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View Past Issues
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Wildfires in Winter?
The LA Times reported that by mid-January this year, CAL Fire had already responded to 150 wildfires, compared to zero last year, and an average of 25.
Firefighters who typically spend the winter working on hazardous fuel reduction projects have been responding to large wildfires such as the Pfeiffer Fire in Los Padres National Forest, the Campbell Fire in Lassen National Forest, and the Colby Fire in Angeles National Forest. Many smaller wildfires have been suppressed as well.
Meanwhile, fuel reduction projects are also underway with extra urgency brought on by California's drought, and anticipation of a long, hard fire season.
Bishop pine after thinning along Limantour Road, NPS photo by J. Reeser
Limantour Fuel Break at Point Reyes
In December, crews started the next round of clearing and thinning dense Bishop pine for 30 feet on both sides of Limantour Road. Work on this part of the Limantour Fuel Break began in winter 2012 and has been a fire management priority at Point Reyes National Seashore. Fuel reduction is needed to improve emergency access and egress during a wildfire along this major park corridor. The highly flammable immature pine is at an extremely hazardous stage of its development since flourishing after the Vision Fire in 1995. The Limantour Fuel Break begins near Limantour Beach with a series of prescribed burn units in coastal scrub, and progresses upslope to the east along Limantour Road as the vegetation transitions to Bishop pine. The Bishop pine removal is being completed through cooperative agreements with the Marin County Fire Department Tam Fire Crew and Conservation Corps North Bay.
TOP BANNER PHOTO: Marin County's Tam Fire Crew removing dense Bishop pine along Limantour Road at Point Reyes National Seashore. NPS photo by J. Reeser.
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Park Fire Notes
Research on Traditional Fire Use at Pinnacles National Park
The results of a multi-year study, "Traditional Fire Use in the Coastal Mountains of Central California," are now available through the Joint Fire Science Program which provided funding for this project. A diverse team worked together to answer questions about Indian use of fire as an ecological and cultural landscape management tool in Central Coastal California. The research took place in San Benito, Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties, at multiple sites within the aboriginal territory of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Prescribed fire to stimulate flowering of culturally important deergrass; archaeology surveys; and soil sampling for heat-altered silica deposits as indicators of past grassland fires were among the project components that took place at Pinnacles National Park.
Balcony Fire - Pinnacles National Park
A wildfire started on the west side of Pinnacles National Park on Martin Luther King Day near a climbing route not far from the Balcony Caves Trailhead. Visitors had almost extinguished the fire at less than 1/10th of an acre with water bottles when an engine and air resources arrived. The Cal Fire engine completed mop up and constructed a fireline. The investigation is still in progress with evidence pointing to smoking as the cause of ignition. The fire spread quickly given the dry fuel conditions.
Eucalyptus Pile Chipping in El Granada - Golden Gate NRA
Chipping debris piles from the Coral Reef Fuels Management Demonstration Project in El Granada was completed by NPS Maintenance Staff in January. This collaborative project was initiated in 2009 by CalFire, Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD), Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), and the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District (RCD) to protect the neighborhoods surrounding the eucalyptus grove along Coral Reef Avenue from wildfire. The Coral Reef project area includes lands that were transferred from POST to NPS in December 2011.
Showy Indian Clover Reintroduction - Point Reyes National Seashore
Monitoring continues to evaluate the germination success of an endangered clover (Trifolium amoenum) in various grassland habitats on the historic D-Ranch in Point Reyes National Seashore. Areas burned and areas grazed are being compared to untreated areas to help inform an endangered species recovery plan which is being developed. Clover fields were a food source for many California tribes, and were traditionally managed by small-scale, controlled burns in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the project leader / ecologist, Diana Immel-Jeffrey. More information is available through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species Program, which has provided funding for this project.
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CA Fire Safe Grants Clearinghouse - 2014 Awards
Congratulations!
Contra Costa County
Diablo Fire Safe Council
"2014 Filling in the Gaps (in Community Defensible Space)"
Funded: $178,320 Match: $178,320
Education, Fuel Treatment, Planning
Marin County
Bolinas Fire Protection District
"Bolinas Wildfire Hazard Mitigation Program"
Funded: $13,950 Match: $14,000
Education, Fuel Treatment
FireSafe Marin
"Community-Based Defensible Space Management 2014"
Funded: $48,960 Match: $84,812
Education, Fuel Treatment, Planning
San Mateo County
Fire Safe San Mateo County
"San Mateo County Residential Wildfire Hazard Reduction Program"
Funded: $58,580 Match: $65,200
Education, Fuel Treatment
Check with your fire safe council about possible matching funds for your neighborhood!
More...
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Bay Area Headlines
Wildfire Burns Near San Mateo County Coast
(S.F. Chronicle, January 16, 2014)
California Drought Brings 'Unprecedented' Fire Danger
(L.A. Times, January 18, 2014)
Homeless Encampment Fires a Concern in Marin
(Marin Independent Journal, February 1, 2014)
House Backs Salvage Logging Near Yosemite
(Miami Herald, February 6, 2014)
Controlled Burns Begin at King Mountain Preserve
(Marinscope, February 12, 2014)
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Upcoming Events
FEBRUARY 28 and MARCH 5, 2014 - Film: Rebels with a Cause - Tamalpais Valley Community Center, 7:00 PM. A documentary of citizen efforts to preserve coastal open space that was the foundation of protecting Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Kent Island , and Marin agricultural lands. More...
MARCH 8, 2014 - MARIN ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM: "Wildfires: Fire Ecology, Risk, Prevention, Preparation" - Presentation and panel discussion with MMWD, Marin County Parks and Open Space, Marin County Fire Department, and a Tamalpais Valley community organizer. 9:00 am to Noon at the Bay Model in Sausalito. More...
MARCH 15, 2014 - GET READY Emergency Preparedness Class - Mill Valley Community Center. GET READY is a free 1 1/2 hour class, sponsored by the Mill Valley and Southern Marin Fire Departments, that teaches you how to prepare your home and family for all types of emergencies. Call 380-1105. More...
MARCH 17-19, 2014 - Wildland-Urban Interface Conference, Reno, NV. Presents a wide variety of sessions on community protection, operations and suppression, restoration and risk management. More...
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 Why 100 feet?
...because it's required by law and has good science behind it.
The most important fuel reduction for protecting homes is within the first 100 feet.
Zone 1 - LEAN, CLEAN, GREEN
Zone 2 - REDUCED FUEL
The next 70 feet involves separating trees and shrubs so its harder for fire to move across them. How steep it is (the slope) will affect how much space between shrubs and trees is needed.
"...research indicates that the potential for home ignitions during wildfires including those of high intensity principally depends on a home's fuel characteristics and the heat sources within 100-200 feet adjacent to a home (Cohen 1995; Cohen 2000; Cohen and Butler 1998). This relatively limited area that determines home ignition potential can be called the home ignition zone...." -- Jack Cohen
What fuel do you need to remove from around your home?
If you aren't sure, just ask!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Chapman
Fire Communication and Education Specialist
S.F. Bay Area National Parks
415-464-5133 TEL
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