How to Read the Mind of a Forest Fire

Very interesting article summarizing the history of fire science in the U.S. and the cool tools today's fire scientists use to predict fire behavior.

From the Source: 

"In a stand of ponderosa pine trees high in the Santa Catalina Mountains overlooking Tucson, Arizona, forest-and-fire ecologist Don Falk squatted with me next to a 100-foot-tall tree born a decade or two before American independence. At the base of the trunk, the tree's thick cinnamon-colored bark gave way to a shallow opening a foot wide and two feet high that looked like a series of successively smaller triangles. Falk ran his hand along the charred edges of the opening and explained what we were looking at: a window into the forest's past, and fire's role in shaping it.

Falk studies fire-scarred trees to understand how frequent, severe, and widespread fires have been in an area, and how those patterns have shifted over the centuries--which is also a key to understanding why some fires are bigger, more unpredictable, and more destructive these days, 'How do you know anything on Earth has changed?' he asks. 'You have to be able to compare it to how things were in the past. This is how we know the history.'"

"'What's being released in a fire is the accumulated capital stored up through years of photosynthesis,' Falk says. 

You're not destroying the carbon, hydrogen, or oxygen molecules. They're just being liberated.' And on a tremendous scale: even a relatively small fire of a couple hundred acres can pump out energy equivalent to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and can push a mushroom cloud of hot air, ash, and soot miles into the sky."

"While Falk studies fires to better understand how they have changed over the years and altered the landscape, wildland firefighters study fire as soldiers might analyze enemy capabilities. They catalog mental snapshots of fire behavior they have encountered: how the flames ripped through a grassy canyon or hopped off the ground and leaped into the treetops; the strange calm before a sudden wind shift; the fire tornados that can spin flame in new directions. Early on, a rookie matches these images with what he's learned in training or heard from the veterans."

"'“We are living in a time that is unprecedented, with the extremes we're seeing in temperatures, precipitation, and winds, and with that, the effects are unpredictable,' Bahr says. 'If you don't have that in your slide tray, you aren't going to believe it.'"

"The presence of human structures means that forests and shrublands aren't allowed to burn the way they once did. It’s a problem that keeps getting worse. Because the federal government pays most of the tab for firefighting, local governments don't have as much incentive to regulate development in the most fire-prone areas. Some insurers charge higher premiums if homeowners don't mitigate fire dangers, and more communities are adopting building codes that require landscaping and construction materials that can better withstand wildfire and not carry flames through a neighborhood.

But most community-protection programs are voluntary, with progress outpaced by influx into the wildland-urban interface, and more homes at risk means more firefighters at risk."

Above: "Ecologist Don Falk points out a fire scar on a fallen tree stump." Credit: Brian L. Frank

Wolf Pups Rescued from Funny River Fire in Alaska's Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Another reason to commend our brave and dedicated firefighters!

From the Source: 

"A massive wildfire tearing through Alaska's Kenai National Wildlife Refuge has caused wildlife to flee the area, but not every creature managed to escape.

Earlier this week, firefighters found a den of wolf pups that had been left behind when the rest of their pack raced away from the advancing flames of the Funny River Fire.

The pups were dehydrated, injured and hungry -- but almost all of them were alive.

'On Tuesday, 5/27, we rescued 5 wolf pups from the fire line. Due to the disturbance the parents abandoned the den. The pups were not harmed by the fire although all had porcupine quills that were removed by the medics working on the fire line. The pups were all given water and glucose by the medics (see photo). Alaska Department of Fish and Game and refuge personnel removed the pups from the area and they were transported to Anchorage for holding prior to permanent placement elsewhere. Thanks goes to Gannett Glacier firefighters and Division X-ray medics for all their good work.'"

Above: The wolf pups. Credit: Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

Campaign Against Fireweed on Mauna Kea Continues

The fireweed gets its name because of its ability to spread rapidly after a fire. After the 2010 Mauna Kea State Park Fire, fireweed has made its way through the charred landscape on the south side of Mauna Kea near the cabins.

