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Novatos Shaded Fire Break will save homes
The small Marin town of Novato is creating a so-called Shaded Fuel Break to keep small gash and brush fires from climbing up into the top of trees, setting off major firestorms.
NOVATO, Calif. - The small Marin town of Novato is creating a so-called Shaded Fuel Break to keep small gash and brush fires from climbing up into the top of trees, setting off major firestorms.
This as more and more towns are saying, ‘Gimme a break – a fire break.’
Vegetation has grown out of control for generations, and will consume many towns if they don't conduct preemptive strikes. Novato is a good example.
Wildland fire strategies
Firehand crews and contractors have been creating the Greater Novato Shaded Fuel Break, a joint project of Novato Fire Department, Marin Wildfire Authority and Cal Fire for two years. The hills and mountains around the Marin Valley Mobile Home Country club were some of the first treated.
As one map shows, Novato is surrounded by a lot of critical risk areas in orange and moderate risk in yellow. "It's a 200 to 300-foot buffer and it removes the fuel load as well as provides additional defensible space for our firefighters to attack a fire in this open space," said Novato Fire Department Vegetation Program Manager Sarah Labberton.
When done, the buffer will run for 60 miles over 3,400 acres. In unburned wooded areas, invasive plants have multiplied and built up for generations under the trees, now at long last, being dealt with.
"Removing those ladder fuels that carry the fire from the ground up into the canopy…once it hits the canopies of the trees, the flame lengths are massive and the ember production from those trees just flies," said Labberton.
The most critical 500 acres have already been done and are regularly maintained.
Bring in the goats
"They bring the goats in every year to eat the brush down and keep the fire break going. So to have the service done for us every year is immense," said Novato Resident Ann Glasscock.
The ultimate key to success: residents making sure their spaces are groomed too.
"You gotta get people to buy in. How do you want it? You want your landscape beautiful right now, and a moonscape tomorrow?" said Novato resident Bill Davis.
Some of the most flammable vegetation: juniper. Looking at a fire risk map of the mobile park, what you will see is a lot of gold places. That's where junipers were removed, and what they have now is a gold mine, a gold mine of safety.
"All the counties around Marin have burnt, big time; not us yet and we're working hard to make sure that doesn't happen," said Davis.
The rest of the acreage should buy sometime in the next three to four years. It will be done for $15 million, $5 million under budget.
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