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 The art show in the Footloose parking lot is just one of the activities on Main Street during this weekend's 4th of July festivities. There is also a skate contest in front of Wave Rave, a beer garden in front of P3/Base Camp Cafe, kids activities in front of Schat's Bakery and chalk art and improv performances in front of the Luxury Outlet Mall. |
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Reduce the fuels, save your home |
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Thursday, 15 May 2008 |
By Stacey Powells
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
 After limbing and pruning several trees around the Community Center Park, fire crews sent the branches through the chipper. The mulch will be spread over the dirt area for dust control.PHOTOS BY STACEY POWELLS
The Angora Fire, which devastated part of the Lake Tahoe region, swept through the forest with tremendous ferocity — partly due to the fact that there wasn't a fuels reduction program in place. Not wanting Mammoth Lakes residents to fall victim to a forest fire and be another example of what can happen when care isn't taken in and around properties, Town of Mammoth Lakes Principal Planner Steve Speidel and Mammoth Lakes Fire Department Fuels Reduction Coordinator Robert Williams held a fuels reduction demonstration workshop on Saturday, May 10 at 10 a.m. at the Community Center Park in Mammoth Lakes.
“Ladder fuels reduction is an important element of fire protection as it dramatically increases the chance of your home surviving a wildfire,” Williams says in an announcement released by the Town. He went on to state that creating a defensible space of 100 feet around your home, including tree thinning, limbing or brush removal provides a safe area for firefighters, and more importantly, a significant reduction in flammable vegetation. “Raking pine needles, which are very combustible, and getting the pine cones out from under the decks is very important,” Williams said. “Another fire hazard that people ignore are the wood piles everyone has against their houses.”
Converting dead/live limbs that have been pruned into ground covering mulch was also part of the demonstration. “There is a misconception that wood chips will ignite rather quickly,” Spiedel said. “The fact of the matter is that pine needles are much quicker to ignite.”
A group of approximately 20 homeowners gathered around, listening intently as Williams and Speidel went over the step-by-step process for keeping their homes wildfire fire safe.
Mammoth Lakes resident Jo Bacon lives in a condominium complex. “Even though it was good information it didn’t really apply to multi-family units,” Bacon said. “Our buildings are closer than single family homes and you can’t apply the 30 foot and 100 foot rule in a condo complex.”
Fuels reduction specialists recommend reducing low plants and brush, and removing dead vegetation and overhanging tree limbs within 30 feet of all structures. Firewood, lumber and other burnable materials should also be more than 30 feet away from structures. Additionally, trees should be thinned and pruned within 100 feet of any structure.
Single family homeowner Jay Deinken will prune and limb trees around his house that don’t comply with the suggestions brought forth by the fuels reduction specialists. “Once we pile the wood on the street I will call the fire department and have them come and chip the wood for us,” Deinken said. “A problem we have is with second homeowners next door because they have a very dense growth of trees around their house and the dense growth is right next to my house. They haven’t gotten with the program and that concerns me.”
The Mammoth Lakes Fire Department will come to houses and put the trimmings through the wood chipper if they are put on the street. “If you are going to call and make an appointment let us know when you will do the limbing and trimming and we will schedule a time to come out and get it done. Usually within a day or two.” It’s important to remember that when putting the piles of wood to be chipped on the street that the pile is behind the town snow poles. The MLFD will also do home inspections, letting owners know how to create a defensible space around their property.
One of the reasons the Town is involved with fuels reduction is because the Community Center Park is a town resource, and they want to make sure the standing timber is fire wise. “We have a public facility and want to make sure it isn’t going to be the source of any fire,” Speidel said. “We are working in conjunction with the Fire District but they are the lead. The Town does have procedures regarding tree removal permits and we will go out with the fire department to discuss and determine which trees need to be removed. The more the word gets out about fuels reduction the better. People will understand the process, which means we reduce confusion and controversy about fuels reduction.”
“There is a misconception that people think they have to clear everything away from their house within 30 feet but that’s just not true,” Williams said. “When you come right down to it, it’s basic yard work that will increase the chances of your home surviving a wildfire.”
Ladder fuels are anything combustible that goes from the surface of the ground into the canopy of the trees and up to the roof line. Anything against the house that can burn is in the ladder fuels category. Trees should be limbed up to roof line and branches should be 10 feet away from chimney. Branches hanging over chimney need to be removed.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 22 May 2008 )
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