From the Source: 

"The Office of Mauna Kea Management is renewing its request for volunteers to assist in its efforts to control invasive weeds on the mountain.

Participants in the “Malama Maunakea” campaign focus primarily on eradicating fireweed. The drought-resistant plant is toxic to cattle and has invaded hundreds of thousands of acres on the Big Island and Maui.

The effort on Saturday, June 7 will concentrate on pulling fireweed along the Mauna Kea Access road and around Hale Pohaku at the mountain’s 9,200-foot elevation.

The weeding helps keep the species from being transported to the upper elevations of Mauna Kea where it provides habitat for invasive insects, OMKM officials said.

Volunteers are also needed for a similar effort on July 26.

To sign up, email OMKMvolunteers-grp@hawaii.edu or visit www.omkm.org for more information."

Above: "The invasive fireweed plant." Credit - University of Hawaii

Kona Woman Brings Treats to Express Gratitude to Hawaii Fire Department

"'It’s good to know we made a difference,' he said. 'It means everything we’ve trained for — it’s a reflection on everyone, what they did preparing us for this moment. Things like this, it’s a treat to have someone come and show their appreciation.'"

We are so appreciative of having such a solid core of individuals as our long-time partners.

From the Source: 

"Dee Faessler has had a year to think about why she was so hesitant to seek medical attention last May, when she began feeling something she thought was bad indigestion or heartburn.

The discomfort kept building, until her husband called for an ambulance.

'I thought it would be better in a few minutes,' Faessler said. 'It wasn’t.'

Paramedic Ivan Higashi arrived and convinced her to go to the hospital.

'He said, ‘Since I’m here anyway, maybe we can go anyway,’' Faessler said. 'He didn’t laugh or anything.'

Higashi even told her he would feel bad if he heard anything had happened to her, and said he didn’t want to return to the station and tell his co-workers he was sent away. Faessler said she almost felt bad for him, so she agreed to go along. Once in the ambulance, she said she noted his professional manner.

'They do an amazing amount of stuff really quickly,' she said. 'They’re very calm when they do this.'

Faessler reached the hospital, where she was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia — a rapid heart rate — and sent to The Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu, where doctors installed an implant defibrillator with a lead on her heart.

In June 2013, she wrote a letter to Fire Chief Darren Rosario commending Higashi.

'Had Ivan not ignored how I really didn’t want to go to the hospital — I would now be dead,' Faessler wrote.

On Tuesday, she met up with Higashi, his ambulance driver and several other medics and firefighters who responded to subsequent calls to her Kailua-Kona home last summer, when her defibrillator shocked her during new accelerated heart rate incidents. Faessler brought flower lei, carrot cake and mint chocolate chip ice cream to thank them for saving her."

Above: "Dee Faessler center brought cake, ice cream and leis to the Kailua Fire station on Tuesday as a thank you to paramedics including from right Ivan Higashi, Jamie Okuda, Tay Soares, Kyle Teves and Battalion Chief Reuben Chun for taking care of her on multiple trips to the Kona Hospital Emergency Room." Credit - Laura Shimabuku/Special to West Hawaii Today

The Bees' Needs: When Forests Burn, Wild Pollinators are Among Nature's First Responders

What's the buzz when it comes to wildfires and bees? This interesting article gives another reason why saving the bees is critical for our ecosystems: post-fire restoration.

From the Source: 

"Over the past 30 years, residents of Montana and neighboring western states have watched and worried as wildfires in their region have grown in both number and intensity. Data collected by the U.S. Forest Service reveal that the average number of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres in Montana and Wyoming has doubled since the 1970s; in Idaho, the number has nearly quadrupled.

