Are Drought-Ravaged Trees the New Wildfire Fuel?
Thursday, June 11, 2015
RENO, Nev. – Drought-ravaged trees could pose a serious threat to homeowners and forest communities as Nevada's wildfire season gets underway.
Amy Ray, a fire marshal with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, says years of drought has caused many trees to dry out, which could create dangerous conditions during wildfire season.
"It is a greater threat, because once fire moves into the trees and it's able to climb into the tops of trees, that's what we call the potential for a crown fire," she says.
Ray says a crown fire spreads among the treetops rather than burning on the ground, which can be difficult to control. She says state and federal governments have not kept up with thinning dry trees in recent years, which has intensified the problem.
Beyond the dry trees and invasive weeds and grasses that are prime fuel for wildfire, Ray says Northern Nevada's strong winds present another major challenge.
"Wind is a huge factor," she says. "Wind decides where the fire goes and how fast it gets there. Wind is always our problem and always unpredictable, and fire will create its own wind if it gets big enough."
While several of Nevada's worst wildfire seasons have occurred in the past decade, Ray says the Living With Fire website offers a wealth of wildfire preparedness information for Nevadans. The website URL is www.livingwithfire.info.
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