The Idaho back country is amazing. This hiking journey was intended to take us to Hard Creek Lake. The drive there takes you past Brundage Resort, Goose Creek reservoir and 15 miles of unpaved gravel road. A few of those miles, especially the uphill portions provide a noticeable washboard effect but don’t be deterred the road gets better. This area was overcome by the Corral Fire in l994 and several subsequent fires that burned multiple acres. The tree is a reminder of the impact of wild fire in the forest. Many years later much of the habitat is returning, native trees are thriving and the wild grasses and flowers are abundant. Fire can be restorative, it is part of the natural order.
Did you know that earth is the only known planet where fire can burn. Only on our home globe is there enough oxygen for fire to occur. The fire triangle must be present for fire to exist; heat, oxygen and fuel. Heat is the first and most essential element to a blaze. The earth is getting warmer and that robs the fuel of moisture making it more likely to ignite and burn much hotter. The fire in Lahaina is a frightening example of the confluence of the triangle. Add high wind and it becomes an inferno, spreading with lightning speed. Sources at the fire on the island of Maui say the fire was moving at a mile a minute. So fast that people caught in its path could not escape. The devastation of an entire town in a tropical paradise defies logic-the loss of life is beyond imagination. While fire can regenerate a forest, prairie or desert it is not a natural occurrence in human habitat.
We have a second home in McCall, Idaho. The area is heavily wooded and certainly fire is a major concern. Home fires can quickly ignite the surrounding vegetation and fire burns up through the tall trees and can quickly be out of control. Fire risk is measured by the ISRB, the Idaho Surveying and Rating Bureau. My home is in a class 8 zone of a potential 10. Ten is likely non insurable or very expensive. We live near a lake but the fire department cannot easily pump from that body of water for a home fire. The rating reflects that we are within 5 miles of a fire station by not within 1000 feet of a hydrant. Fires like the one that devastated Paradise a few years, the recent Lahaina blaze and so many others prove that there is added risk in forest areas. Insurance companies are challenged to buy the necessary reinsurance at an affordable price.
My home is not a part of a city infrastructure with fire protection-we are working on a fire suppression system that will cover all 88 of our homes with the required water pressure and hydrant array. There is more to the plan that includes a fire wise evaluation that eliminates fuel; limbing up trees, clearing vegetation, cutting fire breaks and education. Wish us luck.
I tell you this tale to reinforce the challenge for our earth. Climate change is real and we are experiencing its impacts every day. I hope you will speak up about the need for a US led effort of cooperative engagement to halt CO2 emissions before it is literally too late.
Those kids in Montana got it right, we owe them a planet they can live on!! Mike
Fire
