Fire Threat

Fire Protection Vital in the Sierra Nevada

Why is it important?

Every year, fire damage to homes and businesses threatens lives and the financial stability of rural communities. Continuing population growth in rural areas of the Sierra Nevada increases fire hazards, particularly in areas with large, spread-out housing developments.
Wildland-urban interfaces are areas “where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland.” The growing prevalence of Sierra Nevada wildland-urban areas has important implications for the impact and management of wildfires. These areas create “an environment in which fire can move readily between structural and vegetation fuels. [Their] expansion has increased the likelihood that wildfires will threaten structures and people.”12

Fire protection preserves and cultivates financial capital. A large fire can damage property to the extent of billions of dollars. The threat of severely-affected utility delivery, especially electricity and water can limit financial capital growth by discouraging investment in communities.13 Some fire threat is due to a history of strict fire control and the resulting accumulation of underbrush.14

How are we doing?

Medium-to-high fire threat in the North Sierra is largely due to long-term forestry practices, which are being addressed through various projects. The western portions of the North Central and South Central Sierra, where most Sierrans live, have the highest risk for fire damage. The Lake Tahoe area in the North Central Sierra is also at risk due to the difficulty of evacuating the area.

The East Sierra is the least threatened due to its sparser vegetation and widespread rangeland habitat. Although the heavily forested areas of northern Mono County present a medium threat.

12 http://www.silvis.forest.wisc.edu/projects/WUI_Main.asp

13 http://www.iafc.org/downloads/WF_Workshop/IAFC%20Wildland%20Fire%20Policy%20Statement.pdf

14 http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/SNT/noframe/ca163.htm