Reducing Wildfire Risks
Wildfires pose a constant and growing threat to our homes, personal safety, and the health of our forestlands each fire season. As with many natural disasters, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or powerless in the face of such a large and unpredictable force. The smoke-filled skies, evacuation warnings, and headlines about destruction can create a sense of dread and helplessness, leaving many to wonder, what can I possibly do to make a difference? Yet while wildfires may be inevitable, the way we prepare for and respond to them is not. Understanding the risks, supporting resilient land management practices, and taking steps to protect our communities can shift that feeling of despair into one of action.
North Idaho’s landscape is naturally adapted to frequent wildfires. However, decades of fire suppression have led to a buildup of surface and ladder fuels. Surface fuels include dry grass, leaves, and fallen branches or trees that lie on the ground. Ladder fuels are shrubs or smaller trees that allow fire to climb into the canopy, potentially turning a ground fire into a fast-moving crown fire. Once a fire reaches the canopy, suppression efforts often require aerial resources. Removing surface and ladder fuels is essential to modifying fire behavior, slowing its spread, and keeping it low enough for local crews to contain it before it threatens lives or property.
A key forest management activity aimed at reducing the buildup of surface and ladder fuels is called Hazardous Fuels Treatment (HFT). These treatments often target the sub-merchantable components of the forest and focus on creating both vertical and horizontal separation between fuels. Common HFT practices include pruning, thinning, and either mastication or piling and burning of the resulting material.
Crucial fire hazard reduction treatments like these can be costly, and for many landowners, even cost prohibitive. Fortunately, the foresters at Inland Forest Management are well-versed in the programs available to help private landowners complete Hazardous Fuels Treatments. Each of the four northern counties in North Idaho, Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai, and Shoshone, offers assistance to landowners living in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). These county-wide programs aim to raise awareness about wildfire preparedness in the WUI and use state and federal grant funding to help landowners create fuel breaks that reduce wildfire risk and help protect communities.
If your property is located within an active grant area, you may be eligible for hazardous fuels treatment assistance. Please contact our office for a free site visit to assess the wildfire risk on your property and develop a customized plan to effectively reduce that risk.
~Elynn Reierson