And with the increased threat of devastating wildfires comes the increased need to find new ways of fostering biodiversity in their aftermath. That’s why Reese and her supervisor, Laura Burkle, a community ecologist at Montana State, are poking around the wildflowers in a burned-over pine grove on this overcast midsummer day. Much of Burkle’s research focuses on wild pollinators, a group of insects made up largely of the tens of thousands of native bee species that are far different from the honey-makers people usually think of when they hear the word “bee.” For the past few years, she has been looking especially closely at these creatures as part of a larger study on biodiversity’s role in helping landscapes recover after wildfire.

Burkle and many other ecologists have hypothesized that wild pollinators are key to speeding up the process by which burned forests bounce back from barrenness to fecundity. For example, lupine—a wildflower that often pops up on sites recently affected by fire—relies on wild pollinators for reproduction. Once established, the plant’s roots host nitrogen-fixing bacteria that enrich the soil below, paving the way for the sprouting of shrubs and conifer seedlings. Other pollinator-dependent wildflowers and shrubs nourish all manner of woodland creatures, from mice to grizzly bears. (The latter are fond of huckleberries, the fruit of a shrub that relies on bees to carry its pollen.)" 

Above: "Laura Burkle studies the interactions between wild pollinators and wild lands." Credit: Vern Evans

Hunters Fire Swells to 1,300 Acres; Two Firefighters Injured (VIDEO)

"We are seeing conditions that we would typically see in summer," Berlant said. "This is not the type of fire activity we should be seeing this time of year, but unfortunately because of how dry it is, this is the result."

From the Source: 

"A fast-moving wildfire burning in steep and dry terrain in Mariposa County west of Yosemite National Park ballooned to 1,300 acres by Tuesday afternoon. At least two firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the wildfire, which has quickly consumed dry vegetation, destroyed one structure believed to be uninhabited and threatened 100 homes in the area of Hunters Valley Road, said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

'We are seeing conditions that we would typically see in summer," Berlant said. "This is not the type of fire activity we should be seeing this time of year, but unfortunately because of how dry it is, this is the result.'

Residents who received evacuation notices were told to leave because their access would be limited and they would not be allowed to return home if they decided to leave later, said sheriff's spokeswoman Kristie Mitchell."

Above: Screenshot of LA Times video.

Dry Conditions Fuel an Alaska Wildfire That's Bigger Than Chicago

From the Source: 

"Alaska is battling a huge wildfire this Memorial Day. In the last 24 hours the fire has spread to become bigger than Chicago, prompting officials to issue an order for about 900 people as it threatens Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, a region south of Anchorage. With just 30 percent of the fire’s 243 square miles contained, 1,000 structures have been evacuated.

Large wildfires are familiar to the region, where 1 million acres burn annually, and yet it is unusually early in wildfire season to see a fire of this size, a spokesperson said. Citing “unusually dry conditions” as the cause, the Anchorage Daily News points out the state has had “unseasonably warm spring temperatures.”

But the real culprit for worsening fires is climate change, which boosts optimal conditions like heat, drought, and dry weather. This winter, parts of the country were hit by frigid temperatures while Alaska saw temperatures in the high 40s and 50s and had its all-time warmest January. In other words, Alaska saw spring-like temperatures as early as January and February this year. Some scientists say climate change fuels this extreme jet stream."

Above: Credit - NASA

Slide Fire: Forest Restoration Helped Crews Hold the Line

This is why we focus a lot of our efforts on fuels management projects such as fuelbreak creation. The fuelbreak in Waikoloa allowed fire crews to gain access and set up a solid fire line to defend Waikoloa Village from the state's largest wildfire, which occurred in 2005. We are continuing to experiment with living fuelbreaks as a way to integrate restoration goals with fuel mitigation goals.

Prevention and pre-suppression measures are key to reducing the threat of wildfires to our communities and natural resources!

From the Source: 

"Officials said a forest restoration project in Coconino National Forest has been key to maintaining a line around the Slide Fire and is a reason why pre-evacuation notices for two subdivisions near Flagstaff are set to be lifted at noon on Monday. 

