There is a new blog post out at the Southern Plains Perspective titled, “A hot time in the old town tonight…maybe. Just in case let’s start thinking about wildfire.” Read below!
If you have kept up with the weather news, you know that California has been getting inundated by “bomb cyclones” and “atmospheric rivers.” Needless to say, that is good news when it comes to the record drought that has been hitting that part of the country (at least in the short term-although there is a lot of damage also coming with that much water in that short amount time-we’ll talk about flooding later). Unfortunately, based on the latest forecasts, it doesn’t look like much of that moisture will be making its way to the Southern Plains.
What it could bring, however, is wind.
It looks like a real possibility for a strong gust front to be heading through parts of the region as a result of the west coast storm system moving its way across the country. Combine that with the drought we are currently in and the above-normal temperatures we (for the most part) have been seeing, and it starts to whip together some real potential wildfire danger.
As we have said before, the worse time to plan for wildfires is when you see smoke on the horizon. With this latest wind blast coming our way, now might be a good time to go over your fire planning.
Here are a few suggestions from our partners at Oklahoma State University:
First–Survey the status of your home, out buildings and equipment. How would the property handle the blaze if you were in the path of a wildfire and help is delayed or not available?
Next–Keep the area around your home or farmstead mowed down short and make sure any kind of flammable shrubs or trees are a safe distance from your home or buildings.
Prune the limbs of your trees to prevent fire from spreading to the crown of trees.
Clean up other flammable items around your home and buildings, including firewood. Stack or store firewood a safe distance away from them.
Consider the fire entry points of your home. Keep windows and doors shut on barns to prevent the entry of flying embers.
Identify bare ground or a gravel area where equipment can be stored in case of a fire.
Spread out a hay supply — don’t store all your hay in one spot.
Develop a livestock contingency plan. Determine where animals can be moved to—like a trampled-down area or a corral—until the fire passes.
Check with your insurance company for details of current wildfire coverage. Make sure your policy is up to date and determine if the plan needs to be enhanced.
Remember also that wildfire isn’t just a rural issue. Suburban areas are also at risk, especially those on the edge of metro areas where heavy fuel loads grow up to the edge of housing developments. Also, remember that the more you can do to reduce fuel load, the less risk we have for wildfire when conditions develop. Longer-term strategies like prescribed fire are helpful in controlling invasive species like eastern redcedar and reducing the amount of dry vegetation that can help fuel an out-of-control blaze.
For more information on what you can do to better prepare for wildfire, check out this link to a handbook from Oklahoma State, K-State, Texas A&M and others that provides some suggestions on how to get your farm, ranch and rural homestead ready for fire danger.
Let’s stay ahead of the danger this year and do a little fire planning.
To read this post at the Southern Plains Perspective website, click here.
To view all more blog posts and content at the Southern Plains Perspective, click here.
