Community Wildfire Protection Plan

In more recent decades, wildfires have been fairly well contained. With different conditions (winds, site of origin, time of year), the outcomes can play out very differently. As you can see, debris burning accounts for the vast majority of fires that get out of control and need a fire department to respond.

The trend in the recent decade generally tracks upward, with population growth and human activity evidenced in the uptick of fires. Each fire is another roll of the dice - and we remain fortunate in recent years that the winds didn't fan the flames.

On the heels of recent fires reported in the papers, the refrain has been "mutual aid". With 6 fire departments on the island, capacity is immensely boosted when our counterparts spring into action.

Fire suppression apparatus have improved over the decades. Previous generations had less to work with which might help explain why some fires raged, while many today are snuffed out before too much sprawl.

In 2021, the Martha's Vineyard Commission secured funding to complete a  Community Wildfire Protection Plan  (CWPP) for Dukes County, with the guidance of consultants and a planning team that included fire chiefs, land conservation groups, an ecologist, a Building Commissioner, the Wampanoag Tribe, along with state partners.

The CWPP gave us a three-pronged approach to make us a more  Fire-Adapted Community , but not before explaining our true wildfire risk across the islands.

The inputs to our wildfire hazard-risk assessment are fairly technical and can be found further down, but the following themes are easy to grasp.

See where these fuels are distributed across the islands. Some are far more volatile in a fire than others. For instance, scrub oak and pitch pine are very flammable with the Vineyard boasting thousands of acres where they are the dominant species.

Here's an interactive map that explains the fire behavior of these fuels and where they are predominantly found.

Soils

"All of Dukes County is classified as Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens. Because soils in this ecoregion are sandy, acidic, and extremely porous, the soil loses moisture rapidly (U.S. Geological Survey 2003). Under certain conditions, these vegetation communities can support extreme fire behavior. Within Pine Barren systems, the overstory is dominated by pitch pine, while the understory is composed of scrub oak, woodlands, shrublands, and heath species. Other common species within this ecoregion including ericaceous shrubs such as huckleberry, and blueberry, which produce volatile substances from leaves and stems. This increases flammability and contributes to fire spread."

Soils impact the types of species (fuel) that will thrive, yet they also influence rate of rainfall infiltration and how much shrubs and trees approximate "kindling" or "tinder", in fire parlance. Rate of spread can pivot greatly on this variable, just as flame length and fireline intensity are linked to vegetation type.

Our hottest months of the year experience the least amount of precipitation. This is further compounded by extended stretches of no rain whatsoever, eventually punctuated by rainfall events. Furthermore, the number of consecutive days between rain events in southeastern Mass. is expected to lengthen as our climate changes. These are the sorts of conditions that set the stage for wildfires to thrive, especially if coupled with a gusting wind.

Our risk analysis was built on the following wind conditions: average wind speeds of 11 miles per hour (mph), with gusts up to 27 mph and prevailing wind direction of west-southwest.

Our average daytime temperature is 55°F, and average nighttime temperature is 50°F; those too are accounted for in the model.

Here are the other factors in the model that determine our RISK - see the heat map below the list to explore the findings

• Crowns and canopy
• Fuels (vegetation type)
• history of fires in the area
• community values
• proximity of homes to woodlands
• distance from fire stations

In the late 90's, a team led by fire ecologist Dr. William Patterson III, estimated that with the right weather conditions a fire that struck the State Forest "would burn hot and fast, fanning out a mile wide and burning 664 acres within an hour and a half".

Use the slider below to see the risk level in your corner of the island.

More frequent wind storms in recent decades and blights to tree species have compounded the significance of fuel management within the Forest, and beyond. The limited staff of 2 people managing the State Forest do tremendous work, but it is so vast that it remains an a extreme wildfire risk.

Much as we can't control the weather, we are not entirely at the mercy of Mother Nature. We can be poised on the wildfire stage, both to snuff it out early and to limit its spread and damage if response times are delayed.

