Terrain The Sierra Nevada, with their rugged terrain and majestic forests
create wonderful views and peaceful living environment. But with the
characteristic dry summers they also create extremely severe wildfire
conditions.
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
forest. This practice was continued through the early 1900's by
livestock producers. 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.
Fire Supression In the early 1900's 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
vegetation, or fuel, makes it extremely difficult, and in some
situations impossible, to control forest fires once they start. The
intermingling of tree canopies provides a highway for fire to spread
through the forest.
Wildland Management
Agencies with responsibilities for managing wildland and forest
resource and for fire management, such as the US Forest Service and the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection realize that
these forests must be managed to reduce fuel loads, which reduces the
potential for catastrophic wildfires. Experience and research have
shown that strategically removing trees to create spaces between the
crowns of remaining trees reduces the amount of fuel present and is an
effective means for reducing the wildfire threat. Thinning also reduces
the moisture stress on the remaining trees making them less likely to
carry a fire. Also, removal of some of the dead or dying tress reduces
a highly flammable fuel from the forest. While these trees will
eventually fall and lay on the forest floor, where they can provide
some wildlife habitat, they can intermingle with brush creating a
significant wildfire hazard. Brush control is also essential in certain
areas for reducing the wildfire potential. Large patches of brush, or
brush directly below the canopy of trees, can lead to catastrophic
wildfire. Do you need help clearing a firesafe zone? Check our Classifieds!
Fuel Reduction
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 shrubs will reduce the total amount of fuel
present, thus reducing the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
Vegetation management of this sort can also eliminate the "fuel
ladder," where grass grows beneath brush, which grows beneath trees
providing fire with an easy route from the ground to tree canopies. |
