Wildfire Mitigation Strategies

Communities at Risk of Wildfires

Communities that are near forested landscapes in most countries fall the risk of being attacked by wildfires. Homes that are in heavily wooded and dry areas need proper inspection and modification particularly during the dry periods to prevent fire breakouts (Makundi, 2016).

Wildfire Mitigation Strategies

Risk mitigation is a procedure where the three parameters (Impacts, behavior, and likelihood) are reduced. Wildfire mitigation is, therefore, the implementation of a precautionary measure that assists in protecting the structures from getting burned (Davis, 2012).

The need for wildfire risk assessment is to discover the possible causes of fire associated with the behavior of people. When existing codes are reviewed relating to wildfire, vegetation clearance and building codes come in handy especially if the structures are located in forest interface areas (Davis, 2012).

One way of preventing wildfires is by clearing shrubs, debris, trees and other vegetation that easily burn to prevent forest fires. The combustible material are good providers of paths to enable the fire to reach someone’s property. Every member of the community should remove any brush, woodpiles, shrubs and any combustible material within a 30 feet radius of the main house.

The distance in this case between the house and any tree should be at least 10 feet. Every member of the community should also make sure that the outbuildings such as storage sheds are far away from their houses. The feasibility of this technique is when there are materials around homes that can easily trigger fire during the hot seasons. The benefit of using this mitigation strategy is that it will assist to prevent damage to vegetation and structure due to wildfire, and it will also protect people from the communities from being injured (Davis, 2012). The cost of applying this strategy starts by hiring a contractor. When a large tree is to be removed, it will cost around $1,000 to $1,500, but when smaller trees and shrubs are to be removed, then it would cost less (Davis, 2012).

Bark Beetle Management

Bark beetles are pests such as pines that attack the leaves of trees. When inhabited in one place for a while, these pests are known to be the cause of wildfires. Under the right circumstance, the dry wood will generate forest fire that spread through the communities (Runyon, 2016).

The feasibility of using this strategy is when there is a significant volume of timber in the forest. When the action is taken immediately, particularly where there are large infestations, early prevention will seize the expansion of these pests from returning to the forest. Therefore, trees that have been infested with beetles should be removed to avoid the emergence of the infestation. The cost of utilizing this project is a factor that will involve the use of chemicals.

Costs usually determined the amount and type of chemical used. For instance, since the cost of chemical concentration is per gallon, it can be deceiving based on the substance and the concentration of the chemical. The cheapest chemicals to use in this case is the BTB since its remedy involves more on preventing (Runyon, 2016). However, if were removed, then it is more economical when the IPS and SPE are used. The benefit of using this method is that one understands how the beetle operates and so it is easy to prevent regeneration when the right treatment is prescribed. The use of this method is also beneficial to people of the community as they will understand how leaves discolor which will be a sign of the infestation of bees. Moreover, the benefit of restoring the forests is the health of the people of the community since trees are good contributors of rain and wind barriers (Runyon, 2016).

Education

The final mitigation strategy that has a long-term effect is education. The feasibility of this program is that the education activities come in various ways such as homeowner visit, media efforts, informational fliers and brochures, and presentations (Peterson, 2013).

The cost of educating the community will vary with the medium used. For instance, despite the fact that the media is the most efficient way of passing information, it is eventually the most expensive channel of education. Informational brochures and flyers may be a bit cheaper based on the quality (Peterson, 2013). However, additional transport cost may be added to make sure every member of the community receives a copy. The most affordable and efficient way of education is the homeowner visit because it only requires a vehicle to go to every home.

Although it might take time before everyone gets the information, it’s also the best method of education since people get to discuss the problem in depth. The benefit of educating the community about wildfires is that the information will pass from generation to generation so long as there is a forest around them (Peterson, 2013). Also, when people meet as neighbors, they have a tendency of educating themselves more by reminding each other whenever a member is seen to forget. Lastly, education makes everyone responsible. Therefore, people will not only discover when the forest is infested with the bark beetles, but they will also stop depending on the local authority in case the situation re-occurs. As a result, members will instead gather through meetings, re-educate themselves what they were taught and facilitate an action plan that will quickly eradicate the attack for the bark beetles (Peterson, 2013). This will either stop or slow done the bark beetles for eating trees.

References

Davis, S. N. (2012). Contemporary Startegies for Managing Cardiometabolic Risk Factors. Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy, 12(1 supp A). doi:10.18553/jmcp.2006.12.s1-a.s4

Makundi, W. R. (2016). Global Climate Change Mitigation and Sustainable Forest Management — The Challenge of Monitoring and Verification. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 2(2/3), 133-155. doi:10.1023/b:miti.0000004473.46383.09

Peterson, D. (2013). Forest fire prevention and control. Fire Safety Journal, 6(2), 153. doi:10.1016/0379-7112(83)90062-0

Runyon, J. B. (2016). Do bark beetle (Dendroctonusspp.) outbreaks affect wildfires? Assessing beetle-induced changes to tree chemistry and flammability. 2016 International Congress of Entomology. doi:10.1603/ice.2016.95023