3 Simple Steps' in getting ready for wildfire
1. Assess property to prepare for hotter months to come.
2. Defensible space, one hundred feet around the property, areas to slow or hold fire from engulfing your property.
3. Hardening your home. Fire can find weak points on your home to penetrate and engulf. No dead trees or vegetation, no leaf or litter.
4. Prepare wildfire action plan in case a wildfire approaches. Escape location, pre-pack evac items, etc. Also plan escape routes for your doggies!!! Don't forget about doggos!
Bark Beetle Infestations!
a. Why is there an infestation of bark beetles?
When a tree is disease or stressed by drought it is unable to fight by the beetle's burring. And since at least some California trees are disease, and most stressed by drought it has been unable to fight back.
b. What are the 'signs' of bark beetle infestation?
Small white or reddish brown pitch tubes outside of the bark. White means the tree has successfully defended itself, if reddish brown means that bark beetle was successful in infesting. Pitch tube follows sawdust like substance called Frass, either on tree bark or on the ground. Bark flaking or hole by wood pecker could also be a sign of bark beetles.
The top of the tree starts to fade in color, it could quickly after infestation or years after when it's dead.
c. What can homeowners and land managers do to manage the bark beetle infestation?
If an infestation is spotted on limbs or branches, cut off immediately and dispose of it properly without spreading it to other trees. If spotted on the trunk of a tree, must remove the entire between it spreads into the roots and infest other nearby trees.
Replant native species. Thin and prun your trees in late fall and winter.
The top ten hazard counties that are expecting 80-100% die off are near middle of CA.
Wildfires
Ecologist view of wildfire: wildfire is both good and bad depending on which type it is. Prescribed fire is good and uncharacteristic fire is bad.
Urban interface area is urban space that are potential for wildfire damage. There have been many homes burned due to fire suppression, lack of wildfire preparation around homes, and awareness. Let it burn policy is when forest service realized the importance of wildfire in managing forest to keep it healthy, fire resilient, maintain biodiversity, and reduce major wildfire. But these two come in contradiction because people's homes that have been burned down now have fear of wildfire and aren't aware of prescribed fire's benefit to the forest.
Yosemite now apply prescribed fire because Giant sequoias require heat from fire to regenerate because the seeds will only burst and spread when it's heated. Flame clear the hearth for their germination. Heat opens up the seeds pouches.
Guys we need to be more aware of these issues! It's so simple to completely change your view of your everyday life, from the moment you walk your door step and look at the forest around you or near you, and be able to inform others and make change. I'm going to attach some useful links that are short and simple for you learn about bark beetles, forest fires, and wildfire preparations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcf8FRAqUww&list=PL2764ECC94B457E89
http://www.readyforwildfire.org/
http://www.npr.org/2013/07/21/203245958/fighting-fire-with-fire-why-some-burns-are-good-for-nature
http://blog.nature.org/science/2013/05/15/good-fire-bad-fire-an-ecologists-perspective/
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/yosemite-sequoias-fire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUTw5xegyG8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0G8jXwgegY
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