Tom McMackin
Welcome Spring! The process begins lusciously anew in the Columbia Gorge! Enjoy the ‘Greening of the Columbia Hills,’ the transition from the river at Lyle to the towers on Stacker Butte, for the next 6 weeks. Watch the familiar rush of the shooting growth of the grasses to freshening new life in budding trees as you pass along WA 14 now. It won’t fully be to High Prairie until early May. Then the Frankenstein-ish molting and dulling to yellowing brown of fine fuels will begin… and thoughts of Summer wildfire will enter our collective consciousness. You can embrace the changes without dread, though, because Firewise – its principles and resources – are at your disposal!
Wildfire is global news again! To start 2025… in the US, from the Southeast to New Jersey and again in California, fire impacts to Wild lands, human Urban environments and the Interface where they meet (the ‘WUI’) have been tragic, catastrophic events that will last years. As in Maui, HI, many of these incidents were devastating firestorms. In Southern California, gusting Santa Ana east winds with lingering, end-of-Summer dry fuels in quantity became a thermal thunderstorm with firebrand hail perpetuating fire devastation across a massive landscape. These become a human disaster on a scale equal to any flood, earthquake, eruption or tornado event.
Locally, we had an incident last May that illustrates what can happen anywhere/anytime here and also shows the wisdom of the Firewise concepts for creating 0-5’ defensible areas around your home and property. A gusting (36+ mph), wind-driven fire at Summit Cedar Mill in Dallesport, WA, showered a building over 1/4 mile away with embers. The embers blew into shrubs planted next to the front wall, starting a structure fire which required extensive, expensive repairs.
A fire disaster could, without much warning, impact our lives on High Prairie. Disaster preparedness is an individual responsibility. Creation of an ‘official’ county or state evacuation plan is nearly impossible, given the uniqueness of the varied landscapes and the lives and properties of folks on High Prairie and in Klickitat County.
The Firewise and Ready, Set, Go! programs are excellent resource foundations for your ‘Be Prepared!’ efforts.
Firewise – To-Do List Q2
The ‘defensible space’ Firewise chores should be on your calendar for completion or to advance rewarding progress before the next High Prairian greets you for Summer’s edition.
0 – 5’ zone – C/R [Clear up & Remove] all debris and any combustible materials on and around your home & other property – Top to Bottom
5 – 30’ zone – C/R Spring clean-up outside items for disposal [especially any pine materials you removed during the Fall/Winter cold period] – Maintain grass/plantings/landscaping around your home & other property. Open burning of natural debris is a common method of disposal, as is chipping and scattering the results. NO Burn Barrels! There are specific WA regulations in place for this practice. If you put fire on the ground, you may be legally liable for any runaway burning damage and fire response costs under WA law! Contact HPFD #14 with any questions or to give your fire crews a heads up if you’re going to light a burn pile. (509-637-2576 or highprairiefire@gmail.com)
30/100/200’ zones – C/R clean up Winter debris/prune or remove ladder fuels [grass to shrubs to small trees to big trees] creating a landscape you’ve customized for your enjoyment on your property. Firewise is NOT about clearcutting your property for fire safety! It is about creating & maintaining ‘defensible’ space for your safety and to protect your home in this beautiful High Prairie patch in the Columbia Gorge!
Attending to these tasks now will build your confidence in having an active role in creating a safety zone for yourself and your property throughout the 2025 fire season!
Resources
Contact me, Tom McMackin, if you’d like more information on the ‘Firewise’ and ‘Ready, Set, Go!’ programs; if you have comments or suggestions; or if you would like to be more involved with the High Prairie Firewise effort. I can answer questions and get you connected with the resources we have available as a recognized Firewise Community. Contact me by email at Firewise.onhighprairie@gmail.com or by phone message by calling 509-365-2786. Please, if I don’t get back to you… try sending another email or calling with another message!
*New* – WA DNR spiral bound book available for loan to anybody interested in defensible space incorporating fire resistant and native plants.
Online resources:
Firewise – https://www.nfpa.org/en/Education-and-Research/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire or https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire
Ready, Set, Go! – https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/pdf/rsg-eag.pdf