Napa Firewise has been working to reduce wildfire fuel around the Silverado community. The collaborative team includes Napa Firewise, Napa County Fire Department, private fuels crew, Cal Fire, and the Silverado Fire Safe Council – all united in the commitment to improve the safety of our community! Often, materials are chipped and scattered – but pile burning is a good tool in areas like this that are too steep or otherwise inaccessible for a chipper.
Defensible space efforts have been centered around vegetation management, to create conditions where fire containment can be successful. This has been achieved by:
- Removal of built up fuel, such as previously burned dead shrubs and trees, entangled vines, brush, and ladder fuels.
- Trees pruned to remove dead wood and low hanging limbs.
- Cut seasonal grasses.
- Materials are chipped and scattered – or cut and burned in steep areas inaccessible for a chipper.
Projects like this one reduce the wildfire risk not only to homes, but to other infrastructure, including public water supplies, power and telephone lines, cell towers, internet relay stations, and other communication infrastructure easily compromised in a wildland fire.
