I used to spend summers at a camp in New York that featured trips up many of the 40 Adirondack peaks. These mountains all had fire towers, which we would visit after signing our names in the book kept in a tin can on the summit. You could see for miles in all directions from these towers, especially with the ranger’s powerful binoculars. There were spotting maps and sophisticated radio equipment. I remember being in one when there was a total eclipse. Another story, perhaps.
Modern aerial surveillance techniques resulted in the decommissioning of those fire towers in the 1970s, but they rubbed off on me. I have actually called in two columns of smoke, one at McHugh Creek and another on the Kenai, both of which actually flared into pretty serious fire events that took days to put out.
Anyhow, every time there is a large wildfire in the news, I get the shivers and you should too. Paradise, Lahaina, the Los Angeles hills. The difference between those places and here is we have not had our fire yet. They had dry, tinder conditions. Big winds. Oddly, as I write this in Anchorage, there is almost no snow on the ground. It is dry despite a storm warning. And windy. And we mostly live in wooden structures.
Once again I feel compelled to point readers to the stellar work done by several federal, state and local entities simply known as Firewise Alaska. This is a comprehensive review of exactly what happens when there is a wildfire, along with the specific steps to take to prevent damage from one.
It is time, folks, to take every action necessary to ensure you are as safe as you can be from a wildfire. Sure, it has been raining cats and dogs, but with almost no snowpack this spring, well, you get the picture. Obviously, Firewise Alaska is not a brochure you try to read as hot embers are hitting your dry roof. Read it now, and while you do, make a list of those things you need to do to protect yourself and your family.
To my point (my how I ramble): We all saw the latest victims of a wildfire shaking their heads and bemoaning the quickness of it all. One minute they had a home full of family photographs, birth certificates and their passports, among other possessions. The next minute, and it was really that quick, they didn’t have anything. Nothing.
We did a pretty good job a few summers back getting rid of thousands and thousands of flammable, dead spruce trees that surrounded our homes. The forests surrounding us still have plenty of dead trees, however. It is time to bite the bullet and get those fire perimeters around your buildings cleared.
Oh sure, if you stack firewood up next to the house, you can get to it without putting on your boots. Ah, but ask anyone who lost their home in California. Don’t be lazy when it comes to wildfire hazards.
Jeff’s Alaska Garden Calendar:
Alaska Botanical Garden: Did you join yet? If you did, you get a “What’s happening in The Garden newsletter.” If you didn’t join, check out the site to see why you should and to do so! Join today. Every reader should be a member of the Alaska Botanical Garden.
Seed starting: It really is too early even if you have lights. Sure, you can try your hand at celery and lobelia, which do need a lot more time than most seeds, but generally most things are planted six to eight weeks before transplanting.
Lights: This is my first nag of the year for you to get some sort of set-up to pep up your plants and to use when we start seeds this spring.