Wildfire Wednesdays #36: Structure Loss Data - Community Brush Disposal Site Example

Hi FAC NM Members,   

As winter sets in, this is a great time to take a step back and make a plan to prepare your home and property for wildfire in 2021. Starting to make a plan now will allow you to work efficiently in the spring and will be a lot less stressful that trying to plan and complete projects in the spring and summer, which are always busy.  

This Wildfire Wednesdays features:  

  • Data for structures burned by wildfire in each state 

  • Community Brush Disposal Sites: Thompson Ridge Example

Best,

Gabe 

Data for Structures Burned by Wildfire in Each State: A Tool to Communicate Wildfire Effects 

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The traditional way — and the easiest way — to compare wildfire seasons is the number of acres burned. But blackened acres does not tell the whole story about the effects of fires on humans. A new, user-friendly database by Headwaters Economics identifies the number of structures, by state, destroyed by wildfires between 2005 and 2020. This is a powerful tool for communicating the importance of preparing our home ignition zones for wildfire.   

To learn more about the tool, click here.  

To use the tool for yourself, click here.  

 

Community Brush Disposal Sites: Thompson Ridge Example

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The 1-acre Thompson Ridge slash pit is a collaborative effort between the Jemez Ranger District and the surrounding area to promote Fire Adapted Communities. The slash pit is located at the end of Forest Road 106 just north of the community of Thompson Ridge and ten miles north of Jemez Springs helps community members reduce hazardous fuels on their private properties by providing them with a place to dispose of woody debris within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest may implement a pile burn at the slash pit sometime this week.

As more homes are built in the wildland urban interface (WUI) adjacent to public lands that are naturally prone to wildfire, the risk to property is high. Slash pits, like those on Thompson Ridge, give local residents a centralized location to discard fuels, such as leaves, pine needles, grass and other yard trimmings, removed from their properties. Slash up to 8 inches in diameter is accepted.

If you are interested in trying to accomplish a similar community brush disposal site in your area, there are members in the Fire Adapted Communities Network that have experience with this. Please reach out to myself (gabe@forestguild.org) or other members in the network.