Hi FACNM Community,
With all the devastation and grief of the 2022 wildfire season, it is normal to feel overwhelmed and debilitated when thinking about wildfire risk. We recognize the real frustration and danger that many are feeling related to the consequences of public land management. In light of all of this, we need to keep making incremental progress toward wildfire risk reduction by taking action on our properties and talking to those in our communities about wildfire. Our options are to do the work ourselves by following defensible space and home hardening principles or to work with contractors in our area to reduce wildfire risk on our properties.
This blogpost will share some resources to support you, your loved ones, and those in your communities/neighborhoods in your efforts to reduce wildfire risk on your property. Read on for:
The Home Ignition Zone
Home hazard assessments
International WUI codes
Community Wildfire Defense Grants - new funding opportunity
Stay safe,
Gabe
The Home Ignition Zone - Residents
The Home Ignition Zone encompasses the concepts of home hardening and defensible space. Home hardening involves the materials that you build with and the receptivity of your structure to ignition from flames, embers, and radiant heat. Defensible space is the buffer that you create between your home and the vegetation that surrounds it. By working on these two components, we can make a meaningful reduction in the risk of home loss from wildfire. Remember, up to 90% of ignitions from wildfires are caused by embers blown by the wind, so be sure to think of where embers may collect and start your home/property on fire.
Proper defensible space provides firefighters with a place to defend your home. We encourage homeowners to take the concept one step further and plan to have your home survive wildfire even if there are not firefighter stationed around it — this is type of planning could be called survivable space. The following information about defensible space is courtesy of the National Fire Protection Association.
Immediate Zone
“The home and the area 0-5’ from the furthest attached exterior point of the home; defined as a non-combustible area. Science tells us this is the most important zone to take immediate action on as it is the most vulnerable to embers. START WITH THE HOUSE ITSELF then move into the landscaping section of the Immediate Zone.
Clean roofs and gutters of dead leaves, debris and pine needles that could catch embers.
Replace or repair any loose or missing shingles or roof tiles to prevent ember penetration.
Reduce embers that could pass through vents in the eaves by installing 1/8 inch metal mesh screening.
Clean debris from exterior attic vents and install 1/8 inch metal mesh screening to reduce embers.
Repair or replace damaged or loose window screens and any broken windows Screen or box-in areas below patios and decks with wire mesh to prevent debris and combustible materials from accumulating.
Move any flammable material away from wall exteriors – mulch, flammable plants, leaves and needles, firewood piles – anything that can burn. Remove anything stored underneath decks or porches.”
Intermediate zone
5-30’ from the furthest exterior point of the home. Landscaping/hardscaping- employing careful landscaping or creating breaks that can help influence and decrease fire behavior
Clear vegetation from under large stationary propane tanks.
Create fuel breaks with driveways, walkways/paths, patios, and decks.
Keep lawns and native grasses mowed to a height of four inches.
Remove ladder fuels (vegetation under trees) so a surface fire cannot reach the crowns. Prune trees up to six to ten feet from the ground; for shorter trees do not exceed 1/3 of the overall tree height.
Space trees to have a minimum of eighteen feet between crowns with the distance increasing with the percentage of slope.
Tree placement should be planned to ensure the mature canopy is no closer than ten feet to the edge of the structure.
Tree and shrubs in this zone should be limited to small clusters of a few each to break up the continuity of the vegetation across the landscape.
Extended zone
30-100 feet, out to 200 feet. Landscaping – the goal here is not to eliminate fire but to interrupt fire’s path and keep flames smaller and on the ground.
Dispose of heavy accumulations of ground litter/debris.
Remove dead plant and tree material.
Remove small conifers growing between mature trees.
Remove vegetation adjacent to storage sheds or other outbuildings within this area.
Trees 30 to 60 feet from the home should have at least 12 feet between canopy tops.*
Trees 60 to 100 feet from the home should have at least 6 feet between the canopy tops.*
Home Hazard Assessment - Fire Departments
There are many programs for home hazard assessments. A good place to start is to reach out to your local fire department, a local soil and water conservation district, or a wildfire risk reduction organization to see if they offer a home hazard assessment walk-through to help you better understand how to reduce your wildfire risk. This type of program may not exist in your area. To support people that may not have access to a walk through, the Guild created a Home Hazard Assessment Guide.
This guide provides homeowners with tools to assess your home's wildfire risk and prioritizes actions you can take to reduce that risk. The assessment worksheet included with this guide is intended to help you understand your risk and where vulnerabilities on your property may lie. Every home is different in terms of wildfire risk and hazards. The goal for this worksheet is not to get a hazard rating of zero, but simply to address certain vulnerabilities that present a wildfire risk to your home. Where you choose to reduce risk on your property is specific to your property's unique features. Start by inquiring with your local fire department about wildfire risk in your area. Your community may have a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) which will provide you with a CWPP ranking and recommendations for reducing risk in your community.
Use the Home Hazard Assessment Guide and the Home Hazard Assessment Worksheet (to be used with guide) to analyze your risks and develop a plan for action.
Developed in partnership between the Wildfire Network and the Forest Stewards Guild
Wildland Urban Interface Codes
In New Mexico, many communities have existing adjacent to forested areas for centuries. In newer areas, population growth and expanding urban development have increased the contact between humans and wildfire.
For those that work in county or municipal governments, or those that would like to advocate for more wildfire adapted development in your area, the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) is a good place to start. The IWUIC is referenced in many community wildfire protection plans (CWPPs) across New Mexico.
The IWUIC is a model code that is intended to be adopted and used supplemental to the building and fire codes of a jurisdiction (e.g. county, or municipal government). The unrestricted development of property in the WUI is a potential threat to life and property from wildfire and resulting erosion. The objective of the IWUIC is to establish minimum special regulations to safeguard life and property from intrusion of wildland fire into communities.
Community Wildfire Defense Grants
Stakeholders in Colfax County discuss wildfire risk and treatment priorities
As you may know, on July 26, 2022, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack formally announced the new $1 billion Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program. This new, five-year, competitive program funded by President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is designed to assist at-risk communities, including Tribal communities, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies and Alaska Native corporations with planning for and mitigating wildfire risks.
There will be a series of webinars August 4th, 8th and 9th to provide potential applicants with an overview of the grant program.
The registration links for the applicant webinars just went live earlier today, so folks may now register. The dates/times below are the ones that have been posted on the CWDG website. Here is the link to register, and the attached document should walk you through the registration process:
Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program Applicant Webinars
Upcoming Webinars for Applicants
Northeast-Midwest States: August 4, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time)
Western States and Territories: August 8, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Southern States: August 9, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time)
Tribes: August 9, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
For instructions on how to register for these webinars, click here.