Glenwild HOA
Creating a More Fire Resilient Community
Disclaimer: “The information provided in this report is not endorsed by the Glenwild Community Association. None of the information in the report constitutes advice or direction from the Glenwild Community Association. The information is provided only as a courtesy to the members of the Glenwild Community Association. The Glenwild Community Association is not providing any assessment of this report. You should make your own independent assessment of the report and act accordingly.”
Wildfire History and Forest Health
Wildfires have been been a naturally occurring phenomenon for millions of years and are essential to the overall heath and survival of a forested ecosystem. They provide opportunity for new vegetation growth, clearing of old dead material, natural fertilization of soil, new habitat for wildlife, defense against invasive species, and many more benefits.
However, over the past 100+ years with people migrating to our mountainous regions, we have had to take the stance of strictly suppressing wildfires in order to protect life and property. Without the presence of naturally occurring fires, our forests have encountered a decline in overall health and diversity while accumulating a heavy amount of fuel loading. This unfortunately puts our homes and communities at a much higher risk for a high intensity wildfire.
Fuel Crisis in the West
The policy of suppressing wildfire in our country over the past 100 years has created a dire situation for the health and sustainability of forests in the western United States.
Fuel loading is the amount of combustible material that exists within any given area that could potentially burn. Increased fuel loading results in higher intensity fires which are extremely difficult and dangerous to suppress.
The photo on the left shows heavy fuel loading and the photo on the right shows low amounts of fuel load.
Historically, forests would normally see more frequent lower intensity fires, that would clear much of the understory of dead and smaller trees, leaving the larger trees alive. Unfortunately, due to years of fire suppression and a lack of fuel reduction treatments in our forests, we are now accustomed to seeing extremely high intensity fires that are nearly impossible to stop and often destroy everything in their path.
The reality is that fire is imperative to the health of the entire ecosystem, and simply putting out every wildfire that starts is not not a viable option anymore. What we in communities at risk of wildfire need to decide, is what kind of fire we want to have in our backyards.
The Wildland Urban Interface
The Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is the transition zone between unoccupied land and human development. This area has become an increasingly popular for people to move to and build homes, and for good reason, these are beautiful places to live and recreate! However with making the choice to live in the WUI comes a responsibility to fully understand and prepare for the risk of wildfire.
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Glenwild Community
Glenwild is a residential subdivision with 194 lot home sites located in the Wildland Urban Interface. This map is depicted with a wildfire risk layer to highlight the exposure of the community to wildfire.
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Wasatch National Forest
Over 50,000 Acres of National Forest and State land in close proximity to the Glenwild HOA. Most of this forest has not burned in over 100 years and is primed for a large wildfire.
Wildfire Statistics
Utah 2021 Fire Season Stats:
Total Wildfires: 1,085
Human-caused wildfires: 558
Lightning-caused wildfires: 527
Total acres burned: 60,863
Human-caused acres: 23,317
Lightning-caused acres: 37,546
Homes destroyed: 17 (out of 5,000+ threatened)
Non-home structures destroyed: 23
Top wildfire causes in Utah for 2021:
- Equipment
- Debris Burning
- Campfires
The Utah Wildfire Info website provides information on current active state wildfires, prescribed fires, fuels reduction projects, fire restrictions, and other helpful information for homeowners.
National Wildfire Statistics 2021:
Total Wildfires: 59,000
Total Acres burned: 7.1 million acres
Homes destroyed or damaged: 3,583
Lives lost: 48
The National Interagency Fire Center website provides information on the national wildfire and prescribed fire situation, along with a myriad of resources to help homeowners stay in touch with the fire threat in the West.
Wildfire Risks in the WUI
Experiments, models, and post-fire studies have shown that homes ignite due to the condition of the home, and everything around it, up to 200 feet from the foundation. There 3 main causes of home ignition during a wildfire event:
Ember Attacks:
These are burning pieces of flying debris carried by the wind. Embers can be up to the size of the palm of your hand, and transported over a mile. Generally, they ignite vegetation around your home, piles of leafy material on the roof, or under eaves.
Surface Fires:
These are generally small fires traveling through fine fuels such as grasses and ground litter. Flames make direct contact to the home or attachments, when there is no interruption in fuel type between the home and the direction of fire spread.
Crown Fires:
Crown fires produce large flames rapidly spreading through continuous forest tree canopies. These fires put out an extremely high amount of heat and can ignite a wood walled structure from up to 100 feet away. Homes are also at risk from other types of large flames from ignited vehicles, wood piles, and adjacent structures.
Preparing Your Community
Glenwild HOA is taking steps to help educate the community to become better prepared for the potential of a wildfire. This requires detailed planning, coordination, and investment of time and resources to ensure the best outcome should a fire occur.
Defensible Space
Home saved due to adequate Defensible Space.
One of the main ways to protect your homes and community from wildfires is through implementation of Defensible Space. Defensible Space is essentially any area that can be used as a buffer zone between oncoming wildfire and the homes of your community. Properly planned, implemented, and maintained defensible space increases the survivability of homes in a wildfire, and provides a much safer operational environment for firefighters and first responders.
