The 5 Principles Of Creating And Maintaining A Fire-Resistant Forest. What Can You Do?

Action Items to Create and Maintain a Fire-Resistant & Healthy Forest Setting at CRCC

REDUCE SURFACE FUELS :

Cut/lop larger ‘floating’ debris on the ground into smaller pieces to allow those pieces full ground contact. Use this ‘Cut and Scatter’ method instead of the ‘Cut, Pile and Burn’ method as it is much less labor-intensive.
Perform in-place chipping to reduce debris to a size which is easily composted. Chips should remain where the debris came from.
Pile debris in small mounds in low spots to create ‘habitat piles’ for wildlife use. Habitat piles should be placed outside the dripline of overhanging trees. Cover piles with few layers of fine branches followed by covering with leaves/compost. Unless the debris is elevated with air on all sides of it, it should NOT be considered a “ladder fuel” hazard. These piles reduce fire hazard while building soil and encouraging moisture retention.
Avoid removing all debris and burning it in a central location as it:
- steals nutrients from the forest cycle resulting in poorer forest health
- sends carbon directly into the atmosphere
- reduces capacity for moisture retention
- reduces wildlife habitat
- increases airflow and drying
- encourages grasses/brush which may be a fire hazard

INCREASE THE HEIGHT TO THE BASE OF TREE CROWNS:

INCREASE SPACING BETWEEN TREE CROWNS:

Thin out smaller trees in crowded stands.
To encourage wildlife/biodiversity it is appropriate to do a variable-density thinning approach where you have skips and gaps of thinning in the forest.

KEEP LARGER TREES OF MORE FIRE-RESISTANT SPECIES:

When thinning, strive to leave large conifer trees which have thicker bark as well as large deciduous trees which have higher moisture content.

PROMOTE FIRE-RESISTANT FORESTS AT THE LANDSCAPE LEVEL:

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