|
|
|
|
|
|
The Little House in the ForestForest. Synonym of majesty and splendour. Witness to the history of mankind. In such a setting, life in a wooded area takes on overtones of retirement. But dangers lurk within. Fire, ignited by lightening or human activity, can destroy such magnificence. Since man is close to the forest, and for some, close to the heart, he can become the victim of this destructive element, which all too often is brought on by himself. So, how does one protect one’s home? In a year or two, when he renovates, he will redo the asphalt and metal roof. He may use stucco, metal or brick for the exterior walls. If he had a propane tank, he would store it at least 10 metres away from the house, as a safety precaution, and would keep vegetation and flammable materials at least 3 metres away from the tank. But, thankfully, he doesn't have one. He will renovate the driveway to ensure that it is wide enough to accommodate emergency vehicles. You never know! He also plans to put in another exit to ensure that he can safely leave his home in the event the front entrance cannot be accessed. Since Armand likes water, he is going to build a pond. In addition to attracting the wildlife that he will enjoy observing, the pond could serve as an additional water source for firefighters, if necessary. And because he is an avid recycler, he has acquired two 200-litre drums that he will be placing at the bottom of eaves troughs to catch rainwater. An additional water source! The property needs some sprucing up. First, a 10-metre perimeter should be maintained around the house to remove any flammable vegetation. A firebreak zone not only stops a fire from advancing from the forest to a house, but from a house to the forest. Safeguarding your home is one thing, but a forest needs protecting too. A firebreak zone also gives firefighters an additional chance to save a house. Armand wants trees on his property. He has already selected maple, poplar and birch. These are good choices because they have a very low flammability index, compared to the indexes for jack pine and white or black spruce.
Armand makes another list and writes down the fire-fighting tools he plans to buy: a garden hose long enough to reach around the house, buckets, rakes, shovels and a ladder to climb up onto the roof to install a series of sprinklers. Once he finishes the clean-up, he will compost the wood cuttings or take them to a landfill. But more importantly, he knows that he should not burn them. A fire at the site would be an unnecessary hazard. Foresight, like Armand’s, will help to safeguard it! Line Lapointe 2006-08-09 4:13 PM |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Armand is planning for retirement. He pictures the little place in the country surrounded by majestic trees he has just purchased in a scenic setting. He emerges from his daydream and begins making a list. A lot has to be done before he can ease into his hammock. First, he has to remove birds’ nests, dead leaves and branches from the roof and eaves troughs. He plans to install a spark arrester at the top of the chimney. He is also going to cut all of the tree branches within a three metre radius of the chimney. 
He also knows that he should keep firewood, flammable debris, building timber and fences at least 10 meters away from the house. He should also regularly water and mow the grass around the house. 
Further away, between 10 and 30 metres from the house, he should set up a protective zone, also known as a fire-attenuating zone. On this part of the property, Armand will reduce the number of evergreens. They ignite more easily than deciduous. He will trim the branches of the remaining evergreens to approximately two metres above the ground. This zone could therefore sustain only a low-intensity fire. A fire-attenuating zone would not be required if the surrounding forest was comprised entirely of deciduous trees, but this is not the case on Armand's property. 
Fireproofing our environment demands time and energy. We should follow the example and show the same patience as Mother Nature, which takes more than a century to establish a forest. Fire, on the other hand, takes little more than a few hours to lay an entire forest to waste.