Three broad tactical approaches are recommended for our community to address its risk. Collectively, they don't leave the burden to any single actor but instead prompt us all to take action in some form. The strategies are crafted under:

• Restoring & maintaining landscapes
• Adapting our communities through: public education/outreach & reducing structural ignitability
• Improving our fire response capacity

Chapter 4 of the report features the range of recommended actions, with notable detail. Read about these recommendations below.

No single approach applies to every property across the islands. For example, prescribed burns might be most appropriate on large swaths of land where grasslands are desired for fire break and habitat purposes.

Mechanical removal of tree limbs and encroaching vegetation are highly suited for long dirt roads that present clearance and overall access issues for fire trucks and residents poised to use the road as their sole evacuation route in the event of a fire.

Grazing sheep might be dispatched on high risk properties that are teeming with poison ivy or invasive species that suit their palettes.

There are two sides to the fire coin. Just as it can destroy many things we value in our community, fire can also renew and restore when managed appropriately. While debate remains about the degree to which the island's native inhabitants used controlled burns as part of their land stewardship, there are some sites where this treatment is deployed today. Prescribed fire reduces fuel loads, dialing back our wildfire risk while also promoting biodiversity through the introduction of more varied landscapes.

Wildfires rage and scorch, but prescribed fire acts to cleanse our landscape. With the support of Edgartown leadership, Department of Conservation & Recreation, Division of Fish & Wildlife, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a prescribed burn took place in the Fall of 2021 in Katama.

One example of mechanical treatment is a firebreak where there is a gap in vegetation, serving as a barrier to slow the progress of a wildfire and give firefighters another tactical option to combat its spread.  Most of us are familiar with the firebreaks that crisscross the State Forest - roughly 60' in width - but firebreaks come in many sizes.  The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is considering mowing a 25' wide break along the southeastern side of a 463-acre parcel, often referred to as the "Woods Preserve", and across the street from a thickly settled neighborhood in West Tisbury. (TNC already applies prescribed fire and mowing to the northern end of the preserve to maintain a globally rare sandplain grassland).

Care will be given to preserve the character of the roadway, including preserving the centuries-old stone wall that runs parallel to the road in many stretches.  Rather than take down trees adjacent to the road, the break would be set back from the Right of Way, on the other side of the stone wall to maintain vegetation screening.  In addition to better protecting the downwind residential neighborhood, a fire break may enhance the biodiversity of the site, by attracting wildlife that uses more open habitats.

It can begin in our own backyards - and extend toward property lines and beyond. Much can be done to make our homes safer without breaking the bank.

Mandatory trainings are sometimes viewed as overburdening our volunteer firefighters. Yet we ask them to risk their lives to save others. Our local heroes deserve some form of compensation to best prepare them for the front lines through drills, tabletop exercises, and advanced scenario planning. Repetition reduces risk, as speed of operation becomes swifter and the odds are boosted for proper execution.

Other factors are also in play that greatly impact response times.

The Vineyard is saddled with a road network that makes evacuation and firefighter response a scary proposition, with road widths that won't allow two approaching vehicles to pass one another. These responses can amount to a vehicle stand off when precious seconds matter most.

For all the charm and privacy of living down a long dirt road, it can stack the deck against our firefighters trying to respond to an emergency when residents are fleeing. Our turnouts along these narrow dirt roads are often too small for a large fire truck. Moreover, a low canopy or "trenched" road with steep embankments can create a high-stakes impasse.

As you can see in the map to your right, these types of roads are more the issue than the oddity on the Vineyard.

Given many of these roads are owned & maintained by Roadway Associations, annual meetings are an apt time to secure funding and authorization to increase the number of turnouts, widen existing ones, and ensure there is commitment to "limb up". The latter ensures pruning of adjacent trees extends 14' high so a high profile fire apparatus can safely navigate the road.

Residents should also have a mental map of trails and footpaths in their neighborhood so they can swiftly access other getaway options if their road is impassable.

Our land management practices, community preparedness, and commitment to giving our fire men and women a fighting chance all determine whether we are truly a fire-adapted community. If we manage our fuel loads, steward our individual properties, and provide the appropriate training, equipment, and access to our firefighters, the wrath of a future wildfire will be minimized. The  recent fate of Lahaina in Maui  should be a clarion call to us all.