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SALOCALLOWDOWN.COM WILDFIRE continues from pg. 10 of Texas wildfires occur within two miles of a community. The Fire Department reported 83 wildfires from 2007 to October 2015, most caused by what officials call miscellaneous factors, but burning debris — mainly brush — sparked several others. Local firefighters were extra busy in 2011 when a lengthy drought exacerbated dangerous conditions. Late last summer, several small blazes originated in Stone Oak. A utility truck accidentally caught fire and sparked a larger wildfire, which reached Stone Oak Parkway and Evans Road. Two days later, a grass fire at nearby Camp Bullis burned 150 acres, but no structures. “We encourage communities to develop protection plans,” said Logan Scherschel, a Texas A&M Forest Service WUI specialist. Scherschel and his colleagues worked with SAFD to discern high- and low-risk sectors citywide. “We did risk assessments on each community,” Scherschel said, adding
Ashe juniper, often called mountain cedar — prevalent locally — is the biggest potential fuel for a brush fire. Prolonged arid environs, affecting more than a third of Texas, compound the issue. Scherschel said newer Northwest Side developments typically feature noncombustible materials. However, older neighborhoods in low-risk parts of town remain ill-equipped. He noted many characteristics determine how fast and large a brush fire can develop: the density of a community’s tree canopy, proximity of edifices to foliage, and the amount of overgrowth, dead trees and brush. “Terrain also plays a big factor in a fire’s behavior. Preheating of a fire happens as it moves upslope,” he added. Goals of the wildfire-protection plan include ensuring residents’ safety, limiting property loss and promoting maintenance of healthy ecosystems. “A devastating wildfire can moonscape the landscape and make it difficult (to recover),” said SAFD Wildland Program
Coordinator Capt. Brian Stanish. The plan has numerous objectives, including identifying shelters and safe refuge locations for public evacuations; conducting civic education and awareness about such spots and risk reduction; expanding brush pickups; and working with state and city agencies to decrease fuel on public and private properties. The protection plan could also help first responders dispel residents’ misconceptions regarding eliminating habitat. “When people hear of trimming trees, we’re not talking (about) bulldozing them, but to clear the seal,” Stanish said, referring to creating gaps so wildfires don’t spread. Another objective in the protection plan is to identify candidates for Firewise Community designation. The National Fire Protection Association’s program enables cities and neighborhoods — regardless of size — to proactively outline how to
WILDFIRE continues on pg. 17
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