AT THE TRAIL
Wildfire season is a period of increased risk of wildfires starting, spreading, threatening resources, and requiring advanced fire management activities.
This period typically occurs twice a year, during winter and summer. Due to repeated periods of drought and rising temperatures, however, Central Texas now experiences wildfire season year-round.
Wildfires are disastrous for humans and wildlife. While wildfires in the hill country can be natural, 89% of the average number of wildfires from 2018 to 2022 were human caused, most commonly via discarded cigarettes, unattended campfires, burning debris, etc.
Last year, Texas had the most active fire year since 2011, with fires consuming at least 650,000 acres and destroying more than 400 homes (not to mention the 8,000-plus homes firefighters were able to save).
These frequent, strong fires put immense stress on fire departments and community resources. Though we love our open spaces here in Boerne, it comes at a cost.
Texas A&M Forest Service, International Fire Chiefs Association, and other organizations are urging residents to be educated and prepared as weather patterns continue to worsen. Additionally, with our growing population and closeness to natural areas, we have a responsibility to ourselves and others to be firewise.
Living adjacent to a natural area, or the Wildland Urban Interface, puts a house and those in it at the greatest risk and requires that homeowners make it possible for firefighters to defend the home. This means creating a space between the structure and the natural area that, under normal circumstances, would slow or halt the spread of wildfire.
Dead or dying vegetation should be removed. Tree branches should be trimmed and kept a minimum of 10 feet away from the building. Remove woodpiles or combustible materials and create a separation between low-level vegetation and the tree canopy by trimming low branches, preventing fire from climbing quickly.
Ideally, this defensible space extends 30 feet from the outside of the home or patio, and if possible, an additional 70 feet should be added to this. Homes within a mile of a natural area are in the “ember Zone” and are still at risk of wind-blown embers igniting the structure even when the wildfire has not reached it. It is advised that these homeowners also follow the recommendations of a defensible space.
The Kendall County Commissioners July 10 reinstated the current burn ban as we melt into another record-breaking summer. Of course, some may complain that “every summer is the hottest summer,” and they’d be correct. We have experienced a trend of increased heat and are living in the dangerous reality that comes with it.
For details on fire preparation and safety, please visit: www.Texasfirewise.
org. All this being said, nature experiences and responds to fire very differently than humans do. Tune in for a future article on fire ecology.
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