National Forest Week took place from Sept. 20-26 this year, and the theme was trying to prevent wildfire – especially relevant considering the Saskatchewan wildfires this past summer.
“The biggest thing we want people to learn is wildfire is a natural part of the landscape,” said Camille Harris, a wildfire prevention and mitigation specialist with the province.
What this means is that it’s important people know that fires happen in the natural world and they should plan accordingly. To this end, the province is promoting its FireSmart program, which releases information about how to better protect your home from fire.
The following are tips from Harris to prevent fire from reaching your home:
-If the house has open eaves, an ember can set the eaves on fire.
-Store firewood away from the house.
“You can do all you want around the cabin but if one little ember gets into that stack of wood, it can burn the cabin from the inside out,” she said.
-Keep all fuel, such as trees and grass, away from structures. As well, keep most trees 10 metres away from the structure.
“You don’t want a big spruce tree right up against your house,” she said.
-Keep your grass cut and watered.
-In the area 100 metres away from the structure, keep more deciduous trees than coniferous. Deciduous trees are not as volatile.
Prior to the Saskatchewan wildfires, Harris and others with the province visited Wadin Bay and thinned the trees in some areas. This past summer, the fire came right into the community. Thinning the trees allowed the fire to drop in intensity and let firefighters get in.
“It really helped their community lessen the risk of fire coming into their community,” Harris said.
Saskatchewan.ca/fire has a list of FireSmart resources. Particularly relevant to the area are the sections on campfires and farm and ranch practices.
For camping, the site says:
-Make sure it is not too windy, hot or dry.
-Build your campfire in a barbeque pit or stand when provided.
-In the wild, build fires on rock, clay or sand.
-Keep a pail of water and a shovel nearby.
-Use lots of water to put out your fire - float and stir the coals.
-Double check the coals before you leave.
For farming, the site says:
-Make sure you have a permit for your fire
-Never leave a burn unattended
-Cut grass.
-Store winter supply of bales in a few different locations to minimize loss in a fire.
-Have an evacuation plan for livestock.
A lot more information can be found on the website.