An approximately 100,000 acre donut of restored forest surrounds Flagstaff, said Dick Fleishman, public information officer for the Slide Fire. It is designed to minimize risks of fire in the city.

'The reason we were able to hold this line is because of this treatment area,' Bill Morse, public information officer for the Slide Fire, said. 'Now we're getting much more comfortable about lifting the pre-evacuation.'

...The Four Forest Restoration Initiative will lead to fire-adapted ecosystems that include fuels reduction, forest health, and wildlife and plant diversity, according to its website.

'Think of this as going to a doctor,' Fleishman said. 'This is prevention.'"

Above: Screen-capture from AzCentral. 

Ideal Wildfire Conditions Make Battle Harder for Arizona Firefighters

When there is a fire in your area, always employ situational awareness (the "Set" in Ready, Set, Go!) Know the conditions in your area - you don't want to be caught off your toes. Even before a wildfire sparks, you should keep a lookout for signs of a heightened fire risk such as lack of rainfall the past few days, grasses that are turning brown, winds picking up, etc.

From the Source: 

"The deck appears stacked against 840 firefighters trying to wrangle an Arizona forest fire as it roars through thousands of acres of park land.

Dust-dry pine needles, high winds and steep slopes have dealt the blaze called the Slide Fire ideal conditions to spread rapidly, fire officials say. And it has.

The flames that investigators fear were ignited by human hands appear to have consumed hundreds of acres in a few hours' time, according to data from the online Incident Information System. The reported acreage burned jumped from 4,830 to 7,500 acres on Thursday.

A battalion of firefighters, including 15 hotshot crews and three air tankers had the blaze 5% contained by the evening, more than two days after the wildfire was first reported."

Above: "A wildfire burns south of Flagstaff, Arizona, on Wednesday, May 21. The fast-growing fire, dubbed the Slide Fire as it is just north of Slide Rock State Park, threatens several hundred homes and rental cabins in the area." Credit: CNN

Army to Conduct Annual Burn Next Week to Prevent Wildfires

U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii is taking a very proactive approach to mitigating wildfire risk through a multi-pronged management strategy that includes prescribed burning. 

From the Source: 

Army officials are taking proactive steps to prevent fires on the Schofield Barracks training range during the hotter, drier months ahead.

U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii (USAG-HI) Range Development and Management Committee and the 84th Engineer Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, have spent the last three months removing brush and trees around existing range firebreaks and improving roads throughout the range complex to provide better access for firefighters and emergency personnel.

The work is being done ahead of the Army’s annual prescribed burn of the Schofield Barracks training range complex next week.

The burn, which is scheduled for May 26 through May 31, is designed to reduce overall fire danger in the area by removing highly flammable guinea grass and other vegetation.

If left unchecked, these grasses become large fuel sources for wildfires that can be difficult to contain and threaten area resources, officials said...

Freeman estimates that effective prescribed burns can reduce wildfire outbreaks by as much as 75 percent, making them an important tool to wildfire prevention."

Credit - U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii

Fire on the Mountain (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Check out this beautifully put-together new short documentary on the many mysteries of fire, highlighting the Missoula Fire Lab's work in Montana. Definitely worth 10 minutes of your day!

From the Source: 

"Last June, 19 firefighters lost their lives trying to control a blaze near Yarnell, Arizona—the highest death toll for firefighters battling a wildfire in this country since 1933. What went wrong? Is it time to reconsider our approach to fighting fire?"

"Fire is inevitable. You can defer it, but it’s a pay-me-now-or-pay-me-later scenario."

"We’re paying for that blindness now. Across the West, enormous swaths of forest and shrubland are loaded with decades’ worth of built-up fuel. Climate change is compounding the problem: years of drought are turning much of that fuel into tinder; fire season is starting earlier and ending later; bugs are surviving warmer winters and killing vast numbers of trees, increasing the risk that fires will start and spread; and some forests destroyed by fire aren’t growing back, because faster-growing shrub and grass species are taking over before new trees can establish themselves. What it all means is that when fires start, they burn hotter and more destructively than ever before, often killing trees that would have survived less-intense heat."

