less flammable plants.

At the neighborhood or community level, folks can form a “Fire Safe Council.” Salmon River and Somes Bar have well-established Fire Safe Councils. French Creek has formed one in the past. Happy Camp, Seiad and Lower Scott River have recently formed Councils, and the possibility of one at Klamath is under discussion. There is also a county-wide Fire Safe Council that provides support and networking opportunities for the local Councils and acts as an umbrella to help individuals who want to do larger projects but have no local council.

Fire Safe Councils work the problem from the community level. First the group forms, then it can acquire special maps from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) that help to identify vegetation density and fuel risk status of their area. The group uses these maps, information from the local fire department, on the ground visits with willing landowners and other information to assess fuel conditions.

The Council typically identifies high priority opportunity areas such as around schools, historic buildings and drinking water sources for initial projects. Small pilot projects work best. These can help to get others interested in the council and can showcase what can be done. Eventually, landowners may wish to get together to do a joint project – sharing a chipper machine or other equipment. If your Council is a non-profit or can work with one, there are even some grant funds available for projects from a variety of sources. Fire Safe Councils can also do a lot to support local volunteer fire departments. Some have sold the reflective address signs to help emergency responders find local houses.   

Many of our communities are next to forest lands. Some of these are private and some are National Forest. The Happy Camp, Scott River and Salmon River Ranger Districts in the Klamath National Forest have proposed projects that compliment community Fire Safe strategies. The general strategy is to establish a “buffer area” or “Community Threat Zone’ about a mile and a half around a town or areas with private strictures. The first ¼ mile is called the “Defense Zone.” The fuels are reduced in this area so that conditions will keep flame length to a maximum of four feet and will discourage “crown fires.” The outer area of the buffer will be treated so that crown fires will drop to the ground before they hit the Defense Zone.

The Oak Flat Thin at Happy Camp and the Yreka Hazardous Fuels Reduction Projects are currently in process. The Happy Camp Fire Safe District and the Happy Camp Ranger District have worked together to harmonize their projects and increase efficiency. It is hoped that private land fuel reduction projects will occur simultaneously with nearby phases of the Forest project. The partnership has really enhanced community spirit and brings the prospects of some jobs in the woods. In particular, there may be new opportunities for small businesses who utilize biomass or small diameter trees.

If a Fire Safe Council sounds like something in which you might be interested in participating, contact Richard Christie at the Countywide Fire Safe Council (Shasta Valley RCD) at 467-3975 to find out if there is a council near you or to learn how to form a new council. For more general information, check out the internet at http://osfm.fire.ca.gov/firesafeplanning.html and http://www.firesafecouncil.org/