Tom McMackin
FireWise Now!
Time to dust off last year’s FireWise list! Review and check off those things you were able to complete. What you’ll probably discover, like me, is that there are a variety of Sorta Done(s) and a few Never Got To(s).
The first item on your current FireWise list should be evergreen and pine tree pruning or removal.
Doing the work now until the first week of December will put you well ahead of the Ips beetles during their dormant period. Your trees will have the chance to heal and recover from any injuries before the beetles become active and reproduce, loading the bark of the pines with eggs. Ips eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the tree’s tender cambium layers. This can lead to girdling the circumference of the tree, cutting off the flow of water and nutrients throughout the tree. The trees will die over the course of the next year.
Piling the trimmed debris away from the trees for chipping or burning may even attract egg laying beetles into the pile if temperatures warm early in the Spring, helping to reduce the number of beetles impacting the trees in your area!
Getting defensible – ready for the 2022 season!
https://ein.az.gov/have-their-backs-live-firewise%C2%AE
Cleaning the roof and the ground areas surrounding your structures 5’ to 30’ out from the foundations will put you ahead of the game come Spring.
Also take a few moments to survey the utility services [power poles] coming into your property and any fencing that uses wood for corners, gates, supports or anchors. Make a note in your Spring FireWise plan to take preemptive actions like trimming grasses or clearing down to mineral soil – aka dirt – to prevent fire from coming up to the poles, posts or other fencing materials. A bare earth circumference 3 feet in diameter around a power pole’s base should be good. Too much work? …Imagine how long it would take Klickitat PUD to replace all of the poles in the grid and then into your home to restore your electrical services!
If you have any questions or desire FireWise or High Prairie Fire information or have other comments or requests, please feel free to contact me by email at mcmackint@gmail.com or a phone call and voice message at 509-365-2786 home or 206-234-4141 cell.