"The success of fire shelters often depends on where they’re deployed, and on the intensity of the fire. The Granite Mountain Hotshots could not have been in a worse place for deploying their shelters: they were walled in on three sides by rising slopes that would funnel and pull the fire, and surrounded by a six-foot-high tangle of very dry fuel."

"When Marsh saw the fire turn the corner into the bowl, the crew had maybe three or four minutes until the flames would reach them. They picked an area where the vegetation wasn’t as dense and started clearing a spot for their shelters, between two shallow troughs that carry runoff into Yarnell. This was the point at which Marsh radioed his plans, with chain saws audible in the background. His sawyers cut down gamble oak and manzanita, to give the crew at least a small area free of fuels where they could lie down. Other hotshots dragged the branches away from the clearing and lit fires at the perimeter to burn off more fuels and increase the distance between themselves and the main fire when it arrived. In the final moments before the fire closed in, as they had been trained to do, they began to toss all their equipment outside the perimeter of the clearing, especially combustible items such as torches and chain-saw gas and oil. But the fire roared in too fast for them to finish the job. Later, fire-behavior analysis would suggest that it crossed the last 100 yards toward them in 19 seconds, burning at about 2,000 degrees."

Above: "Names of the fallen hotshots, scribbled on a whiteboard in the resource room at the fire station the day of the Yarnell Hill Fire and left untouched ever since." Credit: The Atlantic

The Mysterious Science of Fire (VIDEO)

Check out this beautifully put-together new short documentary on the many mysteries of fire, highlighting the Missoula Fire Lab's work in Montana. Definitely worth 10 minutes of your day!

From the Source: 

"Massive wildfires cost billions of dollars and burn millions of acres in the U.S. every year, but we know surprisingly little about the basic science of how they spread. At the Fire Lab in Missoula, Montana, researchers reverse-engineer spreading fires using wind tunnels, fire-whirl generators, and giant combustion chambers. They're finding that fire is a mysterious phenomenon, and the physics behind it is often counterintuitive." 

Above: Screen capture from The Atlantic video.

Fire Near Slide Rock Prompts Evacuations (VIDEO)

From the Source: 

"The outlook in Arizona remains grim a month after the Southwest Coordinating Center issued this wildfire forecast: 'Erratic and extreme fire-behavior potential will need to be considered as a given ... outside any typical historic frame of reference.'"

"Crews fighting a 450-acre fire near Slide Rock State Park on Tuesday night were expected to be joined by reinforcements early today in the effort to battle a northern Arizona fire that officials say is threatening 100 structures, including homes and vacation resort cabins.

About 100 firefighters were on scene and more resources were ordered as the fire quickly moved up steep canyon walls on Tuesday afternoon and heavy smoke filled Oak Creek Canyon, where fire officials say the Slide Fire was sparked.

The threatened structures are at the north end of the canyon. Evacuations were ordered along a 2-mile stretch from Slide Rock State Park north toward Junipine.

A shelter opened by the American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter in Flagstaff was scarcely used on Tuesday night.

Slide Rock State Park is a favorite destination in the summer.

People visit in droves to slide down the naturally formed sandstone water slides. The 43-acre park is 7 miles north of uptown Sedona. The West Fork of Oak Creek is one of the most popular hikes in the state, with its towering cliffs, meandering stream bed and lush vegetation."

Above: "Smoke seen from Cornville, Ariz., May 20, 2014." Credit: Tom White/AZ Central

An Appeal to California's Fire Agencies

Creating defensible space around your home is not enough. Reducing structural flammability is just as important and the two need to go hand in hand in order to reduce your wildfire risk. 

