The Corps Network News, July 2007

Corps Involved in Every Step of Wildfire Season

With wildfire season underway, Corps nationwide are actively involved in nearly every element of wildfire prevention and in supporting wildfire suppression.  In fact, about one-third of Corps are involved in some element of wildfire prevention and suppression.  In 2006, Corps reported nearly 500,000 hours of service around wildfires and related invasive species removal.

The threat of wildfires makes it necessary for prevention work to take place year-round.  For the Maine Conservation Corps, prevention means community planning in the wildland-urban interface.  Crews complete hazard assessment forms for individual homes and structures, rating criteria such as fuel bed depth, canopy cover, fuel density (vegetative surveys), road access, defensible space and proximity to water (structural surveys).  Interviews are also conducted with fire chiefs and local rangers.  Other points of interest are mapped, such as the location of dry hydrants, fire departments, etc.  Crews then help homeowners to address the risks by completing landscape work and making access to the home easier.  The goal of this work is to prepare for potential wildfires and save property.

Prevention work can take many forms.  For the Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) cleanup after wildfires and other disasters is important to ensure the renewed health of a forest, prairie or other lands.  In Olympic National Park, which experienced extreme storms and damaging winds earlier this year, crews are removing damaged trees and branches as well as cleaning up in areas around park headquarters and residences seeking to increase access and reduce fire fuels.  While WCC is involved in various wildfire suppression support, both inside and outside Washington state, cleanup is essential to their work.

Like WCC, the California Conservation Corps (CCC) is deeply entrenched in both prevention and direct wildfire suppression.  The CCC is one of the most active Corps in wildfire suppression and is an essential part of the logistical support in California during fire season.  For example, last summer the CCC had as many as 13 crews (166 Corpsmembers) providing logistical support for wildfires.  On one assignment, CCC crews were flown into a remote part of the fire with full support of Air Operations and were cutting line and directing water and retardant drops.  In recent weeks, the CCC has been supporting firefighters battling the intense fires near Lake Tahoe.

Cleanup after a wildfire is central to wildland health and begins while the fire embers are still burning.  The Minnesota Conservation Corps (MCC), like so many other Corps, is involved in fire season from start to finish.  Last season MCC deployed 42 Corpsmembers to several major fires in northern Minnesota.  Corpsmembers provided help both with the initial suppression and the “mop-up” duties.  Cleanup after a wildfire can be exhausting as MCC crews typically work 15 hour days during the season, however it is an essential part of the process to ensure fires do not reignite and forests and prairies remain healthy.  While Minnesota is not perceived as a wildfire hot spot, just this spring 1,260 wildfires were reported with more than 100,000 acres burned.

With Corps involved in nearly every step of wildfire prevention, suppression and cleanup, it is clear Corps are an essential tool for land managers.  With last season’s near record high of nine million acres burned across the nation according to the National Interagency Fire Center and other busy fire season predictors, Corps may have their busiest season yet ahead of them.