Planning Ahead

About two weeks ago the Forest Service sent out a message entitled, The Fire You Never Heard Of:

On June 21, 2020, peak fire season on the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF), firefighters were dispatched to a human-caused fire on the Jemez Ranger District…..

Temperatures were in the 90s with relative humidity at 9%. Fuel moisture levels were in single digits, and the energy release component (ERC), a technical calculation that gives fire managers a seven-day look at potential fire intensity, was in the 90th percentile. On top of that, prevailing winds in the drainage where the fire started increased its potential to spread.

But instead of it turning into a major fire, the fire fighters managed to confine it to 1.5 acres. Why? Because the Forest Service had done major thinning and prescribed burns in the area to reduce the fuel load. It made a huge difference.

And that’s why Beate, Tim, and Andy cleared all the dead trees from around the house. (Also see Beate’s pictures on Flickr.)

Since then Andy has been using his brush cutter to keep the bushes down. He says it took him nine hours the first time to clear the defensible space, but only six hours the second time. This is the picture Beate took from above:

There are never any guarantees in life, but if a fire comes all that work should help a lot.

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23 Responses to Planning Ahead

  1. Bruce Taylor says:

    When we were out in the forest the other day we saw many big houses with no clearing done around them. We wish them luck.

    • Jean says:

      Before the fire we cleared 25 feet around the house and thinned a lot of the trees farther out. We were going by the existing guidelines, but it wasn’t enough. Now they say 100 feet.

  2. definitely an excellent choice to keep your land cleared around the main buildings…good job, Andy

  3. Ann Thompson says:

    Smart move keeping the land cleared.

  4. Andrea says:

    How gorgeous, Jean!! Your home is a perfect cloister. I would love living there! ~Andrea xoxo

  5. tammy j says:

    it’s just beautiful!
    and must feel good to actually know from their experience that it can be a tremendous advantage in a fire. one just hopes for the best always!

  6. nick says:

    It’s certainly time consuming to clear a defensible space, but it’s obviously necessary. Why surround your home with fuel for a fire?

    • Jean says:

      It’s different for people with small lots and live trees. In our case the 2011 fire killed all the big trees so it was an easier decision.

  7. What a lot of work but the views up there are spectacular.

  8. Rose says:

    I know it is a job, but think it is well worth the trouble. But I hope you never have another fire to worry with.

  9. Wisdom!!!!

    But aren’t there people, who are against such clearing? Good grief, I’ll bet there are! Common sense is not so common, in a lot of people.

    So glad you did what you could.

    “Beside a babbling brook” blog
    ‘Miss BB’ ??

    • Jean says:

      People with small lots and live trees might have to cut most of them down. I can understand why they wouldn’t want to do that.

  10. LOL!!!!

    Look at my Sig. Line!!!

    Those 2 question marks, at the end, are supposed to be 2 little “bees”!!!!

    But your blog, does not let me publish little “Imoges” or what ever they are called.

    So my Sig. line looks very funny!!!

    Let’s try it, removing the “bees”!

    “Beside a babbling brook” blog
    ‘Miss BB’

  11. Madsnapper says:

    I love that view looking down on your little hell it’s beautiful. Good job on all that clearing prayers for a safe Fire season for all of you. I had to smile when I saw the 9% humidity hours is at 98 right now 95 degrees and 98% humidity

  12. The OP Pack says:

    That’s a great view of your place. Planning ahead usually is the best way to go.

    Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber

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