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Wildfire September 29, 2009

Greater Alpine Fire Safe Council. Protecting the Alpine community from wildfire and preserving Alpine’s natural and manmade resources through education, land stewardship and fuels management. Wildfire September 29, 2009. Neville Connell President, Greater Alpine Fire Safe Council.

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Wildfire September 29, 2009

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  1. Greater Alpine Fire Safe Council Protecting the Alpine community from wildfire and preserving Alpine’s natural and manmade resources through education, land stewardship and fuels management WildfireSeptember 29, 2009 Neville ConnellPresident, Greater Alpine Fire Safe Council

  2. A Few Questions about Wildfires How are wildfires different now than in the past? Are there better ways to protect people and the environment?

  3. Richard Dana observed: • that in the summer of 1834 a wildfire • burnt the town of Santa Barbara to • the ground • that severe storms frequently • brought high southerly winds and • rain to California • - by 1859 wildfires were still common • but severe winter storms were • becoming much less frequent

  4. Drier Wetter North Pacific Storms Pineapple Expresses Rainfall Temperature Source: Berkelhammer 2007

  5. Time of Year for Fire Ignitions 575 ignitions in the last 5 years in the Cleveland NF - 350 by people - 50 by lightning - 40 by mechanical equipment - others by many smaller miscellaneous categories (including power lines)

  6. The Great Fire of 1910 - the “Big Blow Up” 3 million acres burnt in Washington, Idaho and Montana The largest wildfire in American history - still USFS adopted the doctrine of fire suppression - “the asbestos forest” Unintended consequences: - accumulation of fuels - larger, longer burning wildfires with greater potential for devastation and loss of life. Source:Professor Morgan Varmer, Forestry & Wildland Resources Department, Humboldt State University

  7. Fire Intensity 40-Year old Chaparral 10-Year old Chaparral

  8. Conclusion Large wildfires occur every 30 years or so in San Diego County

  9. Are there more wildfires this decade? Most dangerous wildfire areas in San Diego County

  10. Conditions in San Diego County Yesteryear Today Wetter Drier Average temperatures Average temperatures Ignitions by lightning (calm, Indians) Ignitions by people (Santa Ana) Healthy, younger chaparral Ancient, dry or dead chaparral Diverse ecosystem More limited diversity “Conditions for Perfect Fire Storms”

  11. A Better Way to Protect People and Environment Return to the Indian practice of using controlled burns as an essential aspect of land management, rejuvenating the landscape in a cyclical manner, and preventing a massive build-up of highly combustible fuels. Where prescribed burns are impractical, reduce fuels by mechanical treatment (“mastication”) The result: - a healthy, frequently burned landscape where new fires move into old fires and put themselves out - a return to the healthy ecological environment that we had before the Big Blow Up Source: Professors Varmer and Stuart, Forestry & Wildland Resources Department, Humboldt State University

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