State, local crews work on reducing wildfire risk

June 3, 2007

By Amie Pappas

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - The heat is on for crews working in the Department of Forestry's hazardous fuel reduction program.

In partnership with the Mat-Su Borough, Forestry is sending out crews to complete controlled burns around high value structures in the area.

By using a hand-cutting and burning method, the end result will be more park-like than if it was done by machine, officials said.

On Wednesday, the Gannette Glacier fire crew of Palmer was in the middle of a project at Pioneer Peak Elementary School on Trunk Road. The elementary school was deemed a potentially high fire-risk, due to the proximity and density of the surrounding woods.

Hazardous fuels include vegetation that is highly flammable, like overgrown birch and spruce trees, including some that have been damaged by spruce bark beetle infestations.

The project consists of constructing a 150- to 200-feet-wide shaded fuel-break surrounding the school.

&#8220By spacing the trees, a big fire won't have as much fuel to burn,” said Tom Dean, project foreman for the Division of Forestry.

&#8220Some schools are a little older and are of wood construction,” he said. &#8220If we had a fire and it got enough momentum it could endanger the structure. It's like an insurance policy.”

The cutting and burning also helps foster healthy forest growth by removing the dead and infested trees.

&#8220The money for the program overall that has come to the Mat-Su Borough is a federal appropriation from Sen. Ted Stevens through the Department of Agriculture.” said Michieal Abe, of the borough's Firewise and Wildlife Mitigation program said. &#8220Burning is the most cost-effective way to remove the fuels.”

The borough contracted with Sanders Consulting to evaluate the risk factor for locations in the borough. The consultants write up a prescription for each site determining what needs to be removed to keep the area safe.

Then Forestry crews get to work.

The cross-trained crews often multi-task by working on fuel reduction during cool and damp weather, while still on call for fire emergencies when the weather is hot and dry.

It can be difficult to estimate how long a project might take.

&#8220It's fluid, and it totally depends on the weather.” Dean said.

Josh Leutzinger is happy about his first year as crew boss.

&#8220It's going really well this summer. We're actually ahead of schedule.”

Abe said everything about the project is good.

&#8220We are reducing the fuels, but we're still making it aesthetically pleasing for everyone. It also promotes good forest health and reduces wildfire threat.”

Dean said the work contributes something else, too.

&#8220It provides local jobs

and money back into the

community.”

Contact Amie Pappas at

352-2284 or amie.pappas@ frontiersman.com.