Open Space Treatments
The Glenwild HOA hired local fire and forestry experts Alpine Forestry LLC to evaluate our community for wildfire risk potential and natural resource health concerns. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of any HOA efforts will be limited without similar undertakings by neighboring properties - Swaner Preserve, The Preserve, and The Ranches. This assessment may still be used in future efforts to reduce fuel loads and increase defensible space in/around the community to lower risk in the event of a wildfire, and may also be useful should any neighboring lots in Glenwild wish to work together on future mitigation projects.
Open Space Fuel Treatments
Earlier we talked about Fuel Loading, which, is the largest threat to the WUI.
These before and after photos highlight the difference between an overgrown forest and a healthier more fire resistant forest post fuels treatment.
Shaded Fuel Breaks
Shaded Fuel Breaks are a common tactic to reduce the amount of fuel present in an area 100-300 feet wide around communities or between structures and open space.
Shaded fuel breaks disrupt the fuel load in the forest and encourage a fast moving, high intensity wildfire to reduce its strength. This gives first responders more time to actively fight the fire, while saving lives and property.
Shaded fuel breaks utilize 3 different tactics: "Cut, Pile, and Burn", "Cut and Chip", and "Lop and Scatter".
Cut, Pile, And Burn:
This tactic involves removing excess fuels to set specifications, and piling them up to be burned later under legal and safe conditions.
...And Burn:
The burning portion of this tactic allows for the removal of unwanted vegetation. This takes place outside of fire season in a systematic manner, while taking into consideration winds and atmospheric conditions to minimize smoke impacts to the community.
The HOA does have significant reservations regarding this approach.
Cut and Chip:
This tactic involves using a mechanical chipper to evenly broadcast chips across the surface of the forest. This coverts ladder fuels into surface fuel, helps maintain soil moisture, and speeds up the decomposition process on the forest floor.
Lop and Scatter:
This tactic is accomplished by cutting the surface and ladder fuels and leaving the material on the ground to decompose. It still breaks the ladder effect to help keep flames out of the tops of trees, but does not remove the material. This is ideal in light fuels or in very steep terrain, where piling is not practical and a chipper cannot access.
Preparing Yourself and Your Home
The first challenge as a homeowner in the WUI is to plan and prepare for the potential of a wildfire impacting Glenwild. The Ready, Set, Go program developed by CALFIRE in the wake of years of devastating losses to wildfires has become the gold standard for homeowner preparedness. An updated resource for information, including checklists and preparedness tips can be found on the Ready, Set, Go website.
Ready, Set, Go
These videos provide valuable insight into homeowner preparedness and will help guide you through the process to take action now, before a fire starts.
Step 1: Ready
Step 2: Set
Step 3: Go
Get notified about emergencies and other important community information by signing up for our Summit County Emergency Alert Program. This system helps provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as emergencies, unexpected road closures, missing persons, special event impacts and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods.
NFPA Homeowner Education Resources
The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA ) has developed a robust set of recommendations to assist homeowners prepare their homes for the threat of an oncoming wildfire. This program is designed to guide you step by step through the process.
Home Ignition Zone:
The National Fire Protection Agency breaks down the guidelines in 3 zones to focus your attention on.
Immediate Zone: 0-5 feet
Intermediate Zone: 5-30 feet
Extended Zone: 30-100 feet
Immediate Zone:
This is a process we call "Home Hardening". Start with the home itself, then move to the area within 5 feet of the home.
- Clean gutters and roofs of any dead debris, leaves or pine needles that can catch embers.
- Repair or replace any loose or missing shingles to prevent embers from penetrating the home.
- Reduce embers that could pass through vents in the eaves, and attic vents by installing 1/8 inch metal mesh.
- Box in underside of decks and patios with 1/8 inch metal mesh to prevent accumulation of combustible debris.
- Move any flammable material away from exterior walls. This includes mulch, flammable vegetation, wood pile, and anything else that can burn.
- Remove anything stored underneath decks and porches.
Intermediate Zone:
This area is between 5 and 30 feet from the furthest exterior point of your home.
- Clean vegetation and flammable material out from underneath stationary propane tanks.
- Create fuel breaks with driveways, walkways, patios, and decks.
- Keep lawn and native grasses mowed to 4 inches or less.
- Ground fires can spread into the tree canopies through "Ladder Fuels". Following these guidelines will further help protect your home against wildfires.
Extended Zone 30-100 feet:
- Dispose of heavy accumulation of litter and ground debris
- Remove dead plant and tree material
- Remove small conifers growing between mature trees
- Remove vegetation around any outbuildings or storage sheds
- Trees 30-60 feet from home should be spaced at least 12 feet apart
- Trees 60-100 feet from home should be spaced at lest 6 feet apart
Property Assessments
Homeowners interested in obtaining home and property assessments can do so by contacting Park City Fire District or a local NFPA certified Wildland Fire Mitigation Specialist. They provide custom home and property risk assessments, along with implementation guidance to help you protect your assets.
CAL FIRE Inspects for Defensible Space
