Many thanks to all the volunteers that contributed their time for prep work, during the burn and after, to our neighbors, and to the multitude of organizations that contributed their time and expertise such as CalFire, Good Fire Alliance and Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance. Our partnership with Fire Forward and their leadership and planning made the prescribed burn possible and we’re excited to have begun our collaboration. Read on below for a recap of the burn’s outcomes, how to engage with Fire Forward on your land, and a resource list for land managers and owners compile by Sonoma Ecology Center. (Pictures above by Sashwa Burrous)
Recent national media coverage of the burn featured Green Valley co-owners Jeremy Fisher and Temra Costa (pictured on right) along with Fire Forward Burn Boss and Fire Ecologist Sasha Berleman, is bringing new light to the benefits of bringing good fire back to the land. Click on the picture to the right or HERE to watch the 2 minute segment.
BURN SUCCESS: Fire resiliency for the next 15 years
80% reduction in fuels was achieved for 14-acres of high risk forest where accidental ignitions are common along the road and vegetation was previously hazardously dense.
With the removal of ground vegetation and surface fuels in the 14-acre block, Sasha estimates that the forest will be resistant to fire for 15 - 20 years. Fire moves through a forest largely with the aid of surface fuels and the substantial reduction from the burn means that any fire that comes through the forest will stop and die down at the prescribed burn unit.
Along with greater fire resilience, ecological restoration of the forest is our long term goal with this work. We drastically reduced the douglas firs in the burn unit, especially the young ones, which will result in increased biodiversity.
A dozen or more firs on the ridge have died from the burn due to girdling from the heat. These trees have self-selected as not fire resilient and this is a good thing. They do not present a significant fire threat due to the aforementioned reduction of surface fuels. If a fire did come through, there would not be enough heat to burn the canopy, even with the handful of standing dead trees. It is our plan to continue mechanical thinning work to remove small diameter, dead and dying trees from this unit now that it is more accessible. We will also harvest some of these firs to be used for timber before bark beetles move in and make the wood unusable as a building material.
The prescribed burn provided us with an invaluable learning opportunity to help prepare ourselves and this community to have a much greater understanding of fire on the ground. Fire Forward helped with the planning and implementation for over a year, ultimately bringing together 40 local volunteers for the actual burn day (not including the one attempted in January) that included fire ecologists, fire fighters, fire forward fellows, CalFire, Graton Fire and neighbors who all gained experience.
The ferns are already growing back and the understory will be greener than ever with herbaceous plants after this winter
FIRE FORWARD supports a myriad of land owners in prescribed burns and can assess if a prescribed burn is right for your property. If you’re interested in this work, please start by completing this online survey and someone will reach out to you.
You might also consider joining the Good Fire Alliance for information resources and networking. Their website can be found here.
Sonoma Ecology Center published a list of resources on prescribed burns for landowners and managers that is full of useful information and can be found here.