Malcolm Robertson, a local MNR officer, spoke on FireSmart a program about living with and managing for wildfire on our landscape and property.
The goal is “vegetation management” to address the wildfire reality by decreasing the amount of vegetation that can fuel a wildfire. Personal property management for wildfires has come into focus more than ever, after the fire at Fort McMurray.
Vegetation management is the removal of fuel from our structures through:- Thinning and pruning trees
- Removing volatile, trees such as spruce and planting fire-resistant species such as Aspen or what is called species conversion.
- By the construction of fuel breaks -
- General cleanup in and around your property
Suggestions to do around a home:
- Plant no trees within 10 m of home
- Plant trees at least 3 m apart
- Prune all tree branches within 2 meters of ground
- Use fire-resistant roofing such as metal or clay
- Cleaning out gutters regularly
- Placing a screen over roof vents at each end of the house
- Use stucco, metal or brick siding
- Install fire rated doors
- Clean out under decks and screen the entrance to the undercarriage.
Remember embers from a fire can travel as far as a couple of kilometres. And 50% of homes that burn from wildfires are started by sparks and embers.
For more info, go to http://www.firesmartcanada.ca/
Structure Protection Strategies in the Wildland/Urban Interface an American video from the perspective of fight fighters.