From the Source: 

"Local, state, and federal fire agencies are urged to expand their fire education efforts. Currently, the primary, and sometimes the only message citizens hear is to clear native vegetation (“brush”) from around their homes. While creating defensible space is a critical component of fire risk reduction, it fails to address the main reason homes burn – embers landing on flammable materials in, on, or around the home, igniting the most dangerous concentration of fuel available, the house itself.

Fire risk reduction education must emphasize BOTH how to reduce home flammability and how to create defensible space. As seen in the photo below, many homeowners have complied with defensible space regulations only to see their homes burn in a wildfire.

Educational materials and public announcements must make clear that without addressing the entire fire risk reduction equation, your home has a greater chance of burning in a wildfire. This includes creating defensible space AND retrofitting flammable portions of homes such as,
- the replacement of wood shake roofing and siding
- installation of ember resistant attic vents
- roof/under eave low-flow exterior sprinklers
- removal of flammable landscaping plants such as Mexican fan palms and low-growing acacia
- removal of leaf litter from gutters and roofing
- removal of flammable materials near the home such as wood stacks, trash cans, wooden fences, etc." 

Above: "The New Message. The photo above shows two homes with extensive defensible space and proper vegetation management that burned during the May 14, 2014, Poinsettia Fire in Carlsbad, California. Addressing the entire fire risk reduction equation is essential." 

Funny River Fire Darkens Sky Over Kenai Peninsula

"It's pretty scary. This is a first for me, I've been here 15 years but haven't seen anything like this."

This is a line we are hearing over and over again from across the nation and it should be taken seriously. Fire conditions and behavior are rapidly changing and need to be addressed with the same kind of swiftness.

From the Source: 

"The Funny River Fire has grown to more than 20,000 acres, according to a Wednesday morning update from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center.

Fire came close to but did not cross Funny River Road on the north flank of the fire overnight thanks to fire crews, air support and an existing fuel break, according to the Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team’s Facebook page. 

Firefighters are focusing on securing the north flank on Funny River and the southwest corner to safeguard the community of Kasilof, the update says. Significant smoke is blanketing Soldotna...

At the Kasilof Mercantile Store near milepost 109 on the Sterling Highway, Nancy Russell said it was bright and sunny as she drove to work at 6 a.m. Tuesday. But by 11 a.m., the sky started to cloud with smoke, and it was dark by 2 p.m., she said.

Customers brought in 'horrible' photos of the smoke throughout the day, Russell said. She said people were picking up their children from school early and taking animals to safety.

'People are on very high alert,' she said. 'It's pretty scary. This is a first for me, I've been here 15 years but haven't seen anything like this.'"

Above: "The Funny River wildfire near Soldotna more than doubled in size on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, growing to nearly 7,000 acres in dry, windy conditions and low humidity, fire officials said." Credit: Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News

Drought, Fire, and the New Normal in the American West

From the Source: 

"The wildfire season arrived early this week in southern California, at a time of the year when skies usually are covered in cooling clouds of gray.

But this spring, the skies have been more like ashen gray, and fire agencies have responded to nearly 1,400 fires this year—twice the typical number, a Cal Fire spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times. A New York Times report May 16 said fire season in the West is now 75 days longer each year than it was a decade ago.

At the root of the problem is the deep, three-year drought that continues to plague California, and warmer winter weather that shrinks the snowpack in the Cascade and Sierra Mountains—a recipe that increases likelihood of wildfires. Studies indicate that the number and size of Western fires is up, and scientists say this drought may be the start of a long-term trend, noting that other Western droughts during the past 1,000 years have been more severe and could repeat." 

Above: "Firefighters drive through a burned-out area in the hills around San Marcos, California, on May 15, 2014." Credit: Mike Blake/Reuters

Wildfires are Growing, and Growing More Costly (VIDEO)

From the Source: 

"The wildfires raging across California are the latest example of a grim reality: Wildfires are getting more dangerous, and they're costing us more, too.

