Reducing Fire Hazard

There’s a new kid in town in the world of wildfire, known by the name of the Washington State Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (WAFAC).

Knowing wildfire basics can help you identify and address potential risks around your home and property. All fires need three components: fuel, heat and oxygen.

Today, wildfire behavior is changing. While you can’t eliminate wildfire threat, you can increase your home’s chance of survival if a fire does occur.

The only constant is change.

A saying attributed to Heraclitus that resonates strongly with those of us who spend time in forests. You have to look closely for the clues: stumps or lack thereof, holes and mounds, scars, downed logs, clues that tell the story of an ever-changing landscape.

It makes perfect sense to heat with wood. We harvest from within a 10-mile radius of our home. We remove wood from the national forest, from fire-suppressed choked stands full of dead standing and dead downed lodgepole pine. This is forest restoration at it’s most sustainable.

Some forest management practices may help prepare your woodlands to better cope with future weather extremes.