How Do You Mitigate a Wildfire?
If you would like to do fire mitigation work on your property, give us a call at (719)400-9104.
While wildfires are a necessary part of the ecosystems, there are also some major dangers to them. The United States experienced more than 50,000 wildfires in 2017. There was some excessive damage to parts of 
Montana, Washington state, Utah, and Oregon. California is a state you’ll routinely hear about struggling with wildfires.
Fires that get out of control lead to loss of life and damage to properties. They put firefighters in grave danger. All it takes is a slight change in the wind direction and the fires comes at those trying to put out the fire.
It’s important to mitigate these devastating fires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency attempts to raise awareness of the risks of the fire and how to take steps to prevent them. They idea isn’t to stop all fires but mitigate the worst of them. Managing the Levels of Debris in the Forests.
One of the steps taken is to minimize the amount of fuel that is available for the fires to spread. While the fires can start, they won’t spread as quickly or as badly as they would have with the fuels around.
Some forests have trees and vegetation removed. This helps to create some gaps between the trees that could lead to the spread of the fires. The debris on the ground is also disposed, getting rid of dead limbs and leaves.
Some fires will spread up particular trees and then across the canopies. These are known as fuel ladders, so the shrubs around the tree branches will be removed to prevent this from happening.
Protecting Properties and Human Lives
While the management within the forests can help prevent fires spreading too much, there is also the issue of fires on the outside of the forests. This leads to danger to the people around and buildings within urban areas.
Mitigating steps like fire breaks are necessary. Anywhere with people will have some sort of firebreak in the area. This can be as simple as a driveway or walkway. Without the fuel, the fire is unlikely to spread to buildings.
People in these areas are also expected to create fire breaks. They’ll ensure there is no vegetation within a certain distance from the forests, minimizing the risk of the fire spreading to the homes. Firewood isn’t kept anywhere close to the forests, placed in fire pits or in specialist buildings instead.
The idea isn’t to completely prevent fires. For the ecosystems of the forests, some fires need to happen. The idea is to keep the fires maintained to the specific areas needed for the ecosystems and not spread to threaten human and animal lives.
We specialize in fire mitigation work. Contact us today for a free estimate on creating fire breaks, shrub removal and brush clearing.