U.S. taxpayers are paying about $3 billion a year to fight wildfires—triple what it cost in the 1990s—and big fires can lead to billions of dollars in property losses.

The bad news: It's going to get worse.

Researchers say a potent combination of climate change and homebuilding near wildfire-prone areas is already translating into bigger, longer, more dangerous fires, and none of those trends are showing signs of letting up."

Above: "Flames near a house in Carlsbad, Calif., May 14, 2014." Credit: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images

Firefighters Wary of Hot Winds Fanning San Diego-Area Wildfire

From the Source: 

"Hundreds of firefighters were battling Wednesday to contain a San Diego wildfire, concerned that California's so-called devil winds would ignite flareups, authorities said.

Authorities were concerned that hot, dry gusts called Santa Ana winds would set back their efforts since Tuesday morning to contain the wildfire, which improved overnight to 25% from 5%, said Cal Fire incident commander Ray Chaney.

The fire has burned 1,584 acres and prompted an evacuation Tuesday of 5,000 homes in San Diego and selected areas, authorities said. By Tuesday night, those residents had an "orderly return" to their homes, San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said...

'It has been, to say the least, a very challenging day for local fire agencies and law enforcement agencies,' San Diego Fire Chief Javier Mainar said. 'It is unusual in May to have wind-driven fires like this that prove to be such a challenge to contain.'

Michel agreed, saying there's a long, hot summer ahead. 'This is going to be a pretty severe fire season,' he said. 'We're in a prolonged drought.'" 

Above: "A helicopter drops water near the Rancho Santa Fe neighborhood of San Diego on Tuesday, May 13. A wildfire forced the evacuation of more than 20,000 homes in Southern California, officials said, as a high-pressure system brought unseasonable heat and gusty winds to the parched state." Credit: Stuart Palley/EPA/Landov

Ahead of Wildfire Season, Scientists Study What Fuels Fire (AUDIO)

A great example of science that meets management needs, which happens to be the state mission for the Pacific Fire Exchange.

From the Source: 

"As fire managers in the drought-stricken Southwest gear up for another long and expensive wildfire season, federal fire scientists are trying to better understand the physics behind what makes blazes spread.
At a U.S. Forest Service fire lab in Riverside, Calif., a team of scientists is conducting daily experiments over the next few months on different fire behavior conditions. They hope to hand off their findings to fire managers, who have to make the quick decisions on where to deploy resources that could protect lives and property.

The centerpiece of the lab is a 30-foot-long, 10-foot-high wind tunnel and inside is a layer of wood shavings meant to mimic a dry, forest floor. Above them, resting on a shelf, are freshly picked green shrubs, the live green trees in this soon-to-be simulated forest fire...

After all, these are the plants that blanket the chaparral hills of Southern California and Arizona, notorious for fueling some spectacular wildfires. But what Weise wants to know are the precise conditions that turned this small blaze into a potentially large one; one that would be almost impossible to control in the field...

'What we're trying to do here is conduct these experiments so that we can produce models, which can be used to perhaps predict what might happen under conditions that might be outside of a manager's experience,' Weise says.

Weise says that with improved models of fire behavior, that fire manager will have a better idea where to put resources to get out in front of the fire. His team plans to conduct these daily experiments under all types of different wind speeds, humidity and types of fuel for a couple more months...

There is a sense of urgency with research like this. It turns out that most of the fire behavior models commonly in practice today are based on research conducted 40 years ago. And there's no indication that wildfires are going to get any less severe anytime soon."

Above: "A lab technician lighting a fire in a wind tunnel at a fire lab in Riverside, Calif." Credit: Sean Nealon/University of California, Riverside

Helping Mother Nature Fight Fires Native Plant Landscapes and Other Fire Resistant Measures Demonstrated

We made it onto the front page of West Hawaii Today (Sunday edition) - great article recapping the Wildfire Preparedness Day event we held at the Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park. The article also covers some of the wildfire issues communities in Hawaii face and some of the steps people can take to protect their homes and families. 

