BAILEY HEALTHY FORESTS INITIATIVE
For a Fire Adapted Community
Friday Firewise: Now that it’s feeling more like spring, are you thinking about what you’re going to plant in your garden? Landscaping can make a huge difference in protecting your home from wildfire, so consider how different plant species and spacing will affect your wildfire risk. Check out this great resource for more information about firewise landscaping:http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/06305.html
The Okmulgee Agency and Eastern Oklahoma Region, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) produced this video highlighting traditional use of fire, ecology of fire adapted areas, fire adapted communities, and current BIA fuels mitigation practices. Learn more at fire adapted.org
There’s a tremendous amount of wildfire and flood mitigation work going on in the Pikes Peak Region, but much more is needed. It’s important for government agencies, nonprofits, businesses, communities, other organizations, and individuals to all work together to mitigate the impacts of the next wildfires and floods. When we all work together to tackle these issues on a large scale, the impact is much greater than the sum of the parts, and communities are much safer.
Friday Firewise: Start now. Create an emergency plan with your family and assemble an emergency kit you can easily grab in case of wildfire or another disaster. Include nonperishable food, plenty of water (1 gallon per person for 3 days), extra clothing, a first aid kit, a battery-powered radio (with extra batteries), hand-crank flashlights, prescription medications, and any other items you may need. Find more information at http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit.
I don’t think people understand that fire is absolutely an ecological factor that needs to be accepted. So let’s celebrate the natural occurrence and be compatible with that. Because control isn’t working for us in so many ways, it’s just screwing things up, giving us the false impression that somehow or other we don’t need to be inconvenienced by this factor of the planet that we live on.
The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network blog is now up. The blog is dedicated to sharing information, news, and lessons for helping communities adapt to fire. Check out the blog for new updates, and while you’re there learn a little more about the network and participants: facnetwork.org
Place gas & propane tanks at least 30 feet away from your home, garage, and any other structures. Clear vegetation from within 10 feet of these tanks.
GOLDEN — Trying to prevent catastrophic wildfires, federal crews torched more than 40,000 piles of dead wood this past year in snow-laden Colorado forests.
And state health authorities may allow more controlled burns over broad areas. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has agreed to expand an experiment that relaxes smoke permitting so that burn crews can operate more freely.
While controlled fires that mimic natural cycles can protect communities and revive dying forests, they also produce smoke at potentially unhealthy levels, state air quality officials warned in a meeting last week.
A minimum of 2,500 gallons of water storage supply is recommended for use during emergencies. Cooperating with neighbors to develop a common emergency water storage facility can help improve everyone’s safety. Learn how at http://interactive.firewise.org/operationWater/index.htm
The Nature Conservancy’s LANDFIRE Project and the Joint Fire Science Program are teaming up to host a series of webinars focused on how to use data resources to assist with decision-making for landscape projects. These tools are designed to be usable in both fire and non-fire actives. Check out the flyer to learn more.