Q&A
What is a Shaded Fuel Break?
According to CALFIRE:
"Shaded fuelbreaks are strips of land in which vegetation has been modified rather than removed. The purpose is to reduce the amount of combustible material so that when a fire hits the shaded fuelbreak it will decrease in intensity, cool down, and drop from the canopy to the ground. "
"Shaded fuelbreaks are strips of land in which vegetation has been modified rather than removed. The purpose is to reduce the amount of combustible material so that when a fire hits the shaded fuelbreak it will decrease in intensity, cool down, and drop from the canopy to the ground. "
How do you know what needs to be done on my property?
Treatments are tailored specifically to each individual parcel with regard to specific factors like slope, road access, topography, water courses, sensitive species, and land owner input.
What are my requirements to participate?
You must own property that is located within the footprint of the project outline. And you must agree to maintain and keep up the treatment after the project is complete. This means continuing to remove the brush and lower ladder fuels as they grow back. The good news is that this maintenance is much easier to complete after the inital removal and clearance has been completed.
How will the areas near Deer Creek be handled?
There will be a 200-foot riparian buffer on each side of Deer Creek that won’t be treated to protect this environmentally sensitive area. Each parcel plan developed by the forester will indicate if there are additional riparian buffers. Generally speaking, smaller creeks will have smaller riparian buffers.
How does this fuels reduction work affect the wildlife on my property?
Clearing brush will potentilly reduce the presence of rattlesnakes and rodents (and the fleas and ticks that come with them) on your parcel as well as opening up a line of sight for raptors and other birds to better hunt smaller animals. You may notice more owls and hawks moving in after treatments are completed.
Not to worry, treatments generally include leaving "islands" for smaller birds and wildlife to dwell in. Remember a shaded fuel break is just reducing the overloaded ladder fuels, NOT removing everything that's green from the land.
Not to worry, treatments generally include leaving "islands" for smaller birds and wildlife to dwell in. Remember a shaded fuel break is just reducing the overloaded ladder fuels, NOT removing everything that's green from the land.
What is “basal square feet” and how do I estimate it?
Basal square feet (bsf) is a measure of the density of trees on a piece of land.
| Tree diameter at 4.5’ above the ground | Basal square feet |
| 12” | 0.79 |
| 24” | 3.1 |
| 36” | 7.1 |
| 48” | 12.6 |
After fuel reduction is done, how many trees will I have left?
It depends on their size. Here’s an example, per acre:
10 trees that are 1 foot in diameter (0.8 bsf x 10 = 8 basal sf)
PLUS
10 trees that are 2 feet in diameter (3.14 bsf x 10 = 31.4 bsf)
PLUS
4 trees that are 3 feet in diameter (7.1 bsf x 4 = 28.4 bsf
PLUS
2 trees that are 4 feet in diameter (12.6 bsf x 2 = 25.2 bsf)
10 trees that are 1 foot in diameter (0.8 bsf x 10 = 8 basal sf)
PLUS
10 trees that are 2 feet in diameter (3.14 bsf x 10 = 31.4 bsf)
PLUS
4 trees that are 3 feet in diameter (7.1 bsf x 4 = 28.4 bsf
PLUS
2 trees that are 4 feet in diameter (12.6 bsf x 2 = 25.2 bsf)