From the Source: 

'Waikoloa Village resident Melissa Newberg vividly remembers the Lalamilo fire of 2005.

Eight months pregnant, she and her family scrambled to pack up photo albums and important papers. As a fire that would ultimately consume 25,000 acres burned fiercely outside the village and helicopters buzzed overhead, the Newbergs evacuated to a friend’s house in Kailua-Kona.

“People were driving on the wrong side of the road. It was pretty chaotic,” she said. “We didn’t know if we would have a house the next day.”

The Newberg home was spared — albeit with a thick layer of ash left on the lanai.

Nine years later, Newberg and her 3-year-old son, Xavier, sat in the Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park. While her daughters, Kamila and Alena, placed native plants in the cinder soil nearby, Newberg cleaned up dead leaves.

It is the type of activity the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization is encouraging everyone to do as the island heads into summer. It is also a cue the western mainland states would do well to follow, as drought and high fuel loads spark wildfire fears on the national level.

The Melia Street wildfire safety park was part of a larger demonstration by the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization that landscaping with native plants can reduce fire risks around the home. It was a centerpiece of a wildfire awareness event Saturday that also featured informational booths, art projects, presentations and tours of fire engines and emergency vehicles.

Piper Heath, 11, and Sai Cordeiro, 12, were part of a group of youngsters planting seedlings at the park Saturday. They are both members of Waikoloa Future Foresters, a group created three years ago by the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative to bring area children in contact with reforestation, fire prevention and other aspects of conservation. Part of their task is to understand the park, help take care of its plants and give tours to the public.

Heath and Cordeiro happened to be planting Cordeiro’s favorite plant, the ihi, a native succulent.

“It’s like a cactus. It holds water,” he explained. “The more water it gets, the more it holds. I like the shape of the leaves and the yellow flowers it gives.”

The park, with plantings of ilima papa, wiliwili and a ground cover called pohinahina, is meant to demonstrate that fire-resistant native plants can be low maintenance, said Pablo Beimler, education and outreach coordinator for Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization.

“These plants are already adapted to the ecosystem and the minerals in the soil,” Beimler said.

They represent a less colorful but wiser choice from a fire safety perspective than the flamboyant bougainvillea, which tends to leave a lot of flammable debris. Beimler said that picking up woody debris from the yard is one of the best ways residents can help prevent fires.

“Where the wind collects all the debris is also where the wind will take the embers,” he said. “That’s scary and it’s not a connection people always make.”

Residents should also put fine screens over their vents — especially at the foundation level — as a key step to keep burning embers from blowing in, Beimler said. Other measures include keeping a “defensible space,” of area cleared of dead vegetation in a 30-foot perimeter around the home — plus making sure grass, trees and other vegetation are trimmed.

A general awareness of the conditions on the surrounding landscape, and a family action plan in time of fire are also important, Beimler said.

“Fire is a mauka to makai issue,” he said. “It affects everything.”

The problem of fire isn’t limited just to ruined forests and homes, said Elizabeth Pickett, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization’s executive director. Erosion from the exposed land washes downhill and can smother reefs, bringing environmental consequences into the ocean.

“We’re still dealing with the dust and sediment issues from the 2005 and 2007 fires,” she said.'

"Tom Loomis, with the Hawaii Wildlife Management Organization, helps Alena Newberg, 7, as they plant native plants at the Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park." Credit - West Hawaii Today

"Firefighter Chuck Segawa gives 12-year-old Micah Canionero a tour of a fire truck during the day of fire preparedness at Waikoloa Dryland Wildfire Safety Park on Saturday." Credit - West Hawaii Today

"Firefighter Paul Higgins gives keiki a tour of a fire truck during the day of fire preparedness at Waikoloa Dryland Safety Park on Saturday." Credit - West Hawaii Today