Posts Tagged: wild fire
Mendocino & Lake Counties Fire Recovery Info
The attached pdf, from Katie Delbar, provides initial info on assistance for ag producers with property in the recent Mendocino & Lake fires.
I've just begun to work on a smartphone app that I hope will make it easy to assess acreage damaged by the fires, economic value of the forage losses and reseeding requirements and cost assessments. I'll keep you posted on that progress.
Below are quite a few links for UC information on fire recovery that Ken Tate put together:
http://ucanr.edu/sites/postfire/
//ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=18117
http://ucanr.edu/sites/forestry/Wildfire/
http://ucanr.edu/News/Wildfire/
http://www.cafiresci.org/announcements-source/category/postfirerecoveryucanr
http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8446.pdf
http://ucanr.edu/sites/forageloss/files/74150.xls
http://ucanr.edu/sites/forageloss/files/74149.xls
http://cesutter.ucanr.edu/Fire_Information/
http://ucanr.edu/?blogtag=wildfire&blogasset=60503
http://cecentralsierra.ucanr.edu/files/220420.pdf
http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8386.pdf
//ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=19424
http://calag.ucanr.edu/archive/?article=ca.v007n03p3
http://cecentralsierra.ucanr.edu/files/224720.pdf
Redwood Complex Fire
Fire Season Is Not Over Yet
Local fire agencies have warned that fire season is not over. Cooler temperatures are a relief but not a stop sign for wildfire. As of last week, according to Chief Marc Bashoor at FireChief.com over 50 fires still rage in the Western United States, at varying degrees of containment, California taking the brunt of the damage. It is important that local farmers and ranchers continue to take necessary precautions against wildfires and other disasters. How can you be prepared? The following blog was written by Livestock and Natural Resource Adviser, Dan Macon.
Fire Preparation for Ranchers - Writing Down Your Plan
- Author: Dan Macon Posted: July 11, 2018. Updated Aug 27, 2018.
“In June, I wrote about preparing our ranches for fire (Fire Season is Here: Is Your Ranch Ready?). Since that time, we've seen large fires in ranching country. Each of these fires is a stark reminder that we live and raise livestock in a fire-prone landscape.
In July, a number of ranchers from Placer County met with law enforcement, fire and animal control officials to discuss the emergency preparation and response issues unique to commercial-scale ranching operations. As we talked, I realized that there are several factors that make planning for and responding to wildfire (and other emergencies, like flooding) challenging for these kinds of ranching businesses:
- Many ranches have livestock in multiple locations.
- Many leased pastures are simply pastures; there is no landlord or other resident on site.
- Because of this, the physical address of the pasture may not be readily apparent.
- Often, the number of livestock at a particular site may be more than can be easily evacuated in a single load in a stock trailer.
- Access during a fire may be difficult due to law enforcement road blocks. Since many of us lease pastures, gaining access (as opposed to staying at our home places in the event of an evacuation) can be problematic.
There are several things we can do to help address these issues. First, we should write down the locations where our livestock are grazing at least on a seasonal basis. What's the address? How many animals are at each location, and what classes of animals are there? What are the evacuation routes you'd be likely to use to get animals out of harms way? If you couldn't evacuate the animals, are there safe zones on or nearby the location where animals could be moved? Is there an on-site landlord or resident, or perhaps a neighbor, that you could call in an emergency situation? Finally, are there 2 or 3 nearby ranchers who could help you? Here's a sample of my one-page plan:
Access to leased pastures during a large-scale fire or other emergency may be more problematic. On Monday, we learned from CalFire that there is a liaison officer within the agency's incident command structure who can help facilitate access to livestock during a multi-day fire. Short-term access may be more difficult - we're working with our local emergency responders to find ways to address this while also protecting public and fire fighter safety.
What steps do you take to prepare for the possibility of wildfire? I hope you'll share your ideas and questions in the comment section below!
And finally, I'm working on organizing similar meetings with first responders in Nevada, Yuba and Sutter Counties. If you operate a commercial ranch, or lease land to a rancher in one of these counties, and would like to get involved, please contact me at dmacon@ucanr.edu.”
Watch for a follow-up blog that will focus on farmer preparation for wild fire or other emergency threats.
Drought, Fire and Flash Floods-National Weather Service talks at CSU Channel Islands
Drought is a regular threat here in Southern California where dry conditions prevail. The National Weather Services will holding two talks related to drought at California State University, Channel Islands. The talks are a part of the Environmental Science and Resource Management (ESRM) speaker's series and will feature speakers from local Weather Forecast offices.
We are currently experiencing drought conditions which can lead to fires and subsequent threats of flash floods and debris flows. The speakers will address these issues and how partnerships with local services can help minimize potential damage. The topics will cover:
- Growing Fire Weather Threat in Southern California
- Drought and Post Fire Flash Floods and Debris Flows
If you are interesting in attending:
Dates: February 13 and February 20, 2014
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Location:
California State University, Channel Islands
1360 Broome Library
One University Dr.
Camarillo, CA 93012
Contact: Don Rodriguez, don.rodriguez@csuci.edu
See here for more information.
Rural Roads Webinar Series
Rural roads are vital to rural communities, nature recreation users, and for fire and other disaster emergency response and evacuation. These roads are often located in forested and rangeland settings and may be owned and/or managed by governmental or private parties.
The UC Forest Research and Outreach website offers many wonderful resources, including the Rural Roads Webinar Series. From their website:
“Rural roads in California are associated with several environmental impacts. They have been identified as a major source of sediment production in watersheds supporting beneficial uses. They can provide the means by which exotic plants and animals and pathogens are spread into wild lands. Roads fragment the landscape and adversely affect wildlife habitat. Vehicles traveling on rural roads are responsible for thousands of road-killed wildlife every year.”
The webinar series will provide viewers with:
- a broad overview of the environmental issues associated with rural roads in California.
- a description of the fundamental principles of rural road construction, re-construction and operations.
- a description of practices used to minimize the environmental impacts of road construction, operations and maintenance.
- review methods used for road assessment and inventory to identify problems and maintenance or re-construction or restoration needs.
Check the sitefor upcoming webinars. Previous versions have been archived on the website.
Wildfire preparedness for farmers, ranchers and growers
The Ventura County Fire Department’s, Ready Set Go! Wildfire preparedness for farmers, ranchers and growers is an interesting and informative resource designed to help the agricultural community prepare for wildfire.
Agricultural production areas are often located right next to, or very close by highly flammable natural vegetation areas. In addition, many supplies and materials typically found in agriculture are particularly susceptible to flames or wind-driven embers.
The Ready Set Go! publication can help our food producers protect their property, homes and livelihood from the threat of fire.
Topics include:
- Defensible space and embers
- Orchards and groves
- Farmers, ranchers and growers
- Rangeland and livestock operations
- Livestock and row crops
- Wildfire resources for farmers, ranchers and growers
- Checklist
Agricultural production areas are often located right next to, or very close by highly flammable natural vegetation areas. Resources are available to help growers prepare for wildfire.